According to former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Republicans lost their 2012 race against President Obama because they sent “mixed messages.” In an interview with CBS This Morning, Rice stated, “It was still a close election in the popular vote,” but Republicans require a “bigger tent.” She said that certain Republican policies remain highly popular, including fiscal responsibility and strong national defense, she did say that Republicans “are losing important segments of the electorate.”

Following the lead of commentators like Charles Krauthammer and politicians like House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), “on the immigration issue … and probably some issues about women too, some mixed messages were sent. And when you send mixed messages through the narrow funnel that is the media funnel, sometimes people only hear one side of that message.”