This interesting piece from AP. To wit:
Plenty of Republicans from the conservative to the liberal wings of the party agree the GOP is in shambles as the Bush presidency comes to a close, leaving the party without a titular leader when the president's term ends in January...RNC Chairman Duncan said it would be wrong to view the election results as "the death rattle of American conservatism," pointing to a roster of GOP rising stars that includes [Alaska Gov. Sarah] Palin, [Lousiana Gov. Bobby] Jindal, [Virginia Rep. Eric] Cantor and Sen. John Thune of South Dakota.
Republicans, Duncan said, "are going to take a deep breath and listen to the American people." The party is creating a new online forum that will allow people to explain "how we let them down" and "what we can do to restore confidence in our party," he said.
A new online forum? Is he serious? Duncan's statement is one more sign of just how far removed from their conservative base Congressional Republicans seem to have drifted. The thing the GOP can do to "restore confidence" in the party is to start being conservative Republicans again! Republicans in Washington seem to suffer from chronic short-term memory, forgetting why it was conservative Reagan Republicans sent them there to begin with. This chronic malady seems to have as it most common symptom a desire to imitate moderate Democrats. Simply put, the Republicans on the hill are suffering an identity crisis. The flailings and solemn soul searching taking place among the GOP leadership on Obama-in-Charge Day 1 indicate as much.
Duncan rightly observed that the election was not "the death rattle of American conservatism." It ought to be, however, the death rattle of Republicans acting as Democrats. It ought to signal the demise of Republican leaders who want to define themselves by how acceptable they are to moderate and liberal Democrats. And, frankly, my dear, most of us will be glad to see them go.
So what are grass-roots Republicans going to be looking for in these rising young stars of a rebuilt Republican party? How about this: Morally, socially, and economically conservative Republicans who aren't ashamed to say as much, who are willing to debate the questions and press the issues, and who are driven by the inner conviction that conservative values and principles offer real opportunity, real hope, and real prosperity to American society. Conservatism, at it's base, is driven by a fundamental belief in people and communities to work together to thrive and be productive. Conservatism also believes (with good reason) that no matter how much money it sucks up or how many programs it initiates, the federal government can never be as effective at creating positive social change as free enterprise. As a whole, government's primary motivation is power and its greatest flaw is a lack of viable accountability.
An organization's identity is largely a matter of its culture, those commonly shared values, beliefs, and assumptions to which the members are collectively committed. So, just in case some members of the GOP have been away too long, here's a brief list of what can be done to restore confidence in Republicans:
1) Morality matters. Call us fundamentalists, call us the religious-right, whatever. The simple fact is common Americans have not forgotten--in spite of the efforts of Hollywood and the media to the contrary-- that society and culture at its core must be morally grounded or little else matters. We want congressional representatives who act like that's true. If you don't want to fight for that, go home.
2) Small government. Nearly 70 years of sociological and organizational research tell us that centralized, hierarchical organizations are terribly ineffective at dealing with complex and rapidly changing problems. Government is simply not ever going to be good at managing all the things we keep wanting it to manage. They knew it in the 1770s. We know it now, but somehow it doesn't seem to sink in...
3) Low taxes, free markets, and limited government regulation. Contrary to the claims of Democrats during Fannie Mae disaster, a free-market run amok is not even remotely a problem in the American economy. The free market is so encumbered with government regulation and interference that calling it "free" is almost laughable. Free-market systems with limited (rather than none at all) government guidance that serves to even the playing field are quite adept at self-regulating. Free market systems operate largely on the basis of mutual trust (we'll each keep our word), profitability (we'll each win in this), and accountability (we'll each pay a price if we fail to do our part). A true free market system reacts quickly to correct deviations, even those caused by ethical misconduct, poor judgment, or outright illegality. Government is inherently unaccountable, so the greater the intervention in the free-market process between producer and consumer, the less accountability either party has to the other.
Simply put, wealth in the hands of private citizens who take risks, create new businesses, and seek to create better opportunities for themselves and those around them are the only real means of producing more wealth. Government can only ever be a consumer of wealth, not a producer. So the more government takes away from its citizens in an attempt to spread it around, the less wealth can be produced, and everybody suffers. Government plays a role, albeit broad and limited, in creating an open and safe environment for the production of wealth, but good government leaves resources, goods, and money where they are the most likely to grow: in the hands of the people.
So, new Republicans, you want to reclaim the greatness of the GOP? You want to know how to get our confidence back? Decide who you're going to be, embrace the core values that have always defined conservatism, and take the fight to the halls of Congress.
Just, please, we beg of you, stand up and have the backbone to act like conservatives.
So, there, take that, GOP!
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