At the time of this writing, the Republican Party is trying to send a message to the American people. What they’d like to tell us is that they’re discontented, that we should be discontented, that they can replace Barack Obama, and that Mitt Romney is the best choice for the presidency. However, what they’re actually telling us is this: We’ve learned nothing from the past five years.

The Republican Party’s entire strategy seems to be one of conflict and negativity. This is reflected not only in the politics on display, but in the very makeup of the convention.

For instance, it is a fact that the entire first day of the convention was specifically and explicitly slated to attack Obama. In a meeting that lasts four days and covers the entirety of the Republican platform and strategy, fully 25 percent of the allotted time has been devoted to criticism of a single individual.

This policy of negativity goes even further. Each day of the convention has a name; the first is, “We Can Do Better,” implicitly invoking Obama’s perceived failures. The second is, “We Built It,” which sounds positive until you realize that it’s a mockery of one of Obama’s less popular speeches. The third, called, “We Can Change It,” echoes the first, and the fourth, “We Believe in America,” is meaningless clichéd filler.

This seems to reflect a system of belief consistent with Mitch McConnell’s statement that his top priority was to “make Obama a one-term president.” The Republican leaders appear to think the American people are so disillusioned with Obama that they’ll elect any Republican just to get rid of him.

This is one of the greatest miscalculations of the election cycle. Are many people disillusioned with Obama? Yes, but not so many are so disappointed as to vote for anyone who opposes him. Republicans would do well to remember that Bush won his bid for re-election against a similar strategy, and his approval rating was far lower than Obama’s at the time.

Another important point is that far more Americans are frustrated with the obstructionist Republican congress than with Obama. Under these circumstances, an appeal to dissatisfaction is irrational and hypocritical.

So, what should Republicans be doing? Ironically enough, they could probably take a page from Obama. We should remember that Obama was once a dark horse but overcame incredible odds — not by focusing on the negative, but by running an entire campaign based on hope and positivity. He used dissatisfaction to inspire voters, while the Republicans are doing their best to appeal to negative emotions.

Also of note is that the Republican platform would prohibit abortions, even in cases of rape, that the convention has wholeheartedly condemned homosexual relations, and that Ron Paul has been denied his chance to speak in front of the party. The Republican Party is selling itself as the party of cynicism, negativity and condemnation, which is exactly the image they should be trying to shake off.

If they don’t, they’ll see the results come November.

Nathan James is a sophomore majoring in public relations. His column runs weekly on Thursday.