REPUBLICANS - WHAT NOW ? - THE SUNDAY COMMENTARY
" So, as we begin, let us take inventory. We are a nation that has a government--not the other way around. And this makes us special among the nations of the Earth. Our Government has no power except that granted it by the people. It is time to check and reverse the growth of government which shows signs of having grown beyond the consent of the governed.........Now, so there will be no misunderstanding, it is not my intention to do away with government. It is, rather, to make it work-work with us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back......As for the enemies of freedom, those who are potential adversaries, they will be reminded that peace is the highest aspiration of the American people. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it; we will not surrender for it--now or ever.
Our forbearance should never be misunderstood. Our reluctance for conflict should not be misjudged as a failure of will. When action is required to preserve our national security, we will act. We will maintain sufficient strength to prevail if need be, knowing that if we do so we have the best chance of never having to use that strength." Selected Form President Reagan's first Inaugural
2006 will long be considered a disappointing year for Republicans and the Republican Party. Not just because of the results of last weeks Mid Term Election but because it was the culmination of a gradual process in which the party lost its soul. A soul that the party base continualy reminded leaders of, a soul that every leader of the past spoke of, a soul that now must be rekindled if the party if is to ever be what it once was. Without this soul the Republican Party is no different from Democrats in many ways. Without this soul the Republican Party lost sight of the very core of ideas and principles that made them the strong and the consitantly leading political party of the nation. Without this soul the Republican Party was a ship without sails floudering in the midst of a political storm that sank the, "Grand Old Party, " last Tuesday. What is the soul of the GOP, the soul that the leaders forgot , the soul that elected them to office and that because of its loss isolated them from the very voters who placed them in power ? That soul can be found in one word that expresses the very core of the party of Teddy Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. That soul is conservatism. A philoshophy of thoughts, values and ideas that those who believe in them, live by them and expect the leaders that they vote into office to govern by them. A philosophy that the Republican Party leadership and many of those who are elected as GOP in Washington have forgotten and neglected for some time and Tuesday they paid the price for their memory loss and neglect. President Ronald Reagan is the father of todays conservative movement in this country and we who were of voting age in the 80's have passed this onto the next generation and as such as the GOP began disconnecting with the conservative majority they began losing sight of why it works and what made this philosophy the driving force in the GOP winning elections. A philosophy of less government, less taxation, strong defense, strong moral and ethical principles, giving power to the people of the nation rather than the government regulating or deciding for them because of less government intrusion in our daily lives. As the GOP began listening to the inside the beltway crowd in Washington and not to the citizens of this country who are not of the beltway philosophy that is when the disconnect began and the GOP lost its soul.
How then does the GOP recover ? The answer is simple and it is an answer that the base has been yelling to no avail until the wake up call of last Tuesday. Return to the conservative values and principles of governing that placed the GOP in office from the beginning. Conservative do not want large government entitlements and programs that boom the growth of the Federal government combine a smaller government with with less taxation allowing the people to determine how their money is spent and not the government. Less Taxation is one of the few areas that the GOP was consistant. Conservatives demand and expect a total accountability of their representatives from a moral and ethical stand point. Because government is run by people who have flaws as we all do, individuals will become corrupt because of the power that they yield as government officials regardless of party. There are as many corrupt Democrats as Republicans. The only way to prevent this inevitability from reflecting on the party is by dealing with every instance quickly and openly to prevent the look of impropriaty. While the GOP had its problems and I beleive they dealt with them the fact that they did it in secret allowed the opposition to portray a culture of corruption that stuck. By dealing with anything openly the look of impropriaty disappears and the public as a whole accepts the judgement of the leadership upon the individual in question because of the transparency and the trust that the leadership shows to the people of this nation by revealing everything. Reagan connected with the American people because of his ability to express to us why he was doing as he did what his intentions were and what his policy would bring for the betterment of the nation. When he faced a difficult situation he shared it with the American people. When he made a decision that would affect the nation he shared it with the American people and most importantly he listened because he realized that he worked for us and that government was by the will of the people and not the other way around. His openess was one of his greatest strenghts.
