WHO WILL LEAD REPUBLICANS BACK INTO POWER

As the GOP recovers from a drubbing at that ballot box that served them with an eviction notice at the White House and a foreclosure on many seats in the house and senate, a reorganization is in order.

Crucial to a successful reorganization is the selection of it’s next national chairman.

Florida Senator Mel Martinez

After the losses which cost them their majorities in the house and senate during the 2006 midterm elections, the powers that be, hastily installed Florida Senator Mel Martinez as the new chairman. At the same time they also elected Mike Duncan, a veteran political strategist and former Treasurer General Counselor to the RNC, to run the “day to day operations” of the national committee. In other words Duncan was actually the Chairman and Senator Martinez was to be the face of the party.

It was an arrangement that did not last long.

A few months into this arrangement, Senator Martinez stepped down and Mr. Duncan had the title all to himself. Not that it mattered. Whether it was his fault or not Republicans were outspent, out argued , outmaneuvered and voted out.

Outgoing RNC Chairman Mike Duncan

I will not blame Mike Duncan for the hemorrhaging of Republicans in this election cycle. That began before he took office, less than a year ago, and it simply continued for the time period that he was in office as chairman. It is more than likely that no individual chairman of the RNC could have prevented the losses Republicans suffered but we do know that the chairman did not help prevent them from happening.

So I do not blame Mike Duncan but I do harbor ill will to the party officials who gave up after 2006 and installed quick replacements to head up the Republican party. It was quite apparent that the party was simply trying to just get through the last two years of President Bush’s term in office. The RNC leadership were more like caretakers than leaders. They did not seek to adopt a leadership that was cutting edge and enthusiastic about revolutionizing the capabilities of the party organization and preparing us for the mother of all elections, the presidency.

It is the same complacency that helped cost Republicans their majorities in congress. Elected officials lost the anti establishment thinking that won them favor back in 1994. After becoming “the establishment” they slowly began to forget that government was there to work for the people not for the people running government.

So here we are saluting a new President-Elect, a new Democrat President-Elect. One who will be partnering with a majority of legislators who are also Democrats.

It might sound depressing to fellow Republicans but the truth is it is that for a number of reasons it is not depressing:

• Can’t Get Much Worse -We have just about bottomed out. It truly can’t get much worse so the prospects for improving our numbers in the next election are good.

 

• Liberals Gone Wild -With Democrats in total control of government, there is little to hold them back and prevent them from showing their true colors. When those true colors come out, Americans will realize that the direction they offer is too sharp a turn to the left for their tastes. The last time they had total control was in 1993 when Bill Clinton was President. After two years of liberals gone wild, Americans gave control, of both the house and senate, to Republicans for the first time in forty years. It was something that Republicans could not achieve on their own. It took the combined left leaning radicalization of today’s Democrat party to bring that about and it is about to happen again. In fact the greatest challenge that the new President will face comes from his own party. He will be struggling against them and fighting them in an effort to lead from the center rather than the left.

• The War – Although the economy helped push the war off the front burner, the changing tide of the surge in Iraq also made the war less of an issue because violence and combat was down and it was being won. The war in Iraq did not help Republicans in this election cycle but not because it was unnecessary, as democrats claim,  but, as I explain in the link referenced here*, Americans became weary and leery of the war. While the surge was delayed and the administration wavered, violence spiked as a result of a resurgence of radical Islamic terrorists in Iraq. That is when Democrats successfully exploited a declining resolve to continue an effort that people were beginning to think was becoming a quagmire. Since the increased deployment of troops into Iraq, the situation improved and there is light at the end of the tunnel. As a result, despite the cries of candidate Obama to end the war, President Obama will not be withdrawing all of our forces from Iraq anytime soon.  Now that he has seen the national security data that demonstrates the dangers of his misguided promises as a candidate, as a President he will not be so quick to screw things up. Ultimately Republicans will be proven right on the issue.

 

• The Economy – Typically our economy goes through cycles of growth and contraction every ten to fifteen years. More accurately, just about every 11 years, we encounter economic turmoil brought on by the cumulative effects of industrial shifts, world events and other related circumstances. That being said, it is how we maneuver through these cycles that determines their severity and the length of time that we endure them. The liberal propensity to raise taxes and redistribute wealth during these times does not help. Those policies simply deepen the crisis and draw out the cycle. If the knee jerk, liberal tendency towards more taxes and an expansion of government does occur, Republicans will be able to stem their losses and start increasing their numbers. The current crisis that we are experiencing is not a result of Republican economic policy. It is a result of their complacency and unwillingness to differentiate themselves from liberals when it came to spending. Our own President had no problem with cutting taxes, a good thing, but he also never cut spending and neither did fellow Republicans in congress.

