The first thing I would do is nationalize each and every Congressional election to two people: Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. The Republican's best friend is that a Democratic victory means that Pelosi and Reid will maintain their leadership positions.
The only two people more universally disliked than President Bush are Pelosi and Reid. Whether a Democratica candidate agrees with these two on the issues or not, a vote for them means a vote for either for Speaker and Senate Leader respectively. The photo to the left should be run in ads against each and every Democratic candidate in the House.As for Harry Reid, an advertisement featuring these famous words must also be run against each and every Democratic Senatorial candidate.
I believe ... that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything, as is shown by the extreme violence in Iraq this week
Whatever anyone thinks of the President and politicians in general, no single group is hated more than the legislature and the Republicans must tie that hate to each body's leadership.
Most importantly, it is time for a twenty first century Contract with America. What worked with huge electoral victories for Republicans in 1994 can work again for Republicans in 2008. Here are the focuses of the new Contract with America that I would have. Recently, Karl Rove proclaimed that in order to win the GOP must stand for something. I agree and its time to put those principles in writing.
1) Admit prior failure and make a new commitment to fiscal conservatism. First, the leadership and the general majority of each House must commit to the Grover Norquist's no new taxes pledge. Second, they must commit to an end to earmarks. The leadership must admit that in their years in power from 2000-2006 they lost all sight of the Conservative vision of fiscal conservativism. They must make a strong new commitment to fiscal conservatism. This must include specific programs that they would commit to cutting and eliminating. As goes fiscal conservatism so with it goes the Republican party.
2) Commit to strong and aggressive action on the GWOT including passing the new warrantless wiretapping bill that includes retroactive immunity for cooperating telephone companies. Make a commitment to withstand any efforts to ban any aggressive interrogation techniques including water boarding. Let the Democrats stand up for the civil rights of terrorists. The Republican party must be the party of aggressive prosecution of the GWOT.
3) Stand up for aggressive border enforcement. This includes a pledge to not only fund but build the entire 700 mile pluse fence that was passed prior to the end of 2006. It also means a commitment to pass the SAVE Act. Most importantly, the Republicans must make a commitment to ending so called sanctuary cities. Let the Democrats be known as the party of open borders. The Republican Party will be the party of border enforcement and those three principles are the way to do it.
4) Commit to a free market policy for energy independence. I proposed an aggressive policy of tax breaks to spawn entrepeneurial investment in alternative energy sources. The Democrats are talking about mandates and regulations to achieve energy independence. The Republicans must draw a distinction. They must be for creating tax breaks to spawn entrepeneurs.
5) Make a commitment to victory in Iraq. This is a bold and it is a dangerous move, however in order for Republicans to win they must stand for something. Let the Democrats talk endlessly about defeat. The Republicans must get behind John McCain and stand up for victory in Iraq. Level with the public. The Republican must pledge to never set a timetable for withdrawal, never cut off funds while troops are in the fields, and give General Petraeus all the time he needs to finish the mission. It won't be easy and it may still take years, but define the fruits of success and the disaster of losing.
Then, on Domestic policy, the Republicans must attack the Democrats by a variation of my favorite Reagan quote.
The nine most terrifying words in the English language are 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help'What the Democrats are proposing on everything from health care, to mortgages, to job growth is more taxes, more spending more regulation, and more government bureaucracy. Do we really want the government involved in every part of our lives? That's what the Democrats envision. From socialized medicine, to H.R. 3915, to Barack Obama's jobs plan, each of their plan is a combination of more taxes, spending, regulations, and government bureaucracy. That is exactly what terrified Reagan, and it is time to call a spade a spade. I am hoping some Republican actually uses Reagan's line, but if not, they must at least call their plans for what they are.
Finally, it is time once and for all to make George Soros an issue in the campaign. He is trying to buy the election and puppeteer the Democrats into a wholesale change of this country. Whether it is euthanasia, total drug legalization, total ban on the 2nd amendment, one world government, or his radical view of the GWOT Soros sees this country in a radical way from the way in which we are comfortable. The Democrats turned Karl Rove into some sort of a boogeyman that became a rallying cry for their base. George Soros really is the boogeyman and it is time the mainstream public got to know him and his ties to the Democrats.
Amen!!
ReplyDeleteI'd support your playbook. The Republicans need to do something and they need to do it fast. There are no signs this is going to happen. I'm ready to bolt. I won't be looking back. Far as I can tell, there's nothing there.
ReplyDeleteYou are right!! Democrat Rahm Emmanual figured out that all they had to do was run very conservative democrats in order to keep Pelosi and Reid around to push the ultra-lib agenda.
ReplyDeleteWe have to trump that hand.
As a "swing" voter, I find it hard to vote Republican. What the Democrats have done historically is recognize failure, therefore hold accountability for those who threaten structure of their orientation. Example: When New York Governor Elliot Spitzer's sexual indescretion was made public, he was pressured the NEXT day to resign from members of his own party, and did. However, Idaho Republican Larry Craig is still serving in the Senate, despite his sexual indecency, in a public bathroom at the Minneapolis Airport (with a man, by the way-and he opposes gay rights?)
ReplyDeleteIf the Republicans can hold accountable those who violate the very standars they hold others to, I would be more confident in pulling for the Right. But until then, I cannot develop faith in its strucutre, when it is represented by two-faced crooks! Sorry
www.republicanoffenders.com
So... Make a commitment to Iraq but also promise not to spend too much money.
ReplyDeleteDestroy what little freedom people have under the Bush regime by insitgating illegal wire tapping, all in the name of.... Freedom!
When all else fails resort to fear tactics: Make references to Hitler and appeasement, while conveniently leaving our the FACT that most nazi appeasers were Repulicans and the most famous repulican George W.Bush's grandad helped raise finance for Nazi's up until 1941 when the whole world knew what Nazi's stood for.
Let me take the last two at once.
ReplyDeleteFirst to the swing voter, it was the GOP legislature that lead the charge to remove Spitzer. Furthermore as governor, he had no more credibility to execute laws he didn't follow. Larry Craig is some back seated Senator with no more power. Now, I agree that he needs to go, however the GOP can't make him leave unless he really wants to. I don't think that it is worth anyone's time to forcibly remove him if he isn't willing to go on his own. The two comparisons are patently ridiculous in my opinion.
As to the liberal. Iraq is less than one percent of the year budget, so yes we can be fiscally responsible and maintain the war.
Second,it is ironic that you can come on a blog and rip the government a new one and then proclaim that we are losing all our rights. You certainly aren't losing your freedom to criticize the government.
Third, the fact that it was mostly Republicans that wanted to appease Hitler is totally irrelevant and NOT something that Bush hid during his speech. The entire reference to which political party it was is nothing more than a red herring.