I hope you get a chance to read this article--"Republicans Are in Denial"--in the Wall Street Journal today. The piece is written by Senator Coburn of Oklahoma. I assume Sen. Coburn is obviously a big All These Things reader, as he's hitting on many of the same themes I've been writing about for some time now! Republicans cannot assume all is well and that they just need a new ad campaign. They do not need an image makeover, they need a new, limited-government direction with their policies. Without it, they will suffer massive losses in November.
Coburn writes:
Many Republicans are waiting for a consultant or party elder to come down from the mountain and, in Moses-like fashion, deliver an agenda and talking points on stone tablets. But the burning bush, so to speak, is delivering a blindingly simple message: Behave like Republicans.
Unfortunately, too many in our party are not yet ready to return to the path of limited government. Instead, we are being told our message must be deficient because, after all, we should be winning in certain areas just by being Republicans. Yet being a Republican isn't good enough anymore. Voters are tired of buying a GOP package and finding a big-government liberal agenda inside. What we need is not new advertising, but truth in advertising.
Truth in advertising is exactly the problem Congressional Republicans faced in getting whooped in 2006. The GOP said it was the party of limited government, and then turned around and increased the size and scope of federal government throughout President Bush's term. All a consultant could say is "don't do that; find areas to undo what you've done." But undoing your own mistakes, rather than harping on the other side's mistakes, is difficult in a political setting. Nevertheless, "righting the ship" must happen, and sooner is better than later. As I wrote previously on a story saying the GOP was going "to bring in consultants and auditors to figure recent losses out,"and sounding a bit like the good Senator Coburn:
In reading the story, however, I was chagrined to learn that the actual plan is for audits and new consultants. Great, audits and consultants.
The House GOP leadership, and back benchers, are rightly disturbed by 3 recent special election losses. ... The solution, I'm afraid, is not in the land of audits, name calling, and consultants. That is, unless the audits and consultants show that the problem the GOP has is not tied to deploying the proper political resources to the right location.
Here is how Sen. Coburn suggests they begin regaining GOP brand identity, and I agree:
Regaining our brand as the party of fiscal discipline will require us to rejoin Americans in the real world of budget choices and priorities, and to leave behind the fantasyland of borrowing without limits. Instead of adopting earmarks, each Republican can adopt examples of government waste, largess and fraud, and restart the permanent campaign against big government.
This is not rocket science. The GOP has always stood for freedom. That was the issue--found in 'the proposition' that 'all men are created equal'--that gave the party its reason for being. A strong notion of individual freedom is what compels a person to seek a limited government. Historically, and logically, it is without exception in human experience that when a government's powers grow, the citizens' freedom contracts. Debating about size of government, spending plans, budgets, etc., however, is not compelling T.V. for most viewers. The debate, therefore, must be about individual freedom--that is compelling to all--even though budgets, powers, and spending are directly related to citizens' freedoms. Sometimes, however, this connection is less than obvious. The GOP must explain this connection.
The GOP is poorly positioned to talk seriously about its belief in freedom without a track record of limiting government when it was in power. At the very least GOP leaders should offer a plan for the future, that is realistic and believable, that proposes to reduce government. In essence, the 'brand image' or 'party image' must flow from the product being made or policies promoted. You cannot 're-brand' something--at least in a sustainable, long-lasting way--if you don't have anything different to offer.
In the pre-Civil War years, the Whigs and the Democrats didn't offer much difference on slavery--the fundamental 'freedom issue' of the day. The difference between the two parties, therefore, was minor and uninteresting. One brand died, the other lived--but who really cares which was which, they were really the same. If the GOP falls into a mold of being Democrat-lite it will also go the way of the Whigs. History shows that we will never lose a pro-big-government party, but we don't need two. History also shows that without demonstrating a clear difference from the 'government growers' the limited-government party will shrink or even cease to be.
I do not think that will be good for liberty's cause.
Thomas More
The republicans have an opportunity to crush democrats in this election. Iraq is now a tiny issue compared to gas prices. Every repub congressman should have a video "Do you like $4 gasoline, $6 or $8 gas. Well, the dems said no drilling offshore in California, no drilling offshore in Florida, no drilling in Anwar, no drilling in Colorado, and, if you build a $3 billion refinery, you will jump through hoops you can't even imagine, and when it's built our policy will be to shut it down. If you like $4 or $6 or $8 gasoline, vote for your democrat. " If this message is repeated by every repub, the dems will be crushed. Few care about Iraq, but everyone cares about gas.
Posted by: Pete from Arkansas | May 28, 2008 at 09:52 AM
Pete,
I agree with your point that the rising issue, economically, is rising prices. It makes a good election move, but doesn't fix the over all GOP problem. That is, they can keep coming up with election strategies all they want, but they REALLY need to come up with a new governing strategy. Specifically, they must reduce government (which is referenced in your comment with the regulations put on building a new refinery) and free up people to live and work on their own accord.
If we 'crush' dems time and time again but do not govern properly, we are burying talents.
Thanks for your comment, it is appreciated.
Thomas More
Posted by: Thomas More | May 28, 2008 at 12:08 PM