All of this allows for those Republicans, who are in office, to offer alternatives to the counterproductive liberal agenda that will undoubtedly dominate national policy. To effectively achieve that, Republican members of congress need to reestablish their fiscally conservative roots and inherent sense of an offensive strategy when it comes to national security. The fact that, as Republicans, we choose to eliminate threats rather than tolerate them will be made much clearer with liberals in control and it must not be ignored.

Now that Republicans are not in control we now have the luxury that Democrats had. The luxury of not having to defend our leadership. Democrats will now have the chance to be held accountable for everything that happens. They will have to take blame for the results of increasing taxes, increasing unnecessary regulations and increasing the size and cost of government. With their leadership comes responsibility. With responsibility comes credit as well as blame. After eight years of taking blame for all that is not liked, Republicans can now luxuriate in being able to place blame on Democrats as they have done to Republicans.

But while those Republicans elected to congress do their job by providing alternatives to liberal policies and maintaining their role as the loyal opposition, our political leaders must hit the ground running.

The question now is, who is best suited to reorganize and reinvigorate Republicans? The person needed to rally Republicans must be articulate. But a good speaker is not all that we need. The person who is made the new chairman of the party must have a passionate desire to advance the cause, incredible organizational skills, the ability to delegate responsibilities to the right and most qualified people, endless energy and stamina as well as creativity and resourcefulness and a proven record of success.

The new chairman needs the same type of vision and commitment to conservative principles that the freshmen members of congress who were elected in the 1994 Republican revolution had. The new chairman must have a vision which understands that the best government is the government that gets out of the way and allows freedom to flourish by defending it at home and abroad and by insuring that opportunity is available to all.

Currently, there are seven frontrunners. They include:

Mike Steele

Michael Steele – GOPAC , former Lt. Governor of Maryland and unsuccessful candidate for US Senate in 2006.

Chuck Yob

Chuck Yob – Successful Michigan businessman, GOP fundraiser and Michigan National Committeeman

Saul Anuzis

Saul Anuzis – Chairman of the Michigan Republican State Committee

Alec Pointevint

Alec Poitevint – Georgia’s Republican National Committeeman

Katon Dawson

Katon Dawson – Republican Party Chairman of South Carolina , the state that had the best performance for Republicans during this election cycle.

Jim Greer

Jim Greer – Florida’s Republican party Chairman

Chip Saltsman

Chip Saltsman – A former Chair of Tennessee’s GOP and the former campaign manager of Mike Huckabee’s failed candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination.

Mike Huckabee

Speculation has not only Huckabee’s former campaign guru on the list, Mike Huckabee himself is rumored to be a potential contender. So is one of Huckabee’s former opponents for the GOP presidential nod, Mitt Romney.

Of all these names the one person who I believe could do the most for the Republican National Committee is Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney

Romney has been successful at every job that he has undertaken. He is passionate. He is articulate, savvy and has an eye for recruiting those who are the best at their jobs. Mitt Romney could do wonders for the party. He would be able to provide the GOP’s highly rated, get out the vote, 72 hour program with great improvements and he would create a top notch center for Republican organization, communications, fundraising and creative strategy.

Problem is that I want Mitt Romney to be able to run for President. I am looking forward to either him or Sarah Palin being our 2012 nominee. Becoming the political leader of the party does not help him establish the bipartisan image that a Presidential nominee needs. If he did as a good a job for the party as I think he would, having been the chairman of the party he rebuilds, could help him get the party’s nomination though.

However, I feel that a truly smart RNC chairman would involve Mitt Romney and utilize his expertise. Doing so would keep Romney free to expand his nonpolitical credentials while still allowing for his Midas touch to assist behind the scenes.

As for the other names mentioned, Mike Steele, Katon Dawson and Jim Greer are the only names that really interest me. Each of them have demonstrated ideological superiority to one extent or the other and have achieved outstanding results for Republicans.

