GOP Task–in a Nutshell
Roughly half the time I read articles on the task ahead for the GOP, the authors contend that Republicans can’t return to the ideas Ronald Reagan used so effectively to rally the faithful in the late 1970s and rebuild the party in the next decade as those ideas are out of date. What worked nearly three decades ago won’t work today.
I and others contend that those ideas are timeless and particularly relevant today. In the 1960s and 1970s, we saw an ever-increasing federal behemoth, the same thing we’re seeing in Barack Obama’s Washington.
Still, I agree with one thing the authors of the articles mentioned above get at with their criticisms: we can’t mindless ape the Gipper’s platform. We need to adapt his ideas to the world as it is today. To that end, I highly, **highly**, recommend Jay Cost’s piece in the latest Weekly Standard where he urges Republicans to “be creative,”
I’d suggest Republicans discuss their future with greater confidence in the party’s core principles. There is no need to redefine them, or indulge in an existential “crisis of conservatism.” Instead, now is the time for Republicans to use their principles creatively–to generate new and compelling solutions to public problems.
But that’s not all. The GOP needs creative strategies to market those ideas. The biggest political problem the party faces is that the Democrats are fully in control of the national agenda. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid decide what is and is not considered in Congress, and Barack Obama can use the bully pulpit to guide public discussion. If Republicans are not inventive in how they promote themselves, they are bound to end up on the backpage.
And that, in a nutshell, is what Republicans must do, adapt our party’s core principles to the current world situation and develop creative strategies to market them.
We do ourselves a disservice when we ignore or dismiss those voices successful at reaching out to mass audience. We now need to find means to reach out to audiences not yet familiar with the Republican message, but who, if it is conveyed in a manner they can readily understand, would eagerly join our ranks.
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I get the Weekly Standard and read it cover to cover. It is part of a conservative warrior’s arsenal of current events facts.
I love getting into a discussion with one of my lib friends and beating them with the facts.
Of course they resort to the Bush bashing with all their “yeah, but-s”……I just say “yeah but you are wrong” and move on to the next subject.
Comment by Jeb — March 16, 2009 @ 5:10 pm - March 16, 2009
Jay comments are right on. The timelessness of the Republican philosphy from its foundation is applicable in these times as well.
He counsels the party to be the loyal opposition, which is fine. But I don´t agree with his comment that we shouldn´t have a timetable for a takeover. I would have preferred to have read the party must set goals as to how many seats it must win in the next election and the one beyond that until we have acheived a majority. That would be in the purview of Micheal Steele, the RNC Chairman.
Comment by Roberto — March 16, 2009 @ 7:02 pm - March 16, 2009
I found an alternative to the GOP it’s the Modern Whig Party, yes, the Whigs are back. The website is modernwhig.org. It is a new group since 2007 and they are fiscal conservative, moderate in social views, and traditional with lots of vets. There’s an active group in Texas, New York, Missouri, Florida, and Oklahoma. Check it out.
Comment by David Harper — March 16, 2009 @ 9:19 pm - March 16, 2009
Conservatives arguing with a straight back and armed with facts don’t get beat. We do ourselves a disservice when we agree to participate in 9 minute discussions of critical issues while on a panel of 5 with a commeercial in the middle. We don’t often enough bash liberal Democrats over their heads with their record. I’m linking to a story that details the current administrations plan to CHARGE INJURED SOLDIERS and their insurance companies for their war injuries.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20090316/pl_usnw/the_american_legion_strongly_opposed_to_president_s_plan_to_charge_wounded_heroes_for_treatment
If this is true, even the thought of such a thing, should end once and for all the notion that the Democrats “support the troops”. What we don’t do often enough, is file away these kinds of examples of the weird and out of step ideas of these people. Anytime someone questions the conservative financial core principles, we should note with gusto and detail Reagans reversal of the Carter misery index. National security….Bush 43’s reversal of the Carter Clinton national defense weakness. It was Reagan who freed 70 million east Europeans. It was Bush 43 who freed 45 million Arabs and Muslims. When the media and Dems whine about a 7 year Iraq war, we should go on the offensive and ask how long the war on poverty will go on before we declare it “lost”.
