What the Republican Party must do now

The election results were good for the Republican Party. Cleansing and catharsis foster deep thought about the future and provide the first steps toward renewal and health. Whether you are Republican, Democrat, or independent, you must accept that the permanent destruction and defeat of one party is not a sustainable model for national vitality. Even thinking Liberals find appeal in Conservative arguments about getting government off our backs. The future health of the Republican Party is a necessary condition for the future health of our country.

In The Wall Street Journal today, “Conservatism Isn’t Finished”, Thomas Frank, a Liberal, wrote,

“The conservative movement, after all, came to Washington under a banner of ‘reform’ but promptly turned Congress over to lobbyists and opened countless regulatory agencies to the industries they regulated. The movement clamored for fiscal responsibility and proceeded to outsource, at vast expense, every government operation it could. It boasted of its business savvy but just couldn’t see the housing bubble bursting. It looked to the Northern Mariana Islands as a beacon of human freedom. It insisted that Tom DeLay was a man of integrity.”

This, obviously, cannot stand.

I believe the Republican Party must turn again to its Conservative roots. Not neo-Conservatism, not compassionate Conservatism, not this or that Conservatism, but pure Conservatism in the tradition of Barry Goldwater and William F. Buckley, Jr. Conservatism founded on firm principles is inherently compassionate because, above all, individual rights and freedoms are standards by which all policy is judged.

Conservatism, with an intellectual structure, is founded on:
- Individual rights over state’s rights, and state’s rights over Federal rights;
- Free enterprise;
- Respect for the Constitution as the ultimate guidepost for the protection of individual rights.

Each of these has policy implications:

1. Smaller government. Our national debt is now larger than the GDP of all but 12 countries. We cannot saddle our children and grandchildren with such burdens.
2. Re-engineering the tax code to encourage enterprise and business creation by catalyzing capital formation. The ultimate tax proposal in this regard was designed by Milton Freidman in 1960: the flat tax.
3. Resisting the attempt to modify the Constitution de facto by aggressive legislation.
4. Continued pursuit of free trade, as long it is fair trade.
5. A monetary system that measures and lubricates real production; i.e., reining in that “fourth branch” of government, the Federal Reserve.
6. Minimalist government intervention in the economy: a reversal of the trend we have witnessed in the last month.
7. A strong national defense to protect our liberties, but an end to the interventionism of the Bush doctrine.
8. A continued respect for all life, but a divorce from right wing evangelicals with narrow social agendas whose desired intrusiveness in private lives is counter-Conservative.
9. Zero tolerance for abuse of power from any man, Republican or Democrat; and the highest ethical standards.

Other policy implications issue from the core principles. Conservative literature that was so prolific in the mid 1900’s provide rigorous theoretical underpinnings for these principles. Together they could serve as the new platform for the Republican Party, or the platform for the new Republican Party.

Congratulations to President-elect Obama for elevating our country to judge a man “by the content of his character, not the color of his skin” as Martin Luther King dreamed.

And for others who are dismayed by the election result: do not go gently into that good night. Conservatism must come back.

Let’s be clear and objective: the Republicans wounded America. America answered back. Now how will the Party respond? The answer depends on whether we believe — deeply believe, in Conservative principles.

I do.

Because if we do, we know a) Liberalism will not work, b) the American thirst for freedom will not remain unquenched; therefore, c) Conservatism will be resurgent.

Clarity can be a wonderful thing.

Comments

[scott r.]

Love your stuff.

[Angela Davis]

Hi Michael! Interesting analysis. Coincidentally, I recently posted on my own blog a similar outline of what liberals must now do. I agree with your assertion that Republicans must reorganize if they are to be considered a credible national party. However, I respectfully disagree that a return to conservative core values is the best answer to the crises presented by today's issues. As with the case of most Republican/conservative platforms, your essay focused on fiscal & national security issues but failed to include health care, education, and the environment among top priorities. Most striking to me though, was the absence of any mention of the impact these policies pose to the middle class. Historically, conservatives have failed to provide realistic solutions that appropriately address the concerns of middle and lower class Americans, relying instead on trickle down philosophies that in all honesty have not worked. In this election we saw the idea of wealth distribution mocked and brutally misinterpreted by Republicans, but over the last 8 years, we saw 90% of gains go to the top 10% of Americans and 40% to the top 1%. This is a travesty that demands proper attention by both parties. And in regards to national debt, which you mentioned “is now larger than the GDP of all but 12 countries,” what should be noted here is the statistically proven fact that national debt as a percentage of GDP has increased significantly more under Republican presidents than Democrats, going as far back as the 1940s. Average income for working-age households increased across the line by $7,500 under Clinton’s presidency yet decreased by $2,000 under Bush. Thus it is odd that you claim "permanent destruction and defeat of one party is not a sustainable model for national vitality" yet you unapologetically assert, "Liberalism will not work." On the contrary, Liberalism shares common ground with Conservatism in its basic philosophy to protect the rights and freedoms of the individual, however, I do believe that the Democratic Party, and more specifically liberalism, has more to offer in terms of sustaining a healthy and prosperous society for all, not just the top 1%.

As always, I appreciate a healthy debate :)

www.liberal-revolution.blogspot.com

[Michael Avari]

Angela,

Thank you for your comment.The points you bring up are certainly valid, although I may disagree with your numbers. A society's nobility is measured by how it treats the weakest, but government cannot be a surrogate for ethical personal conduct. In Freidman's flat tax proposal, there is a provision for the negative tax: a single payment to families below a defined poverty limit to help them with the necessities of life -- food, clothing, housing, healthcare, and education.

Liberals and Conservatives can agree on objectives. We must co-develop soultions through our disagreement on means.

Thank you again for your comment.

- Michael

[Benjamin K. Charles]

I agree wth your article. Well done.

[Benjamin K. Charles]

Oh, except that I disagree about liberalism not working, but liberalism needs to be counter-balanced with conservatism to avoid runaway spending.

We need both liberals and conservatives in our government, with a president ruling from the center.

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