What I'm about to write could be construed perhaps as giving aid and comfort to the enemy, but don't be fooled. I am a Democrat. I made that decision and I'm sticking to it. Even if the GOP made some or all of the changes I'm about to suggest, I still wouldn't vote for them. But maybe they'd be a more responsible, respectable party if they did.
One thing's for sure. The current incarnation of the party is severely out of date. They need new ideas. They need change. And while the wingnut wing of the GOP won't like some of these changes, I would remind the Republican leadership that it's moderate Republicans that give the party its life -- and more important, their votes.
The temptation over the next few months to lie to yourselves will be great. 2008 is just a fluke, some will say. Others will say that all you have to do is wait for Obama and the Democrats to mess up. Still others will suggest that the real problem is that the GOP isn't conservative enough.
Let me tell you a little secret. Your "base" is going to show up no matter what. The same voices who claimed to hate John McCain in the primaries were fighting like hell for him in the general. That's just how it is.
Moderates, on the other hand, make up a huge and growing segment of the electorate. Obama beat McCain because he appealed to them convincingly. McCain lost because he pandered instead to his base. There are other factors, of course, but that's what it boils down to.
I could write a diary about tactics. For example, your party needs fresh blood. New, younger candidates. You need to embrace and use the Internet. You need to engage the youth vote and encourage more voting, not less. This site, for example, makes some suggestions along those lines.
However, none of that matters if your message doesn't change. So here's a few suggestions, meant in all seriousness, to improve that message.
- Be positive in your campaigning
I know I just finished saying that campaign tactics won't matter if your policies still suck. However, how you say it does matter. No matter what you do, be positive. If you take my advice, don't do it shamefully and with reservations. Be proud of your party's new identity and take your case to the people.
Barack Obama and the scores of successful Democratic candidates from coast to coast who modeled their campaigns after the president-elect showed that it is possible to win an election without stooping into the open sewer of attack politics. Of course, feel free to point out where you differ from your opponents. But never get personal, and never run a campaign in which you talk more about your opponent than you do your candidate.
- Refocus your stance as a party on the abortion issue
Instead of focusing on rolling back Roe protections, the new GOP should instead strive to actually reduce the number of abortions performed by giving support to women who have to make that painful decision. The best way to do that is to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Negotiate with the drug and insurance companies that the GOP has so many connections to and ask them why they cover Viagra for men, but not a wider array of birth control drugs for women.
Also, expand the safety net for women who are dealing with a crisis pregnancy. This could include programs that protect women against domestic violence and rape, that offer counseling programs, that teach women self-defense techniques, and maybe even abortion alternative programs that promote adoption. Now you might be saying, "This would kill us on the evangelical vote." Well, that might be true. But there are far more women in this country than there are fundamentalist Christians.
- Fight to strengthen ALL types of families
Stop scapegoating and attacking gays. Seriously. If for no other reason than the fact that GLBTs are solid voters and donors. For years you've been saying that gay marriage and gay rights issues weaken "traditional" families. Well, if you care so much about the plight of families in this countries, it's time to ask yourself what you've done to strengthen them.
Solid family units -- regardless of the gender of the parents -- need a support structure. This starts with financial security. Focus on the pocketbooks of middle class families. Offer them real tax relief. Families also need sturdy schools. This ties in with my next point.
- Offer solutions for schools, higher and lower
It's time to move beyond "vouchers." That can't be your entire education plan. It didn't work for McCain, and it won't work for any of your other candidates. Support teachers instead of scapegoating them and their unions. Fight for better teacher pay. This isn't "throwing money at the problem," it's supporting the educators that make our childrens' futures possible.
Also, never forget that for most people in this century, education does not end after high school. Stop slashing aide programs for college students. Many of these programs make it possible for people to go to school who wouldn't have been able to otherwise. Help them pay for their books and boarding as well. In case you haven't noticed, school tuition is getting more expensive. Also, many university presidents are solid Republicans. Talk to them about how the cost of an education can be reduced.
- Refocus on the immigration issue
When you only talk about illegal immigrants who come from Mexico, you look like racists. Fair or unfair, that's just the way it is. Instead of threatening to build higher walls, work to construct paths to citizenship for the people who want to come into this country.