This country always loved strong leaders, TR, Reagan, Truman (no doubt long after he left). Time for conservatives to have some onions and stand up for what they believe in. Reagan attracted people who disagreed with him 30% of the time. I was there. He did it because they knew who he was. You knew where he stood. You knew he wasn’t going to be pushed around by the Russians or his political opponents. But he knew how to present his ideas and principles to the nation.
Comment by Gene in Pennsylvania — March 16, 2009 @ 10:22 pm - March 16, 2009
I would like to point out that there is more going on now than a growth of government that conversatives need to deal with. Globalization has played a big effect on politics and the growth of social welfare politics is probably a reaction to that. We didn’t have such competition for jobs or resources in the 60’s and 70s like we do now. We are also dealing with a different world, one of waning American Hegemony.
We might have to look at a different role of the state via globalization, but its just an idea.
Comment by Darkeyedresolve — March 17, 2009 @ 9:08 am - March 17, 2009
Capitalism is under assault. Our history has been largely about government and “the invisible hand” of capitalism and the tension between the two. We have had slavery, child labor, national banks, panics, violent strikes, the labor movement, the inclusion of the corporation under the 14th Amendment, depressions, robber barons, the gospel of wealth, the frontier, multi-national corporations, the personal income tax and myriad other challenges to our marriage with capitalism.
We are now morphing into European socialism. The interesting thing about our current financial “crisis” is how the dollar is faring against the currencies of the typical European socialist nations. The Euro is heading toward parity and the pound is right behind it. The Kiwi and the Australian Dollar have all but crashed against the USD. But it is Sweden where the real drama is unfolding.
Governments with high European Socialism are really failing and if the USD fails, they will crash. That is because they are in the habit of employing one another through some sort of government scheme or other. That is how socialism ultimately works. It is US capitalism that spurs the world economy.
The Republicans need to pay strict attention to capitalism, because that is their whole reason for being. If we trend further into the miasma of European socialism, there really is no need for the Republicans other than to wedge sticks in front of the moving train. Our voters are not unwilling to vote themselves perks from the treasury. They have been heavily pandered to and, like Oliver, they are holding out their empty plates and asking for more. If they are anything like the Europeans, they will be grudgingly satisfied with their little share and become lethargic and relatively easily herded.
That is the plan of the socialist elites. The politburo has to be pampered. It has the awesome task of taking care of the little people. Another jet for Nancy, please. She has a hair appointment.
Comment by heliotrope — March 17, 2009 @ 11:59 am - March 17, 2009
Props to Jay for calling it.
A: Conservatism is timeless. Doesn’t need to be fixed.
B: We must find creative solutions, using the market when we are able, and government only when we must.
C: We MUST propagate these ideas, finding suitable communication vehicles that we do not get labeled as merely “traditionalists/obstructionists/curmudgeons.”
D: “C” above is the most important battle!!!!! We could have won this last election if only we had a figurehead/spokesman with charisma and purposeful passion…..look at the last few elections: Bob Dole?! Bush beat Gore only because people suspected Gore was the self-righteous windbag he is, then beat Kerry because even though tired of GWB’s war. Then we have the “eloquent” [telepromptered] Obama against the ineloquent McCain…And look who the village idiots elected: Obama, in part due to Bush-fatigue, but also due to the fact that he was young, and bright and shiny and articulate. So many people elect politicians based on appearance only. So we MUST elect a conservative candidate with true purpose, passion, and pizazz.
Comment by I, Park D. Bus — March 17, 2009 @ 2:19 pm - March 17, 2009
[...] week, I linked Jay Cost’s Weekly Standard piece where he urged “Republicans to use their principles [...]
Pingback by GayPatriot » Nutshell Explanation for GOP’s Recent Failures — March 23, 2009 @ 1:53 pm - March 23, 2009