Last week, Politico and the NYT wrote that top conservative "thinkers" will be meeting in Virginia today to chart the future of the Republican party.
The meeting will include a "who's who of conservative leaders -- economic, national security and social," said one attendee, who shared initial word of the secret session only on the basis of anonymity and with some details about the host and location redacted.
They acknowledge that the Republican party is broken, but the conservative movement is not dead.
"There's a sense that the Republican Party is broken, but the conservative movement is not," said this source, suggesting that it was the betrayal of some conservative principles by Bush and congressional leaders that led to the party's decline.
So, I thought it would be fun for us to give them a hand. What do conservatives need to do to fix the Republican Party?
Part of the meeting will be to identify the "next generation" of party leaders. Sarah Palin is at or near the top of their list.
Under this scenario (A McCain Win), Palin would be seen as their conduit to power. “She would be the conservative in the White House,” is how the source put it.
Should McCain lose next Tuesday, the conversation will include who to groom as the next generation of conservative leaders – a list that will feature Palin at or near the top.
However, the main focus of the meeting will be to re-establish the core values of conservatism.
Individuals aside, the broader aim of the session is to assess where the party and movement stand after what is virtually certain to be the second consecutive election in which Democrats make gains. The post-mortem will then lead way to a focus on what role conservatives play going forward both in the GOP and the political system ahead of the 2010 midterms
Few believe that the Republican party will respond to another brutal election by following a path of moderation, but conservatives are deeply dispirited and anxious to reassert the core values they believe have not always been followed by Bush, congressional leaders and their party’s presidential nominee . Many on the right, both elites and the rank-and-file, see a rudderless party that is in dire need of new blood and old principles: small government, a robust national security and unapologetic social conservatism.
I caught the end of a Wisconsin Public Radio show this morning, where they were discussing this meeting. The only "known" attendee at this meeting is Rush Limbaugh.
So, let's help them out. Who are the next generation of Republican leaders? What should their message be?
I'll start. They should rally around Sarah Palin. As Bloomberg reports:
``She has star power,'' said Richard Land, leader of the 16 million-member Southern Baptist Convention, based in Nashville. ``The base identifies with her. That's the harmony. The melody is that she has a gift -- star power.''
We really don't know Sarah Palin:
Many conservatives blame unfair press coverage for public doubts about Palin. If the Republican ticket loses tomorrow, Palin would face re-election in Alaska and then would have plenty of time to overcome questions before Iowa's caucuses and the New Hampshire primary begin the 2012 presidential battle.
``If she decides to run, she has a long time to reshape her image and broaden her appeal,'' said Dante Scala, a professor at the University of New Hampshire in Durham.
Palin embodies conservative values. She can cut through all of the liberal media bull and call a spade a spade. She's not afraid to speak truthiness to power. She's adept at talking through both sides of her mouth at the same time. She's all for spreading the wealth to those that matter. And, most impotently, she is for small government that intrudes on your rights. Palin does all of this while maintaing a well-dressed image of an anti-elite hockey mom. Yes, she truly is a pitbull in lipstick.
What do you think -- Put your snark on!