Look -- you're a Republican, so I don't have to explain supply and demand to you. American citizenship is in demand for many people all over the world. All we can do is supply these people with a legal path to citizenship instead of reworking our laws that make more people here into criminals.
- National security begins at home
You know what bugs American voters when they watch the news? Seeing a natural disaster rob people of their homes and jobs here in the states before being reminded later in the news broadcast that the National Guard is guarding a different country. The National Guard should be guarding our nation. We need them here.
Furthermore, while it's not issue No. 1 for most people, terrorism is a real problem. And it can only be halted right here within our own borders. Every time there's a news report of a big terror plot being thwarted, it's the result of old fashioned police work. So support our emergency responders with the training, pay and equipment they need to do their important work.
- Say what you mean on energy policy
If you want to have an "all of the above" approach to energy policy, that's fine. In fact, that's what most Americans support. However, don't say that you want balance, and then go and give all your attention to the fossil fuel people. Encourage wind, solar, geothermal and other renewables as well as the more traditional options in equal measure.
Again, you're Republicans. I don't have to explain to you what a Green Economy would mean to this country. It would mean huge dollar signs and lots of jobs. If voters have you to thank for that money getting pumped into their communities and the fact that they have a job to go to every morning, guess what? You've probably got their vote.
- There's no reason you can't be environmentalists too
In fact, one place where the GOP could really shine is pointing out to hunters and sportspeople that those habitats need to be preserved if future generations will be able to enjoy them. Leave wildlife preserves alone -- even if there's a shitload of oil underneath them.
- Continue to fight for gun rights, but don't be stupid about it
Look, a lot of Democrats and a lot of liberals even support the right of law-abiding people to own a gun or two. But be sensible. Draw the line at RPGs and flame-throwers. Nobody needs that stuff for deer hunting. And besides that, why should you ever be against registering weapons? We register automobile without a second thought, so why not guns?
Again, this is an area where your party's clout with gun owners could come in handy. Tell them there's no reason to oppose a sensible bit of gun control legislation in an urban area when it won't impact gun owners who live in rural areas. It's about personal responsibility. Isn't that a big conservative talking point?
- Stop trying to privatize Social Security
The answer is not to hook the whole system up to the stock market. If President Bush couldn't do this when he was still popular, what hope does your diminished and scattered party have of doing this now? Slim and none, that's what.
Instead, embrace this program and acknowledge the good it has done for many Americans. And continue to find new ways to fund it so that future generations can make use of it. The same goes for a lot of other "entitlement programs" that you as a party decry. They have helped a lot of people become more productive Americans -- and isn't that the goal of government?
- Find some common ground on health care
Right now, two of your party's most important constituencies -- blue-collar workers and small business owners -- have a common problem. Workers depend on their employers for health care, and those employers are having an increasingly difficult time providing it to them while still meeting their bottom line. Now, the GOP is supposed to be good with money, so finding a solution here that benefits both parties should be easy.
Use a carrot and stick method with those business owners. Give them a tax break, say, that would help them continue to provide good health insurance plans for their employees. Negotiate with those insurance companies that are lobbying with you so often to keep costs down. Healthier, more secure workers is a good thing for the economy overall.
Conclusion
This is not tongue-in-cheek advice that I'm giving. As I see it, the GOP has three options: It can make a move toward actually helping people (critics will call this a move to the center). It can move further to the right and do even less to help its own constituents. Or it can do nothing, and hope that somehow all the GOP's problems will go away -- hey, maybe the Democrats will screw it all up!
All but one of those options fails to acknowledge the sad truth. When you've got a party with a brand that's so awful, even candidates from that party are trying to shed it, why do you expect that people will continue to vote for your candidates? Something has to be done, and a slide to the right won't work. After all, what have the past 8 years been if not a total right-wing dream come true?
There is only one answer. Talk to the people whose votes you seek, learn what troubles them, and do what you can to solve their problems -- ideological bullshit be damned. It's time to admit that the Rushes and Hannities are not the people your party needs to be answering to. The brand of conservatism they are peddling hasn't improved people's lives, and people are starting to see that.
So what's it going to be?