This was a very disappointing election result. Never have I
seen a man so unqualified to be President become President, and then see him
fail at his job while fanning the flames of class warfare in a cynical effort
to get re-elected. Then my fellow citizens swallowed the whole shtick hook,
line and sinker! I take only minor comfort in the retained control of the
House. I am disturbed at the GOPs San Diego Charger-like ability to grasp
defeat from the jaws of victory in the Senate. Two pro-life candidates stepped
in it, and threw away a great opportunity in two red states. The failures at
the Presidential and Senatorial levels are egregious and in need of serious focus
by party leaders and GOP voters.
First, I place strong blame on the part of party leaders and
candidate recruitment. This year could have, and should have, been a very
strong year for GOP gains in the Senate and taking back the White House.
Instead we managed to find weak primary candidates to run against a weak
Democrat field. The NRCC, NRSC and RNC clearly need new blood. People under the
age of 50 are desperately needed; people from the various parts of this mosaic
that is the American electorate are required. Finally, we need to have more
women and minorities on the general election tickets. Without the GOP getting
younger, more dynamic and more reflective of the American populace we can count
on never winning a national election again.
Next, the GOP primary voter needs to shoulder some serious
blame. The Tea Party influence has been a positive and a negative for the GOP.
The ideas and passion the Tea Party brings to the table is vital. However, the
problem is in the lack of big picture intelligence. The Senate could, and
should, be in the GOPs hands right now. Were it not for Sharron Angle, Christine
O’Donnell, Ken Buck, Richard Mourdock and Todd Akin the GOP would most likely
have won those seats, giving it control of the Senate once again. The Tea Party
is looking for purity and not viability. I agree with the adage of voting for
the most conservative candidate that can actually win in the general election. I
would much rather have a Republican I agree with 75% of the time, than a
Democrat I agree with 5% of the time. We have got to be smarter than we have
shown the last few election cycles. If GOP primary voters don’t adopt this ideal,
we are going to see this country quickly turn into a single party rule country
for the first time in 200 years.
Another issue that plagues the GOP is messaging. I wonder if
there are any Republicans that have marketing degrees or have worked
successfully in advertising. Conservatism works! Americans generally agree with
conservative positions on the size of government, taxation, and foreign policy.
However it seems our team has no message, or messenger, that can express this
in a way that reaches the minds, and more importantly the hearts, of Americans.
We have had no such candidate on the national stage be able to do this since
Reagan. Not the first Bush, Dole, W, McCain or Romney. There are those in the
party that I see with potential for this. Going back to my first point, those
candidates are the young guns. Rep. Paul Ryan, Sen. Marco Rubio and Gov. Nikki Haley are great. I also have high
hopes for Gov. Bobby Jindal, Sen. Elect Ted Cruz and Gov. Susana Martinez. What I wouldn’t give for J.C. Watts to
get back in the game! Any way you look at it, our hope lies in the youth and
future of the party. When another old, white guy raises his hand, let’s all
agree to say “thank you, but no thank you.”
Let us not forget the principles that make this the Grand
Old Party. We believe is small central government. Let us not be afraid of
states crafting their own solutions even if they involve a strong state
government. We need to face the facts that some states want that. Let us be the
party that does it the best, and not the party that says government never works
well. When there are opportunities at the state and local level for
public/private partnerships, let us embrace them. Let’s talk about the
ingenuity of the American people. Let’s talk about how government, in its
proper limited role, can help our economy excel and its people live better for
it. Let us not demonize those who are here because they seek a better life for
themselves and their children. Let us find a way to make it work and make legal immigration easier and more fair. Let us be the best ambassadors of our ideas,
take them to the people and to the world. What we hold dear works. Let us not
forget that.
2012 may be a jagged pill to swallow. We will need to lean hard on the House, and support their efforts to thwart a progressive lurch to the left. Then we need to focus on 2014 and retaining the House, defeating enough Democratic Senators to take back the Senate, and defending the Constitution against the liberal/progressive movement. We need to be smarter than we’ve been, while still showing that we care about every American. Let us follow the words of Christ, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”
