With a Republican victory in the Georgia Senate run-off, the GOP
ranks appear to be steadying after a traumatic election season
that obliterated the party of Lincoln among independent and
younger voters, and completely wiped it out in New England with
respect to House seats at least.
A truly providential victory was that of Senator Mitch McConnell
in Kentucky, who, as David Frum correctly noted, leads the Senate
Republican caucus, the most important institution of
government from the standpoint of conservative and Republican
interests — not that they are always identical. McConnell is a
master parliamentarian and, when the need arises, an effective
obstructionist to any legislative initiative not to his liking.
And I say that with the greatest respect, from the perspective of
a Madisonian.
While its success may be a fleeting thing, congressional
Republican resistance to an unfettered, expansive bailout of the
Big Three auto companies, backed up by the White House, was a
momentary glimpse of an effective effort at principled opposition
to the current Zeitgeist. Such opportunities will be few and far
between in the next Congress.
So what is the GOP minority to do for the next two years until
the mid-term elections present an opportunity to increase its
traction? Certainly, playing solid defense is as important in
politics as it is in college basketball; and Senator McConnell is
superb at that aspect of the game. It is likely that defending
the right to life of the unborn is one area where the GOP will
have to put these skills to work given the new administration’s
announced support for the Freedom of Choice Act, which would
nullify laws limiting abortion, including bans on partial birth
abortion; mandate funding of abortion, eliminate even minimalist
regulation; and threaten the rights of conscience of health care
workers.
But ultimately, you have to get on the scoreboard to win the
game. Republican strategists need to think offensively. They need
to get back to serious ideas and truly Big Issues.
Republican legislators need to pick two or three really Big
Issues and energetically pursue them in the new Congress and with
the Obama administration and the broader public. They should
promote solutions to serious problems for the benefit of the
nation. This sounds hopelessly idealistic, but it is also a
pragmatic requirement for restoring the Republican Party’s
credibility, especially with independent and younger voters who
seem, for now, lost to the cause of right-of-center governance.
Setting aside social and environmental issues, policy areas where
Barack Obama has not yet shown his cards, the president-elect’s
choices for economic and national security positions are
downright centrist and extremely competent. This may be a hopeful
sign that the GOP might be able to find some common ground
without rolling over on fundamental issues of principle.
It seems that the GOP will likely go along with a major stimulus
package, which even free market libertarians such as Bruce
Bartlett concede is needed in the circumstances. Let’s face it,
the Hill Republicans should have balanced the budgets during the
good times, but they did not even come close. But the resulting
bulge in deficits and debt will make even more urgent serious
thinking about the long-term restructuring of the federal budget,
most notably, the crushing liabilities accruing for entitlement
obligations, and a shift in our system of taxation away from
penalizing wealth creation, income and productivity. As
enlightened GOP leaders such as Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) understand,
these issues must be dealt with in tandem. There’re two new Big
Issues just in one paragraph.
A number of conservative reformers have called for greater
attention to middle-class and working-class fears and
insecurities in the area of health care and adaptation to
uncertain economic times. This writer can certainly understand
the concern with health care. His two daughters just moved into
the job market without health insurance coverage during months of
transitioning to new jobs. It keeps you up at night. That’s
another pair of Big Issues Health care may be an issue on which
the Republicans will have to play offense and defense
simultaneously, resisting bad policies but keeping the faith of
sound policy in the future.
Protecting the nation from non-state actors and terrorists is
still a pressing task in the post-9/11 world. Hence, a renewed
focus on doing whatever it takes to control nuclear weapons
rattling around the old Soviet Union, as well as other biological
and radioactive materials around the world, is one of the
greatest priorities for America, Republicans and Democrats alike.
Indeed, the paramount nature of this challenge, including that of
a nuclear-armed Iran, will necessitate a renewed and sustained
effort to engage Putin’s Russia whether or not we detest his
regime. The truth of the matter is that we need Russia on board
for achieving greater security gains on this front. There’s a
fifth one.
Whatever they are, and I would certainly hope that at least some
of the preceding suggestions would make the cut, the GOP needs a
short list of policy priorities. Then it can molt its old skin of
self-serving corruption and reclaim its brand as a serious force
for sound policy and conservative principles of governance even
if it does not yield immediate legislative victories, an unlikely
prospect for the immediate future.
A sharp and unrelenting focus on a few, high-priority Big Issues
is everything. Forget about that weird Chicago pastor and that
horrible person from the '60s. Speak to the real-world concerns
of middle-class Americans with integrity, verve, and imagination.
