It’s been a terrible year for Republicans. It’s not just the losing part at the end. I mean the whole damn thing. None of it made any sense and as the pieces are picked up, there’s no sense anyone knows what’s next.
Just what does the Republican Party stand for and can it rebuild itself in time for the next presidential campaign, which normally would start any day now?
The roots of the problem could be seen during the primary season. None of the half dozen or so candidates in the field excited the base of the party. Each had their own small band of supporters, but none could galvanize everyone. That left the party to slowly move toward the default candidate — John McCain — who had been around the longest and therefore seemed like the best bet, even though his campaign was dead and broke in late 2007.
Republicans ended up with a nominee who made a name and career for himself for being the anti-Republican — leading the way into November. But it got worse. At the convention, he plucked out of Arctic obscurity the governor of Alaska as his running mate. Her embarrassing lack of credentials was only the tip of the iceberg. The choice was exceedingly painful because it meant so many, more qualified candidates had been passed over — candidates who could have parlayed their role on the 2008 ticket into front-runner status for the 2012 nomination.
Too Much ‘Mavericky’
The first McCain-Palin television ad coming out of the convention focused on the fact that both McCain and Gov. Palin had fought their own party and would not hesitate to do so again. In the words of Tina Fey, “They weren’t afraid to get all mavericky” once they got to Washington. So, as a Republican, why would I want to back this team of two?
It’s time for a retreat. I don’t mean under the white flag of surrender, I mean a retreat like the one your human resources department puts together once a year to help build morale. The one where you play ping-pong with the boss and then spend an hour putting your goals for the next year on a big pad of paper that someone folds up and brings into the office on Monday morning to be typed into an inter-office memo.
What the Republican Party needs is a summit, led by a new generation of leaders who are willing to respectfully learn from the success of President Reagan, but to lay his agenda aside for a new one written for today’s challenges. The principles of the party don’t need to change, but their application does.
There is some good news in the Democrats’ overwhelming success. History shows big winners often take their new power too far. Chances are good the new president and the Democratic majority in Congress will reach too far and help create an environment for change in the coming elections.
The Republican Party needs to stand once again for smaller government, reasonable regulation, realistic foreign policy and a common sense approach to today’s issues. The days of relying on the talking points and country music of Reagan’s winning campaigns are over. The new leader of the Republican Party is the one who can put forward a modern agenda grounded in conservative principles. Time to start over.
Dean Pagani is a former gubernatorial advisor. He is V.P. of Public Affairs for Cashman and Katz Integrated Communications in Glastonbury.