Finding and placing good strong and conservative leaders who follow the Reagan example is the first step to the recovery of the Republican Party. A good start was announced this week as the RNC stated that they were seeking Michael Steele a strong conservative and the current Lt. Governor of Maryland and 2006 Senate candidate to replace outgoing Chairman Ken Mehlman. Strong conservative leadership that listens to the people and make decisions based on conservative ideas and values and never waver from this philosophy are necessary. Compromising conservatism was the downfall of the GOP because the leadership did not steadfastly stick to those ideals and as they wavered from this they began ignoring the people. The new leadership must adhear to the conservative platform and ideals in order to regain what was lost and the only way to insure this is by placing strong and consistant conservative leaders in the RNC, the House and the Senate then listen to the people in all matters because the very strength of this nation are the people who live by, work because and breath the freedoms that we have and when our voice in neglected then government gets out of control. This is one of the core principles of conservatism.
Less government and government intrusion, tax releif and a strong and consistant national defense are key to a GOP recovery. By working toward and pushing ideas that consistantly call for and fight for smaller government with the people determining how best to live their lives and spend their money the GOP will again find its soul of conservative ideals. While implimenting these ideals will be difficult under a Democrat majority the fact that the GOP stands for and pushes for this in government will not go unnoticed by the voters. But garnering votes should not nor ever be the reason for this stand. Believing it because it is right and it is at the core of values and ideals is what will win the day then fighting for those reasons and not just a goal of gaining political points. Fighting for and supporting the defense and security of this nation whether it be over seas or along our borders to insure the safety and prosperity of the American people is not only a essential core to conservative values but a neccessary policy for this nation and a GOP stronghold that once again demands the attention and time of the new leadership.
Take the fight to the people ! With the exception of the first two years of his Presidency, Ronald Reagan had a Democrat majority in the House and Senate. His first two years found a GOP majority in only the Senate. How then did he accomplish so much with consistant opposition ? Because he believed so strongly in conservative principles and ideas he was willing first to fight for them and second he trusted the people of the country. When he faced an uphill battle with Congress for his agenda he went to the people and spoke to, talked with and most importantly listened to the people. By trusting the people as he did the people inturn trusted him and fought by his side for the conservative principles that changed this nation and the world. By taking the fight to the people of the United States following the Reagan example and trusting the people to understand, evaluate and then decide on the issues the GOP will once again gain the trust of Americans and move foward with the conservative agenda.
Now is a time for new beginning yet a return to old values for the GOP. Without a return through a rebirth to the conservative principles and ideals that made the GOP strong and successful they will continue to flounder as a party. From all indications they finally understand this. Now comes the job of making that understanding a reality not just in word but in deed and in fighting for leadership and policy that reaches the strength and soul of the base, yes even the majority of the GOP and much of America - conservatism.
Ken Taylor
Our forbearance should never be misunderstood. Our reluctance for conflict should not be misjudged as a failure of will. When action is required to preserve our national security, we will act. We will maintain sufficient strength to prevail if need be, knowing that if we do so we have the best chance of never having to use that strength." Selected Form President Reagan's first Inaugural
2006 will long be considered a disappointing year for Republicans and the Republican Party. Not just because of the results of last weeks Mid Term Election but because it was the culmination of a gradual process in which the party lost its soul. A soul that the party base continualy reminded leaders of, a soul that every leader of the past spoke of, a soul that now must be rekindled if the party if is to ever be what it once was. Without this soul the Republican Party is no different from Democrats in many ways. Without this soul the Republican Party lost sight of the very core of ideas and principles that made them the strong and the consitantly leading political party of the nation. Without this soul the Republican Party was a ship without sails floudering in the midst of a political storm that sank the, "Grand Old Party, " last Tuesday. What is the soul of the GOP, the soul that the leaders forgot , the soul that elected them to office and that because of its loss isolated them from the very voters who placed them in power ? That soul can be found in one word that expresses the very core of the party of Teddy Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. That soul is conservatism. A philoshophy of thoughts, values and ideas that those who believe in them, live by them and expect the leaders that they vote into office to govern by them. A philosophy that the Republican Party leadership and many of those who are elected as GOP in Washington have forgotten and neglected for some time and Tuesday they paid the price for their memory loss and neglect. President Ronald Reagan is the father of todays conservative movement in this country and we who were of voting age in the 80's have passed this onto the next generation and as such as the GOP began disconnecting with the conservative majority they began losing sight of why it works and what made this philosophy the driving force in the GOP winning elections. A philosophy of less government, less taxation, strong defense, strong moral and ethical principles, giving power to the people of the nation rather than the government regulating or deciding for them because of less government intrusion in our daily lives. As the GOP began listening to the inside the beltway crowd in Washington and not to the citizens of this country who are not of the beltway philosophy that is when the disconnect began and the GOP lost its soul.
