I wish Mitt Romney wasn’t a moderate and could have drawn a clearer distinction between himself and President Obama. I wish he had been more assertive in the last debate, especially on Libya. I wish Sandy would have hit after the election. I wish I knew what Chris Christie was thinking.
All of this aside, the Republican party has two choices going forward: (1) To accept the presumed national shift to the left and seek to nominate more moderate candidates or (2) to seek party leadership and potential presidential candidates from real, articulate, Constitutional defenders of liberty.
The mainstream media will tell us, once again, that the problem is extremism. The first option is more practical, they say, as we must understand the new political realities. The problem with this approach is that it simply doesn’t work. Obama moved to the center to beat Republican moderates McCain and Romney in the last two elections. Granted there were other factors involved in these contests, but there is little evidence to suggest that moderating the party will win favor with the electorate.
To me, the second option is a no-brainer. The problem with moderates like McCain and Romney (and Christie) is their lack of a strong core compass. They adjust their tactics to the situation, appearing both conservative and liberal at times. They are seen by some as pragmatic problem solvers, but their solutions are often lukewarm. They don’t consistently excite voters because nobody really knows what they stand for.
Before I proceed, for the record, I think Romney is a decent man with strong leadership skills. I did not support him in the primary but I did so in the general election. I’m not throwing him under the bus, but we must face reality.
Also for the record, I am not a registered Republican. I usually vote Republican by default, but the party has drifted away from its roots. I don’t even like the word conservative these days because it doesn’t quite mean what it used to.
Here’s the fundamental problem as I see it. Roughly 45% of Americans will vote Democrat and 45% will vote Republican in any given national election. The remaining 10% decide each election. Many pundits presume this group to be “moderates” and candidates often shift to the middle to court their votes after the primaries. I believe many in this group are not necessarily looking for a middle-of-the-road candidate, but instead seek someone who can deliver a real vision, a complete and coherent package that will advance the country. True “conservatism” that includes a genuine Constitutional basis and seriously limited government is the alternative to the current malaise. Moderate candidates like Romney offer more competent leadership and a move in the right direction, but nothing more.
The US is $16 trillion in debt with a majority of Americans relying on various government programs. The list is a long one, including entitlements for which citizens have been taxed directly such as Social Security and Medicare, various forms of income redistribution such as SNAP and EITC, and middle-class entitlements such as Pell grants, mortgage deductions and Chevy Colt subsidies. I’ve met a number of people who understand that our situation is unsustainable, but they’re only willing to “sacrifice” their pet programs if others get slashed as well. They see modest cuts like Romney proposed as making little difference over the long term. Unless they see the prospects for serious reform, they will opt for the status quo and kick the can down the road.
We’ve got some time to reflect on this, but we shouldn’t forget that the battle for liberty never stops. Political and economic ignorance remains widespread. We don’t elect kings and we must never stop demanding accountability from all of our elected officials.
It’s a sad day. Those who supported Obama this time better be prepared for more debt and less prosperity. I wasn’t a big Romney fan either, but this should have been an easy choice.
Thanks for the encouraging and clarifying words Dr. Parnell. I am bitterly disappointed In the election. I really admired Romney the man. He would have been an effective and successful leader. But we need a candidate who can differentiate, articulate and persuade on values. The clock is ticking. Who is that person? Will the Rep party coalesce around this approach?
Sandy and Christy bailed out Obama. We need a more aggressive candidate next time.
It wasn’t the candidate, the circumstances or the message. While we are talking the American Dream, they are building coalitions: unions, teachers, blacks, Hispanics, single women and young people. While we are talking lower taxes, he is passing out Obamaphones to people who pay no taxes. We are talking jobs and unemployment rates and they are food stamping and extending benefits to the brainwashed masses, who could care less about Benghazi or $16 trillion. Obama wins in a bad economy (I’ve got your back) or a good one (look what I did for you).
We still have the House, thanks to the Tea Party. Let’s see if they stand their ground or play lets make a deal with Harry Reid.
Arthur-I believe you hit the nail on the head. Every bit of what you said is true which is why so many of us ‘Republicans’ are baffled by the outcome of this election. To me, this election was a no-brainer win for Romney. Unfortunately, the facts that concern me as a hard-working conservative don’t even register with those from the ‘takers’ class. It were as if Romney and Obama were speaking two different languages to people from two completely different planets which leaves me really fearing for our country now more than ever.
Susan, good observations. The Republicans are lost. They have no clue what the “folks” are thinking. They are trying to be everything to everybody. It is time to grow a spine. They believe what they say to the cameras matters to the rank and file. It doesn’t. They get their news from Comedy Central.
Everyone thinks the next big deal is 2016. It is 2014. Obama and his demonizing squad will stoop to anything to get the House back. Republicans should not fall for this smarmy talk about compromise. They will be blamed no matter what. It is time to take a stand, play defense, circle the wagons. This group may be our last hope and they have the checkbook veto for at least two more years. Reid will say the people have spoken. Not so fast. The people who sent their representatives to Congress said No More Taxes. Period. If Obama holds out for taxes on the wealthy then I say let all of the Bush tax cuts and the payroll tax cuts expire. Call his bluff although he may not care to raise taxes. Go ahead with the debt ceiling, since it is mostly symbolic. And let the Dems drive us off the fiscal cliff.
I wonder whether “true conservatism” still exist in America. America is changing and shifting to the left. You can see that Colorado and Washington legalized the use of marijuana , Main and Mariland allowed same-sex marriage, an openly gay was elected to the US senate, and an army officer women became recently the first openly gay general. This election results showed that minorities, Hispanics in particular, gave the tone. This is a new reality which the Founding Fathers did not envision. A leader has to be pragmatic and see these changes and not hide the head in the send.
I do think that Romney is a decent moderate man, but he was zigzagging and inconsistent in attempt to appeal to the extreme right wing of the party, and that made it like we don’t understand what he really wants. He, who devised the Romneycare in Mass, will repeal Obamacare after the election. Before his presidential campaign he agreed to abortion under certain circumstances, but became totally against it under ANY circumstance during the campaign. This is radical. Who is your role model? Catholic Ireland??
In addition, and I do not blame Romney for that, but the disrespectful attitude towards women expressed by party members hindered his chances to win, and I refer to comments such as:
” legitimate rate”, “if life begins with rape then that is God’s will”, and “rape is another way to conceive”. Rape is nothing but hideous violence and if God is good he did not mean that and I’m sure that Romney, as a religious and devoted man to God, agrees with me. Rape is NEVER legitimate. I heard young voters who said they did not vote for Romney because they think he hates women.
As the election results showed, the majority of Hispanic did not vote for Romney due to the radical approach towards immigration. 11 million illegal immigrants live in America. You have to tackle it. I read today at the WSJ that Mark Shurtleff, the Republican attorney general in Utah, said that for Republican to succeed nationally and to be “relevant”, they must “ stop the pandering to the extreme right” on immigration.
I think republican lost the election because of extreme right approaches and not due to a moderate leadership.
This is a tough one. I fear the well is poisoned. Obama says vote for revenge. Romney says vote for love of country. Revenge wins. The left has been extremely effective in dividing up the country into greivance groups whose only solution is the elixir of big government. Add to that the increasingly narrow-mindedness and selfishness of people. Case in point: I have a well-to-do relative who is retired. She could afford anything. When asked about why she is voting for Obama, she rubs her fingers together (the money sign). No care whatsoever for the country or her grandchildren. Another relative agonized over the “women’s rights” issues. She eventually voted Romney but she was on the fence all the while the country is in the toilet and entire generations are laid to waste. Madness.