It is not very often as a Conservative that I read NYTimes.com and come away thinking, ‘that was refreshing’. But such was the case today.
After having been battered about by the Democrats, the Anti-War crowd, the Hate Bush crowd and even a substantial portion of its own party, I was beginning to wonder if the Republican party could get back on track in time to re-solidify the base. Such discord that John Boehner was quoted as saying, ‘our fundraising sucks’.
How bad is our fundraising thus far? Politico.com notes:
At the end of the third quarter, the Democratic campaign arm had $28 million in the bank; the Republicans had $1.6 million (and twice that total in debt).
In short, it’s really not a good time to be a Republican right now. We can’t raise money, can’t agree on a candidate and are fighting an uphill battle in the courts of public opinion and the media. And quite frankly, with how we have spent money and expanded government like drunken sailors over the last few years, we deserve it.
However, read both of the articles above. They should be must-reads for anyone involved with the Republican party at the moment. There is a plan for the future that has been developed. Allow me, for a moment, to summarize:
- ‘We have a long fight back to power’.
- We need to take our position as a minority party seriously.
- Coy and precise leadership is necessary to craft and inject our vision into law.
- Only a return to our principals can regain lost trust and support.
Let me summarize my summary: we need to re-build.
Let me be clear: the best way for the Republican party to regain its power it to once again take its own ideas seriously. Stop dilly-dallying with ‘moderate’ and Democratic proposals and trying to make them ‘less Big-government’ or ‘more taxpayer friendly’. Lets get back to our creed: Lower taxes, limited government and family values.
They are principles that we can use to rally behind and stick to our guns on in the Senate, as we have done thus far with most the budget bills in the Senate. The are practical, time-honored viewpoints that will be respected in debate.
So how does this all play out?
Well, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has figured it out- procedure, procedure, procedure.
In short- It takes 60 votes to pass a bill in the Senate. The Democrats do not have 60 Dems in the Senate. Well guess what, if we stand united and true to our own beliefs, we can inject our policy into nearly any legislative agenda. And the best part is- we get to frustrate the hell out of the Democrats and beat them at their own game. Remember this- during almost all of the Bush II Presidency the Dems have continuously used the filibuster or some other Senate tactic to delay, deny, or stop a bill.
I think it’s time that we unite around our common values- lower taxes, less government and family values. It’s time for us to make sure that legislation does not get our votes unless its values meet these criteria.
It’s time for us to become what the NYTimes.com calls, ‘The Grand Obstructionist Party’.
You know, irritating the hell out of the Democratic party, the NYTimes and still making progress on our cause? That is what I call a win-win situation. I think we may have finally found peace with our party’s current situation. It’s sure gonna be fun.