How then does the GOP recover ? The answer is simple and it is an answer that the base has been yelling to no avail until the wake up call of last Tuesday. Return to the conservative values and principles of governing that placed the GOP in office from the beginning. Conservative do not want large government entitlements and programs that boom the growth of the Federal government combine a smaller government with with less taxation allowing the people to determine how their money is spent and not the government. Less Taxation is one of the few areas that the GOP was consistant. Conservatives demand and expect a total accountability of their representatives from a moral and ethical stand point. Because government is run by people who have flaws as we all do, individuals will become corrupt because of the power that they yield as government officials regardless of party. There are as many corrupt Democrats as Republicans. The only way to prevent this inevitability from reflecting on the party is by dealing with every instance quickly and openly to prevent the look of impropriaty. While the GOP had its problems and I beleive they dealt with them the fact that they did it in secret allowed the opposition to portray a culture of corruption that stuck. By dealing with anything openly the look of impropriaty disappears and the public as a whole accepts the judgement of the leadership upon the individual in question because of the transparency and the trust that the leadership shows to the people of this nation by revealing everything. Reagan connected with the American people because of his ability to express to us why he was doing as he did what his intentions were and what his policy would bring for the betterment of the nation. When he faced a difficult situation he shared it with the American people. When he made a decision that would affect the nation he shared it with the American people and most importantly he listened because he realized that he worked for us and that government was by the will of the people and not the other way around. His openess was one of his greatest strenghts.
Finding and placing good strong and conservative leaders who follow the Reagan example is the first step to the recovery of the Republican Party. A good start was announced this week as the RNC stated that they were seeking Michael Steele a strong conservative and the current Lt. Governor of Maryland and 2006 Senate candidate to replace outgoing Chairman Ken Mehlman. Strong conservative leadership that listens to the people and make decisions based on conservative ideas and values and never waver from this philosophy are necessary. Compromising conservatism was the downfall of the GOP because the leadership did not steadfastly stick to those ideals and as they wavered from this they began ignoring the people. The new leadership must adhear to the conservative platform and ideals in order to regain what was lost and the only way to insure this is by placing strong and consistant conservative leaders in the RNC, the House and the Senate then listen to the people in all matters because the very strength of this nation are the people who live by, work because and breath the freedoms that we have and when our voice in neglected then government gets out of control. This is one of the core principles of conservatism.
Less government and government intrusion, tax releif and a strong and consistant national defense are key to a GOP recovery. By working toward and pushing ideas that consistantly call for and fight for smaller government with the people determining how best to live their lives and spend their money the GOP will again find its soul of conservative ideals. While implimenting these ideals will be difficult under a Democrat majority the fact that the GOP stands for and pushes for this in government will not go unnoticed by the voters. But garnering votes should not nor ever be the reason for this stand. Believing it because it is right and it is at the core of values and ideals is what will win the day then fighting for those reasons and not just a goal of gaining political points. Fighting for and supporting the defense and security of this nation whether it be over seas or along our borders to insure the safety and prosperity of the American people is not only a essential core to conservative values but a neccessary policy for this nation and a GOP stronghold that once again demands the attention and time of the new leadership.
Take the fight to the people ! With the exception of the first two years of his Presidency, Ronald Reagan had a Democrat majority in the House and Senate. His first two years found a GOP majority in only the Senate. How then did he accomplish so much with consistant opposition ? Because he believed so strongly in conservative principles and ideas he was willing first to fight for them and second he trusted the people of the country. When he faced an uphill battle with Congress for his agenda he went to the people and spoke to, talked with and most importantly listened to the people. By trusting the people as he did the people inturn trusted him and fought by his side for the conservative principles that changed this nation and the world. By taking the fight to the people of the United States following the Reagan example and trusting the people to understand, evaluate and then decide on the issues the GOP will once again gain the trust of Americans and move foward with the conservative agenda.
