Published: November 14, 2008 05:59 pm            

Tar Heel Dispatch – Picking up pieces

Republicans have suffered a second general election defeat in as many years, leaving conservatives dazed, confused and demoralized.

As the dust is already starting to settle, fingers are being pointed, blame laid and plans made for an eventual comeback.

Some wonder if conservative ideals are out of vogue with the public. Others say that the problem wasn’t the message, but the messengers.

Then again, the sudden economic crisis seemed crucial to President-elect Obama’s rise.

Mr. Obama joked days before the election that if the economy suddenly got better, then he would immediately suspend his campaign and fly to Washington to address the problem.

At least he’s got a sense of humor. But he’ll need more than that to address the problems our country is facing.

And some Republicans will need plenty of Maalox and Valium to withstand the big government, socialistic policies likely to be imposed by an all Democrat federal government.

GOP party leaders will be relieved of their duties as the proverbial heads start rolling. Rumblings are already being heard both within the Congressional GOP delegation, as well as the party at the state level.

Gov. Sarah Palin and her vanquished vice presidential hopeful rivals will compete for the mantle of the party as a whole.

But it’s going to take more than a change in leadership. Like a restaurant advertising “New Management!” the GOP will have more work to do than that.

Why did people quit going to the restaurant? It wasn’t because they liked the manager.

It was the quality of the food and the service. All the bells and whistles aren’t worth much if you leave hungry or unsatisfied.

For years, moderates and liberals within the GOP have said that the party had to move to the center to remain relevant. Conservative ideas just wouldn’t win elections.

It’s the independents that you have to win over. Learn to compromise on the principles to gain support and continue to win elections.

Well, the GOP tried that. It became the other party of big government. It used earmarks for political gain.

It grew government to a size never before seen. It gave us expanded entitlements like prescription drugs that are bankrupting us. It pushed for home ownership, even for people that couldn’t afford it.

It subsidized and incentivized, picking winners and losers. It has bailed out every industry imaginable, including airlines, automakers, banks and agribusiness.

And look what good it did.

Conservative minds around the country are taking stock and learning from their losses last week, and looking to move forward. The Republican Party has a long internal struggle that has to be fought and decided before it can ever hope to come back.

The name brand is damaged. A new management sign won’t cut it. You have to get back to the basics, the quality food and service that used to entice.

Historically the GOP has been made up of three prongs: economic conservatives, social conservatives and Libertarians.

A fourth group sprouted after 9/11, national security conservatives. A delicate balance has been struck among the groups since the Reagan Revolution. But no longer.

In 2000, economic conservatives and Libertarians bit the bullet and acquiesced to a compromise social conservative in George W. Bush and his brand of “compassionate conservatism.”

This compassionate conservatism led to outrageous spending and government growth, alienating the economic wing. The Patriot Act and curbs on civil liberties alienated the Libertarian wing.

This wing combined with economic conservatives unable to support McCain’s big government appeals, demonstrated their power and dissatisfaction last week, especially in North Carolina.

Libertarian candidate for president, Bob Barr (a former Republican), received 25,000 votes in North Carolina.

McCain lost by less than 14,000 votes in the state. Most of those who voted for Barr would normally vote Republican. In other words, they cost John McCain North Carolina’s electoral votes.

This was more than a protest vote, it was a strong message. It was an appeal to the heart of the party. It was an exhortation to return to the fundamentals, small government, personal liberty, fiscal responsibility, no policing the world.

Whether they are right about every policy position is debatable. But their central argument, that the GOP lost its way, is dead on. Republicans haven’t fallen from the grace of the voters because we were too conservative, but far from it. When Republicans act, talk and spend outrageously like Democrats, why would anyone vote for the Republican when they could vote for the professional?

The good news is that finally, this brewing battle in the GOP is finally happening. The supporters of smaller government have flexed their muscle and shown the party it still needs them. The process may take years, but if it takes losing the next 10 elections, Republicans have to get back to small government, liberty centered principles if it ever wants to be relevant again.



Tar Heel Dispatch is written by Tyler Younts, a first-year law student at Campbell University. Younts, who grew up in Farmer, has a passion for writing and for politics and for writing about politics. E-mail comments to news@randolphguide.com or directly to Younts at younts@email.unc.edu

        

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