Former Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich

One name not mentioned but is at the top of my list, is former Maryland Governor Robert Erhlich. After losing reelection in the 2006 GOP sea of change, Bob Ehrlich has not been discussed much. That is a shame because he happens to be one of the best in the newer generation of conservative politics. He was the first Republican to be elected governor of Maryland in almost 60 years. Through it all Ehrlich maintained his principles and conservative ideology. Not once did he try to win favor by acting like a democrat. Instead, he successfully implemented conservative ideology into government application. He also happens to be articulate and effective in his ability to explain and deliver the conservative message.

 

Sometimes referred to as a Kempite Republican, Bob Erhlich could be just what we need to rekindle our spirit and rally the cause.

Whoever the grand poobahs of the GOP hierarchy install as chairman, it is my greatest hope that they recruit the right people to carry out the mission that is ahead.

Patrick Ruffini

People like political Internet champion Patrick Ruffini who could incorporate the most cyber savvy organization politics has ever seen and Ralph Reed who is a master at reaching out and organizing the grassroots.

Ralph Reed

Being the minority party is not a problem to be feared. Becoming the minority is what we needed to fear and now, we are there.  So the worst is over. Now we have the chance to take advantage of what Democrats took advantage of for a long time, minority status and the ability to place blame on the powers that be that comes with it.

From here we can only come back, and if we take the right steps, we can come back quickly. To do so will require that our first steps be the right steps . In this case that would be done by picking the right person to map out our future and recruit the brightest lights to help illuminate the fast track to the reinvigoration that the party is capable of.

 

Q: What’s the problem with Barack Obama jokes?

A: His followers don’t think they’re funny and other people don’t think they’re jokes.

 

 

THIS WEEK’S WINNERS and LOSERS

With the election results in,  Politics 24/7 presents to you the Winners & Losers, a weekly wrap up of the week’s luckiest and most down trodden, the best and the worst, the top and the bottom.

In this, the innaugural edition of Politics 24/7’s Winners & Losers, we feature the lucky recipeints in the election week  results.

LOSERS

1. HILLARY CLINTON –The concept of President-elect Barack Obama dashes Hillary’s hopes for  possibly 8 years by which time a presidential run for her will probably not be in the cards.
2. RICK DAVIS -The man in charge of John McCain’s presidential campaign failed to pull any rabbits out of his hat and looks for others to put the blame on. He sucked and there is no need to look any further to find blame.
3. THE MEDIA -Since they turned against Hillary during the primaries, they spent the rest of this election proving that they were in the tank for Barack Obama.  They used this election to prove that they are more biased commentators than unbiased newsbreakers.
4. ELIZABETH DOLE -Despite the anti-republican atmosphere, the North Carolina Senator was one of those few, rare republicans who could have kept her seat.  Complacency and overconfidence while in office, a poorly run campaign and a desperate last minute attempt to win that tried to exploit religion in a harsh tv ad, ended her career on a low note.
5. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -No matter what,  he gets the blame for Republicans losing and for the poor economy that helped put the nail in the coffin of Republicans running throughout the nation. Whether it’s his fault or not, he presided over the events we experienced and the buck ( or in this economy, the 25 cents which is the the equivalent of a buck), stops with him.

 

WINNERS

1. PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA -You may disagree with him but he won and he is now our president.  Should he be?  Maybe. Maybe not, that has yet be seen, but he established a campaign that did all the right things, established an exceptional ground game that didn’t just get him elected but won him a special place in history and allowed the United States to thankfully prove that although racism may exist, we can overcome it.
2. NANCY PELOSI & HARRY REID -As the leaders of the house and senate, they accomplished nothing during the past two years that they were in power.  In fact their lackluster, liberal, leadership only helped hinder the Obama campaign.  But despite it all they are rewarded with increased majorities and now they have one of their own in the White House.  For Reid and Pelosi everyday will be Christmas for at least two years.
3. THE TWO DAVIDS –David Plouffe & David Axelrod, Barack Obama’s campaign manager and media strategists, respectively, orchestrated an effort that avoided landmines, sidelined the Clintons and made history. Their efforts may not have created the greatest and most creative presidential campaign we ever saw but it worked and achieved a first in American politics.  There’s lots of power and money in their futures right now. 
4. JOE THE BIDEN –He wasn’t going anywhere in  his own right and as he approaches the end of his long political career, second banana isn’t the worst way to do it.
5. JOHN McCAIN & SARAH PALIN -Like him or not, he ran hard for what he believes in, served the nation in many different ways and did so above and beyond the call of duty.  His campaign wasn’t very well run but that’s to be expected from a person who is less interested in politics than he is in getting good things done for the people.  As for Sarah Palin, she can either build upon her fifteen minutes of national fame and re-enter national politics in as few as 4 years or she can just continue holding statewide elected office in Alaska for as long she wants  Can you say Senator Palin?  Either way, her future is bright. 