Now is a time for new beginning yet a return to old values for the GOP. Without a return through a rebirth to the conservative principles and ideals that made the GOP strong and successful they will continue to flounder as a party. From all indications they finally understand this. Now comes the job of making that understanding a reality not just in word but in deed and in fighting for leadership and policy that reaches the strength and soul of the base, yes even the majority of the GOP and much of America - conservatism.
Ken Taylor
posted by The Liberal Lie The Conservative Truth | 9:15 AM
14 Comments:
I hope the republican party takes you advice to heart because it will undoubtdedly lead to further marginalization and losses at the polls, eventually forcing out ideologist and ushering in pragmatists. The 9/11 events lead to an unprecedented opportunity for the fundamentalist right that happened to coincide with a weak (as in not intellectual) predident surrounded with a bunch on neocons that were allowed to ravage unchecked for six years.
Where did this get the US and the people of the US? Into big dodo as they say. What the neocons fail to realize, as is good for the rest of us, is that the blank check that came into being due to a unique set of circumstances has now expired. Pushing harder and harder to the right, as you suggest, is going to be counter to public sentiment and desire so I say, go ahead. What I always like about fringes, be they on the left or the right, is their almost unavoidable drive to destroy themselves by being driven by ideology rather than pragmatism. The fundamentalist right furthermore has two things working against it in that it is driven not only by ideology but also fundamentalist religion. Fundamentalism, whether on the left or the right, is doomed to fail in a democracy.
I have to admit I was worried for a while, especially around 4 years ago when there were absolutely no checks in place. I am happy and pleased that the US is still a democracy and that pragmatism and realism has once more defeated fundamentalism and ideology.
Remember, if you are convinced that only you are right, that 'the other' people are all wrong and that you need to work to impose your values and beliefs on the 'non-conformants' and the 'non-believers' then there is a high chance you are fundamentalist that is furthering evil. I see the elections as being a referendum against intolerans as anything else.
Oh, as a side note, it is very humorous to see the remaining republican representatives cry and whine in the media about how the election outcome would have been different if only Bush had let Rumsfeld go before the election. Funny isn't it? Where were all these republican voices about getting rid of Rumsfeld before the election? That's right - nowhere. If you make your bed you better be prepared to sleep in it.
Ken, I agree that the Republican Party needs to get back to being conservative. Bush is a big-government Republican who was supported by big-government Republicans in Congress.
However, I live in Maryland and Michael Steele has done nothing of note in this state as the Lt. Governor. He is smooth and personable, but he offers little substance. The RNC can do a lot better than Steele. I'd love to see it, but only because I think it would lead to further disarray in the RNC.
Anonymous, Conservatism is why Republicans were voted into office in the first place. Bush has proven that he is not a true conservative though having conservative ideas. For instance his continualy push for amnesty for illegals goes against conservatives and his big government entitlement programs that he has backed and unfortunatly seen passed also proves it. That along with a Congress that agreed with these ideas and pushed an agenda that was even less conservative is why the GOP is out now. Every indicator taken on this country shows that the majority is either conservative or leans that way.
Rob, Keep in mind that most Lt. Governors do little. SCs made headlines because of speeding tickets and that is why most people in this state know him otherwise he would be an unknown as most Lts are because of the lack of governmental initiaitves that they are involved in. Steel does have a strong conservative background. I agree that the RNC could find a stronger candidate but even looking at Steele is a step in the right direction for the recovery of the party.
I agree, Bush and the gop leadership are anything but conservatives. They are radical rightwings. Please join with us in stopping their radical agenda.
LOL! Keep trying, mudkitty. I find you amusing.
Ken, I do think you are right. Too many Republicans forgot what it means to be a Republican. They tried to molly-coddle the left, and just look at how that paid off!
Great post, by the way.
Yeppers Republicans leadership lacked leadership. I believe they had an identiy crisis.
