The Republican Party is Not Dead

It's just a rebuilding year... like the Cubs are always having.

Rahm Emanuel is a master of the art of using words to get what you want. He must have been the force behind all those Clinton lies that piled up. (Not that I'm saying Emanuel or his trusty Dems have cornered the market on lies.) Emanuel's philosophy, the Rahm Doctrine, we'll call it, seems to be that if you keep saying something over and over again, it becomes true.

I am not sure how he has done it, but it seems that the media is biting too. The latest lie that Rahm is turning into truth is that the Republican party has died. The word on the street (and in Time) is that it is no longer relevant and does not speak to the American people. Rahm would like us to know that in four years it will cease to function as an American institution and we will have no choice but to blindly follow the plan for "change" that his boss has lined up for us.

It is amazing to read the headlines. It seems that even quasi-conservative talking heads like David Brooks are biting. Only George Will seems to have a firm grasp on reality, and, as usual we can look to history for some guidance on this issue.

The Republican party has been around since before the Civil War and has survived many presidential administrations that calmer heads might even label as worse cases than the last eight years of W. Ulysses Grant's administration was covering up crimes by cronies. Hayes all but bought the election of 1876. Harding was a travesty as president. The G.O.P. even survived the dastardly deeds of Herbert Hoover, who Dems would have you believe, caused the worldwide Great Depression that began ten years before he took the oath of office. And let's not forget Nixon and Watergate. How could the G.O.P. survive all of this?

Because it took time to redefine itself.

The last time the G.O.P. was declared dead was in 1964. Barry Goldwater ran a disastrous presidential campaign, winning only five states. If Johnson, the Democratic candidate, wanted to, he probably could have challenged the results in Arizona, Goldwater's home state, which was very close. The Republicans and conservatism were declared dead. It was a triumph for big government.

And then Johnson went on his spending spree and expanded the size of government. No one could stop him. Like Obama, he had near total control of the legislative branch. He introduced his Great Society programs and threw America waist deep in Vietnam. And four years later, the supposedly "dead" Republican party, behind Richard Nixon, won the presidency.

1964 Results

1968 Results

Nixon and the G.O.P. redefined themselves as national party. They spoke of the "silent majority" and vowed to bring law and order to the troubled country. They took a moderate approach and vowed (as they always do, vainly) to reduce the size and scope of the federal government. 12 years later, despite the disaster of Watergate and ineffective leadership of Gerald Ford, the conservative message continued to be a force, as Ronald Reagan and then George Bush took their seats in the Oval Office. In fact, when Clinton ran for president in 1992, he had to sel himself as something like a conservative.

But I thought conervatism died in 1964?

So, as Dr. Phil says: "Get real!"

Don't get too excited over your exciting victory, Dems. Remember the past. The G.O.P. will be there and people will be sure to stand behind it again. Unfortunately for Rahm Emanuel, our two-party system is fully functioning. Americans do not like big, wasteful, and ineffective government. If O delivers all the change he promised, there will be a backlash and there will be some brave, open-mouthed Republican will be riding the wave of that backlash.

Here are some people who offer different approached the party can take in the future.

7 Republicans I like nationally

If only there were someone who had all their super powers... the party would be resurrected and be a strong force against change I cannot believe in. These people, although I like something in each of them, could probably not stand each other for five minutes.

1.) The Moderate Crusader: Christine Todd Whitman. Her time has come. Her political opponents within the party, namely Cheney and Rumsfeld, are in the ashheap of history. She is outspoken advocate of good government and sound energy policy and a founding member of the Committee for Responsible Government. Sounds like a good idea to me.

2.) Face the World: Colin Powell. I miss him and think he made a major mistake by not standing up to Cheney and Bush. I hope it did not do him in. Powell has a firm shot at reshaping the party if he is up to the task. Many Republicans miss his balanced approach to foreign affairs. See, though, some people answer the call to serve and others look the other way because they are too tired. He may be too tired.

3.) Principled: Bobby Jindal. Democrats attacked him months ago because Jindal is a threat. He bravely rejected Obama stimulus money because it would make him a slave to the feds. He was right, when one considers what Obama did to GM’s president.

4.) The Angry Voice: Newt Gingrich. He will never be elected because of the backlash against many of his decisions in the 1990’s (good decisions), but he has been rising up, in my opinion, to be a formidable critic of Obama’s New Age and the spokesman for the conservative movement.

5.) Hedging his bets: Mitt Romney. He could run in 2012 and, depending on the economy, might not do too badly. A lot of Republicans regret choosing McCain over this guy… who has business experience and a solid conservative pedigree. I am not predicting any wins and see him carefully slipping into the background watching events unfold. This is a smart move.

6.) The Elder Statesman: John Danforth. He is an Episcopal priest who wants to keep the government from dirtying up religion and wants to keep the Lord’s name from being uttered in vanity, as so often happens in the G.O.P. He is also a former Senator, an accomplished diplomat, and elder statesman. I can think of no one better qualified to be president or chief justice. But, alas, he is over 70 years old.

7.) The Libertarian: Ron Paul. I loved Ron Paul when I was in college and always wanted to vote for him. When I got my chance in 2008, I chose not to do so. He is not popular, will never be president, is painted as a nut-job for defending the Constitution. He speaks the truth and is a strong advocate for classic American political philosophy.

8.) Other Republicans I like: Tim Pawlenty, Mitch Daniels, John Roberts, Tom Ridge, Joe Lieberman

9.) Republicans I do not like, but who Democrats do like: Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Dick Cheney, Fred Thompson, Michael Steele

3 Republicans I like in Illinois

Now here is some change I can believe in. And since the Dems have made a mess of things here in Illinois, it seems the pendulum must swing the other way. Here are some choices...

1.) For Senate: Mark Kirk. The most honest, promising, and firm Republican in the state. He would make a masterful Senator and leader of the G.O.P. in Illinois. He is in the armed forces as a reservist, has foreign relation experience in the House, and is level-headed. He can also work with both parties, which is key in Illinois.

2.) For Governor: Tom Cross. Probably too crass to be elected to governor or Senator, but a mad dog who can bite the knees off his opponents. He is the Rahm Emanuel of the Illinois G.O.P. and I wonder why he is not foaming at the mouth more. Good governor candidate, especially against Alexi.

3.) For King: Patrick Fitzgerald To the people, he is a minor god of Illinois politics, because he puts people who deserve it behind bars. I know his staff does that work, but he is the man in front of the camera… the boss. He does a great service to the people of Illinois working exactly where he works now, but would be a shoe-in no matter what office or party he chose to run for and under.