While it is true old news is no news in politics. It does serve us well to remember from time to time where we came from. History after all is said to be our greatest teachers, and in my humble opinion the party that fails to look back fails to progress. So when the Republicans took over the White House 8 years ago we needed to look back and we did. We looked back to the Clinton years and saw all the missteps and abuses their. We looked back to the Reagan and Bush 1 years and saw all their successes. Now it was our opportunity to determine a straight path forward for America but we failed from the start.
And while I personally like Bush and voted for him in both elections, I feel its the Bush White House that must accept responsibility for much of the blunders over the past 8yrs. After all it was they, who in their ambition to defeat terrorism after 911 failed to look out for the people at home (i.e. Katrina, Enron, the sub-prime morgage debockle). It was they who in their efforts to keep the terrosits on the defensive and make their mark in the Middle East, failed to count the cost of war and plan ahead (i.e. bad intelegence reporting, the hasty acceleration to war in Iraq, the lack of insight into what the outcome would be for us and them). And finally, it was they who in their stubborness failed to consider our reputation in the world at large; and to retain the high ground prior to war, and maintain our integrity as a nation of values (i.e. wire tapping, torture, and water board interrogations). These missteps and others I have probably overlooked have created a kind of sour grapes attitude toward the Republican Party as a whole in America. Thus the tables were turned at the 2006 mid-term election as the public cried out for change.
Now with President Bush suffering from the lowest approval rating ever, and the Republican Parties reputation tarnished as a result, the left wing neo-liberals have successfully embedded their "new" brand onto the same old political machine. It was the perfect storm in which to re-introduce the failed political policies that lost them the last few presidential elections. So under the brand of "new" they took a young Barrack Obama with a bright smile and eloquent tongue and hardly a shred of experience and enamored the American people into thinking what's old is actually new. And with the party in tow and the media to their back they set sail, but not without difficulty.
They faced a stiff head wind at first, in the form of Hillary Clinton. Nevertheless tacking back and forth through the primaries they were finally able to toss their arch rival Hillary overboard. This they did primarily to protect their invention of "new" from being marred by the old. But it only lasted a few weeks, as much to their dismay they realized they needed Captain Hillary to steer the ship. So they invited her back on board, with the understanding that Obama would be Captain and she would be first mate.
So what's the Republican Party doing about it? The same old thing. Mud slinging and character assassinations. I am telling you its going to take more than mud slinging and character assassinations to win this election. You can't win this election running the same old campaign. The American public is looking for something "new," and anything that looks old is going to get the smack down like Hillary did. They don't care if it's coherent or makes sense so much as it takes us in a different direction. Knowing this the Dem's have attempted to re-define themselves as younger, hipper, and more apt then the Republicans. But its all a smoke and mirrors, like putting a new paint job on a Rambler to hide the fact that its old. The truth is Obama is a newbie but his policies are as old as the Democratic Party. That is a mix that should translate into a sure win for the Republican Party, but it hasn't. Why? Because we have failed to communicate who we are to main street.
What Republicans need to do is get back to basics. That's the wonderful thing about it. We don't need to re-define ourselves, because what this nation really needs is good old Republican governance. Not the Bush America of the past 8 yrs. That was not a true depiction of what Republicans governance is really about. In fact it was contrary to Republican values in many ways. What we need is good old conservativism, that riegns in wasteful spending, adheres to physical responsibilility, reduces the size of government, and eliminates the pork in Washington. Those are true republican values and the nation is screeming for them. But we are not telling them in plain english that is who we are and what we do best. The way I see it, its been so long since we've seen true Republican governance in America that it will appear "new" to all of us.
Now with the nation seeking something new the Dem's are trying paint themselves as the party for America. When in fact we are the party who cares about people, they only care about polls. We are the party who gets things done, they only talk about getting things done. We are the party who cares for the poor, and stands up for the weak.
Why don't we grasp that? That should be our montra! Why do we allow the Dem's to paint us into the corner on these issues? Sure we've had to make some hard calls in the past and that can make it seem like we don't care as much as the Dems. But the truth is we do care about this country and its people. That is exactly why we must make the hard call. Because we are looking at the bigger picture. Its called leadership! And real leaders make hard decisions, they don't cater to the crowd or the special interests, they rely on reason, wisdom, and conscience. Their decisions are made on the basis of reason and what's good for all, not on what can get me re-elected. What matters is; is it the right move? I don't see this type of country first mentality among the Democratic party. The leadership in the Democratic Party doesn't seem to be looking at the big picture. They are more concerned about the short term fix. (i.e. special interest groups and lobbyists). People that will put them back in office. Protecting their own personal future is what's most important to them. Doing whatever is political expedient in order to advance their career seems to be their highest aim. And that's why I like John McCain. His country first attitude stands in stark contrast to the norm in Washington. He'd rather loose an election then see his country take a hit. Its this maverick, get the job done even if it cost you your career attitude that is needed right now in Washington. That is why we need to send John McCain to the oval office.
The way I see it the Republicans Party can reverse the tide of negativism and be the party of America once again! But in order for that to happen we need to stop with the defensive posturing, admit the failures of the Bush years and begin to clearly communicate how we intend to move this nation from where it is to where it needs to be. The struggles we are facing as Americans are real and they deserves real answers not political rhetoric. The American people will decide this election and they are tired of being treated like a bunch of dumbies. We can see through the smoke screens and the smiles. We can see through the rhetoric of change to the reality of who can bring it.
Now after a year and a half of campaign promises about change, and running a different kind of campaign the Obamaites have taken to mud sligging themselves. In doing so they have exposed their soft underbelly. Now is the time for decisive action, rip the top off their campaign and expose it for what it really is. The same old ship with a new flag and a new captain. The biased media and the leaders of the democratic party are no match for the truth. So give them truth, let the public know who we are as Republicans. Show them we can move them forward and how? Now that would be NEW!
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