Poor little mudkitty. Bush far right. Now I gotta lol on that one. He is big on everything the far right is against.
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2008 should see the GOP getting a second chance.
I see a sort of double whammy here -- 1. this election will have taught all but the most obtuse Republican politicians that they need to remember who put them there and why, and 2. the Democrats, rushing to accommodate their own liberal base, will show the American people in short order that they do not represent the majority of Americans.
It will take the Democrats 2 years to lose a majority the Republicans took 12 years to lose. Watching will be fun, lots to chuckle about if one enjoys dark comedy.
My only concern is the amount of damage the Dems will possibly inflict on their short outing.
I never said that Bush is far right, his Cheney/Rummy policies are far right. As for Bush himself, he has no convictions, he's just a dauphin.
Seth, and what if your wrong, like you've been wrong about everything else? Mr. Bragadoccio! Mr. Macho! Oh, they've only got two years. Heck, you didn't think we'd win this one, but win we did, an we won big.
Mr. Bush is looking more and more like what he is.
By the way Mudkitty, your, " we won big, " statement is a little off. With the millions of votes cast if you take the entire vote total for House, Senate and Governorships and place all totals side by side Demcorats won by about 70,000 votes. It was the cumulative count of the number of seats lost that placed the Dems in the majority not an overwhelming vote total.
Forgot to add, this doesn't change the fact that Dems are in the majority but it was not the overwhelming mandate that they think they have. This election was not about favoring Democrat ideas but anger and backlash at the GOP.
Mudkitty --
I believe the "everything else" I was wrong about was one thing. Okay, two. I didn't expect us to lose the Senate and I thought that while we'd lose some seats, we'd still hang onto our majority in the House.
So I was wrong, I'll live with it for a couple of years.
But look at what the Democrats are dealing with now, before the last, lonely chad has even been swept up.
All those extreme left wing orgs that contributed to their campaigns, supported them, etc, are now demanding that their agendas be pushed through. Over the last couple of decades, the Dems have allowed these folks to become their primary base, so they have little choice, now, but to sing for their supper, so to speak.
The majority of Americans are conservatives. They do not want their taxes to go up, they do not want us to pull out of Iraq for a number of reasons, they do not want the Patriot Act tampered with (it has been working just fine as is, protecting Americans from terrorism at home) and despite persistance from the left, they are opposed to agendas like abortion on demand and same sex marriage. And then, of course, there are immigration issues...
The minority of Americans that push the above agendas are so vocal that they appear to represent multitudes more people than they do -- here we see another reason so many conservatives are fed up with our people on the Hill; They have sat there quietly for years, failing to defend the President and the policies embraced by conservative America, allowing the left and the media to shout them down.
Once voting America sees the above agendas descending upon them, I am confident that there will be a Congressional majority reversal at the first opportunity (Nov 2008).
One of my arguments during debates with liberals when I lived in San Francisco (lots of debates, needless to say, LOL) was that one of the biggest weaknesses of the left is that they don't understand the concept of "gradual" -- every lobby on the left demands immediate gratification and as a result the Democrats shove too many unpopular agendas down our throats at the same time. Everything has to be NOW, Dammit! and that scares away an awful lot of moderates.
The Republicans' losses were the result of both conservatives' ire at the GOP and the above mentioned moderates' being scared away.
Believe me, they will be scared back over the next two years, and all those conservatives who either sat this one out or voted to "punish" will be back to vote Republican.
Mudkitty and Mrs green get around alot I see. These freaks are coming from Huffington post or something.
Some day someone is going to hack HuffPo and send these freaks into total disaray!
Marie, I can't speak for Mrs. Green, but if you think I come from the Huffy Post, no wonder you guys lost the election.
As for what the dems are "dealing with now" it's the hidious task of cleaning up Bushies doo-doo in Iraq.
As for the "big win" it was a rout. Face it! What are you going to do? Call it a "little win?"
No, Mudkitty --
The Dems now have to please all the folks who helped put them in the majority -- it's called politics.
To repay their friends, including the farthest left extremists, they now will have to push through a whole bunch of highly unpopular social and economic agendas that will sink them in 2 years.
There's an expression about supping with the devil, but I can't for the life of me remember exactly how it's worded.
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