rebuild the gop

Defining the Republican/Conservative Party

One of the biggest mistakes we as Conservatives and Republicans have made over the past four to six years is that we allowed the Democrat Party and the libs to define who we are and what we stand for.

George W. Bush and Karl Rove sat back the past six years and allowed the Democrat party and the liberal media to attack the party, the administration, the administrations policies, and the economic record these policies have produced. George W. consistently stated that he believed it was disrespectful to the "office of the President" to respond to the flurry of constant attacks.

As a result, the majority of the American people do not understand how the banking crisis has been culminating since the 1970's and how President Clinton helped to accelerate the problem. They are not aware that the Democrats holding power in committees consistently blocked efforts by Republicans (and President Bush) to reign in Freddie and Fannie through regulation. They are not aware that the CEO's of Freddie and Fannie were former hacks of the Democrat party and the congressional black caucus. They have not seen the mounds of video with the democrats in congress stating how there was nothing wrong with Freddie and Fannie.

Further, most Americans are not aware of the economic record of the Bush Administration. Most are not aware that no president has had more consecutive months of job growth than George W. Bush (including Reagan). The American people are not aware that the fastest growing segment of the American electorate are those making over $100,000. They are not aware that 40% of all voters voting in this years election make over $75,000 (the highest ever).
 

Furthermore, most American people do not know that the poorest segment of the electorate (those making under $15,000) has shrunk from 11 percent to 6 percent. And further, they still are not aware that the "working poor" (those making between $15,000 to $30,000 annually) have shrunk from 23 percent to 12 percent of the electorate. Most Americans are not aware of the significant growth of GDP this country has experienced through the majority of the Bush Presidency. And lastly (as I don't have time to list everything), most American's are not aware that if the black population were their own country, they would be the 16th richest nation in the world. How is that for improved racial equality.

No one from the Republican or Conservative groups have adequately communicated these facts to the American Electorate. If we do not find a way to successfully communicate our ideas, values, and successes, we will continue to fail. We must stop this vicious cycle of allowing the Democrat party and the liberal establishments to define who we are and what we stand for. We must define ourselves to the American people.

Doug Peterson

www.twitter.com/dpeterson329

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There is a lot of talk (and blame) about what the Republican Party needs to do to rebuild itself.  As a campaign Internet consultant, I certainly agree with Patrick Ruffini that change won't come from the top down and that the Internet is vital in developing real grassroots operations.  However, it seems to me that something considerably more important is missing from many of the strategies suggested so far.

Since the Republican Party congressional losses of 2006, many people have been offering advice to the GOP, but it seems as if no one is listening to the likes of Richard Viguerie, Ryan Sager, John Dean, Peggy Noonan, Ron Paul, Michael Tanner, Bob Barr, and the many others who have been suggesting the same general message: get back to the basics of small-government conservatism.

The Internet is merely a tool, a medium to inform and energize the grassroots.  Without a coherent message, it's as useless as John McCain's Meetup numbers.

It's almost as if Republicans have forgotten what fiscal conservatism is.  To illustrate the point, I recall speaking with one of the students Mitt Romney had reportedly bussed in to CPAC 2007.  When asked why she supported Romney, the student replied that "Romney's health care plan in Massachusetts is a shining example of a conservative solution."

Shortly after this encounter, I ran into Ryan Sager in the hallway.  After relating the story to him, he chuckled and made reference to his book The Elephant in the Room.  Months later, when I told Richard Viguerie the same story, he shook his head sadly and talked about a lost generation which knows virtually nothing about conservatism.

Face it folks, the Republican Party has lost its branding.  It is no longer inaccurate to consider the GOP the party of big government, bloated budgets, billion dollar tax increases and bailouts. 

Immediately following Super Tuesday, many of us knew and accurately predicted November's electoral outcome.

Republicans nominated a man with a poor record on the Second Amendment and an absolutely abysmal record on the First.  While Obama (according to NTU data) wanted to increase federal spending by nearly $300 billion per year, McCain's policy proposals would have increased the cost of government by almost a hundred billion dollars per year.  And these data were derived prior to McCain's support of the bailout plans.

McCain talked a big game about cutting earmarks, which aren't nearly as statistically significant as even the tip of an iceberg.  So we cut a few million here and there while we pour a few hundred billion into the trough of ever-increasing federal budgets -- and then we start splashing bailouts into the swill.

The Republican Party can rebuild if and when voters find them credible on issues relating to fiscal responsibility.  With the Democrats in control of Congress and the White House, there will certainly be a target-rich environment for GOP personalities to scream a small-government message at the top of their lungs. 

Toward the end of his campaign, McCain started accusing Obama of being a socialist.  He failed to remember that while his index finger was pointed directly at Obama, three of his fingers were pointed right back at himself.

If my former political party is to get back on track, it is going to have to take a long look in the mirror and soberly make the decision that it's time for change -- that it is time for some real change.