If there's one lesson to be learned from the 2004 and 2008 elections, it's this:
You can't build your political platform on "The Other Guy Stinks"
Unfortunately, it seems as though we Republicans still haven't learned this lesson. The right wing seems to think that by simply repeating "Obama is a Socialist", that somehow it will make the fiscal recklessness of the last 8 years seem somehow OK.
Sorry guys, that's not enough to get my vote back. If we want to rebuild the party, rebuild our image, here's what we need to do:
1. Take out the garbage - start at the ballot box, during the primaries... we can help ensure that the nominee isn't a total embarrassment to the party.
A. Do not (re)elect any candidate who supported TARP in 2008. This one cost McCain my vote. If the Republicans had dug in their heels, if Bush had vetoed, there's no way this appalling bailout would have passed. Every pro-TARP Republican who's crying "Socialist" right now should look at themselves in a mirror and cry "Fascist".
B. Recognize that the war in Iraq was an imperial waste of money. A little honesty here would earn a lot of forgiveness: Remember, even if the intelligence about WMDs hadn't turned out to be "faulty", even IF there was a serious threat to homeland security which would be quashed by invading Iraq, we couldn't afford it. Furthermore, we must question the strategic philosophy of "Let's borrow a half trillion bucks from China (a country with whom we have not traditionally had the best diplomatic relations) to go invade Iraq to ensure national security." Debt is the enemy of security, and could destroy us much more readily than any terrorist.
C. Do not (re)elect any more religious lapdogs - It's important that our party begins to wean itself from the luscious, lucrative teat of organized religion. In the short term, it may seem like a huge financial and political loss, but GOP leaders must recognize that organized religion is the antithesis of fiscal responsibility and social freedom. These theocrats are one of the main reasons we've lost the center, and their antiquated superstitions are dragging the party down.
D. Do not (re)elect candidates which espouse laws governing ANY consensual activity among adults. - Keep the government out of bars, restaurants, brothels and off drugs. Regulations and prohibitions on consensual activity burden the taxpayer, enrich criminals and waste our already-strained resources.
2. Come up with some ideas, propose legislation - even if the legislation is squashed by Democrats this round, at least we can say we've been doing something besides complain. For all the rhetoric, for all the claims of "fiscal responsibility"... come 2010, as a voter, my position is "Don't tell me about all the stuff your opponents have been messing up, tell me about your initiatives, tell me about what you're doing."
3. Insist that our politicians adhere to the values they proclaim, and insist on immediate resignation when they betray those values. - This applies not only to fiscal values, but social ones as well. If, for example, you want to talk about "the sanctity of marriage", then perhaps it's time to stop toetapping in restrooms, time to break up with your mistress.
As you can imagine, I was a pretty big fan of Ron Paul. Now, some may ask why not vote Libertarian? The answer is simple: I believe that it would be less difficult to reform the GOP than to try to turn a Libertarian into a serious presidential contender... and right now, the Libertarians aren't even putting up candidates worth voting for. All due respect to Bob Barr for speaking out against TARP, but his other positions (i.e. in favor of the "war on drugs", the "war on terror", etc) have been very expensive for taxpayers. Sorry Bob, no-go.
To ensure another Democratic victory, keep shouting "Socialist", throwing tantrums at Democratic town hall meetings, and for god's sake don't let up with your bizarre fixation on the president's birth certificate. But don't expect me to vote with the party if that's the best we can do over the next couple of years.