CONGRATULATIONS PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA AND AMERICA!

Together, we must offer sincere congratulations to President-Elect Barack Obama.

When, in a few short months, he becomes our 44^th President, we must also accord to him the respect and support that an American President deserves from the American people.

Unlike many liberal elitists who have stated their desire to move to another country because a liberal did not win the White House, I do not entertain thoughts of fleeing the land that I love because Senator Obama won this election. I do not lose faith in my nation because of the conclusion that our democratic process reaches. Contrarily, I take pride in my nation’s ability to once again, participate in a peaceful change of power.

On top of that, in this particular case, there is an even greater sense of pride that I feel because of my nation’s ability to overcome long standing, wrongly held, racial biases. Unfortunately Barack Obama’s victory does not mark an end to racism but it does signal our true ability to overcome it.

In that sense, this election was a remarkable confirmation of America’s promise and for this, I am proud.

Admittedly, I may not be pleased with President-Elect Obama’s meteoric rise to power but that is not now, nor has it ever been, based on his color. Although leftists have tried to describe opposition to the Obama candidacy as something rooted in racism, the truth is that my displeasure has been based upon the diverging directions of policies that we have. Those differences will continue to actively fuel my civic duty as a responsible citizen and oppose President-Elect Obama on those initiatives that I feel are mistakes and support him on those that I believe are right and beneficial.

Despite philosophical and policy differences, his actual initiatives are to be judged, individually, and on their individual merits. Yet, regardless of those differences, I proudly embrace President-elect Obama and his future presidency.

On the foreign front, as my President, Barack Obama might be tested, as Vice President-Elect Biden mentioned. If that is so, any nation that might try to test him should know this……

Baracak Obama will be President of my nation and as such any threat against him is a threat against me. Neither President-Elect Obama or I take kindly to threats and neither do the rest of the Americans behind our soon to be President. So think carefully, very carefully, because although the face of the US presidency may have changed, the people haven’t. The American people are still the most generous, resourceful, feisty, vibrant, innovative people that you will come across and the materialization of any threat will encounter harsh and lasting consequences, sooner or later, by the American people on the ones responsible for those threats.

Domestically, despite differences on the issues , we must understand that President-Elect Obama is not the enemy and that his best interests are our best interests. The debate on taxes, energy education, immigration, and how best to defend and protect our nation may get rough but we need to recognize that the election is over and that we are one. As such we need to work as one. We should not need a 9/11 crisis to bring us together only in times of crisis. We should tackle all issues with the same unified vigilance that we have always employed during times of crisis. This does not mean we cannot disagree, it just means that we should allow the democratic process to resolve our differences the very same way that this election did, through vigorous debate of the issues and by arguing our approaches to the issues in the most convincing ways possible.

The election is over and no matter what, President-Elect Obama has won. He will be the President not of republicans or democrats, liberals or conservatives but of all of us who proudly call ourselves Americans.

The euphoria of victory for President-Elect Obama, will be short lived. Once the reality of the awesome responsibilities overtake the moment, euphoria will be replaced by burden. As with most Americans who have become President, I am sure that Barck Obama will rise to the occasion and to do so, he could use our good wishes and genuine support. It is the same type of support that one time President-Elect Bush could have used and it should not be denied to this President-Elect.

With that said, let the campaigning to determine who should lead us in the work that lies ahead come to a close and let the democratic process of governance begin.

Excelsior!

 

What Is Politics?

A little boy goes to his dad and asks, “What is politics?”

Dad says, “Well son, let me try to explain it this way: I’m the breadwinner of the family, so let’s call me capitalism. Your Mom, she’s the administrator of the money, so we’ll call her the Government. We’re here to take care of your needs, so we’ll call you the people. The nanny, we’ll consider her the Working Class. And your baby brother, we’ll call him the Future. Now, think about that and see if that makes sense,”

So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what dad had said.

Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him. He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper. So the little boy goes to his parents’ room and finds his mother sound asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny’s room. Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny. He gives up and goes back to bed. The next morning, the little boy says to his father, “Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now.”

The father says, “Good son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about.”

The little boy replies, “Well, while Capitalism is screwing the Working Class, the Government is sound asleep, the People are being ignored and the Future is in deep poo.”