[Bill,
May 20, 2009]
On GOP and conservatism
There's been a robust debate around the blogosphere about what we Republicans need to do to win. Americans are stupid. Americans are easily led. They're easily manipulated. The corporatist masters are all on the sides of the Democrats. In fact, a lot of what I'm hearing on the right, I rejected when I heard from the left back eight years ago.
Some proposed solutions: Republicans need to fight as dirty as the Democrats. It's those darned Christians and social conservatives' fault -- let's jettison their ass and we'll be competitive. I've even read that Republicans need to be more entertaining.
I'm not buying any of that. At least, not completely.
I think we have three main problems: One concerns competence, and the lack perceived thereof. Two concerns principles. And three ... it's hard to explain, what we might call, a counter-cultural problem.
I think that the GOP, if it wants to regain power that lasts and be capable of governing effectively when we regain power, need to take a long-term strategy. As I've said before, governance isn't a game of Yankees versus Red Sox, where the fans of one are pleased and the others are despondent, but nothing of serious value is at stake, and we play again by the same rules next year.
To formulate a long-term strategy, we need to be truthful about the past 14 years. There were several grievous errors that need to be corrected. First, our economic policy was a mess. Second, impeachment of Clinton destroyed a lot of our credibility. Third, we went for a "name brand" with George W. Bush, instead of going with a better communicator who could handle the national press. Fourth, the Republicans didn't govern as competently as we should have. Fifth, we got confused about principles.
Our problem now:
1. We have to live down the presidency of George W. Bush. He was a good man and a fair president in difficult times, but was tarred as the worst president ever because he was unable to rise above the hyper-partisan environment or deflect/answer criticism. He just wasn't good enough -- and a Republican, because of the cultural disadvantages, needs to be twice as good as a Democrat to seem half as good.
2. We have to describe what we stand for, and why, when we had power, we didn't follow through enough. What will we do when we get power back?
3. We need to seriously rethink our economic policy.
4. We need to stop kidding ourselves about what's politically possible.
5. We need to be ready when the time comes.
In other words, we need to think in terms of the Long March than a quick come back.
Now, before we get too pessimistic, we need to remember a couple of things: The facts of life are conservative. Democrats may embrace conservative values ... not yet, but eventually.
For example, the Democrats can't muster up the votes to impose the liberal viewpoint on gun control. Why? Because they know they'll get slaughtered at the polls. Maybe they'll try again, but they know the risks.
In other words, we the people, not necessarily we the Republicans, may still get our way. Even hopelessly liberal Canada has not reduced its spending to where it's near ours. And that's an entire nation of Democrats. Every county in California just rejected a tax bill on a referendum. Every one.
We conservatives may just have to work through Democrats for the time being. And Democrats are so power hungry they may do anything, including the right thing, to stay in power.
More on this later.
Some proposed solutions: Republicans need to fight as dirty as the Democrats. It's those darned Christians and social conservatives' fault -- let's jettison their ass and we'll be competitive. I've even read that Republicans need to be more entertaining.
I'm not buying any of that. At least, not completely.
I think we have three main problems: One concerns competence, and the lack perceived thereof. Two concerns principles. And three ... it's hard to explain, what we might call, a counter-cultural problem.
I think that the GOP, if it wants to regain power that lasts and be capable of governing effectively when we regain power, need to take a long-term strategy. As I've said before, governance isn't a game of Yankees versus Red Sox, where the fans of one are pleased and the others are despondent, but nothing of serious value is at stake, and we play again by the same rules next year.
To formulate a long-term strategy, we need to be truthful about the past 14 years. There were several grievous errors that need to be corrected. First, our economic policy was a mess. Second, impeachment of Clinton destroyed a lot of our credibility. Third, we went for a "name brand" with George W. Bush, instead of going with a better communicator who could handle the national press. Fourth, the Republicans didn't govern as competently as we should have. Fifth, we got confused about principles.
Our problem now:
1. We have to live down the presidency of George W. Bush. He was a good man and a fair president in difficult times, but was tarred as the worst president ever because he was unable to rise above the hyper-partisan environment or deflect/answer criticism. He just wasn't good enough -- and a Republican, because of the cultural disadvantages, needs to be twice as good as a Democrat to seem half as good.
2. We have to describe what we stand for, and why, when we had power, we didn't follow through enough. What will we do when we get power back?
3. We need to seriously rethink our economic policy.
4. We need to stop kidding ourselves about what's politically possible.
5. We need to be ready when the time comes.
In other words, we need to think in terms of the Long March than a quick come back.
Now, before we get too pessimistic, we need to remember a couple of things: The facts of life are conservative. Democrats may embrace conservative values ... not yet, but eventually.
For example, the Democrats can't muster up the votes to impose the liberal viewpoint on gun control. Why? Because they know they'll get slaughtered at the polls. Maybe they'll try again, but they know the risks.
In other words, we the people, not necessarily we the Republicans, may still get our way. Even hopelessly liberal Canada has not reduced its spending to where it's near ours. And that's an entire nation of Democrats. Every county in California just rejected a tax bill on a referendum. Every one.
We conservatives may just have to work through Democrats for the time being. And Democrats are so power hungry they may do anything, including the right thing, to stay in power.
To a great degree, that's the republicans' political problems in a nutshell.