If Republicans really want to resurrect their party, there are several fundamentals to remember:
1. Idealism is not a dirty word. It was idealists who formed this country and wrote the Constitution. It must be balanced with realism, but neither derided nor ignored.
2. Fiscal conservatism and social liberalism (call it “activism” if you can’t swallow the word “liberal”) CAN co-exist. Ensure that your electorate enjoys AT LEAST the same health coverage that you do as their public servants.
3. Eschew the religious right wingnuts currently controlling your party…let them break off and form their own party if they like. It won’t hurt you, in fact, it will likely help. Our founding fathers knew what they were doing when they clearly separated church and state.
4. Swear to forgo negative advertising. Show me a person who has never said or done something foolish, made a bad decision, or otherwise has SOME skeleton in his/her closet, and I’ll show you a phantom. It’s like trying to find a virgin in a whorehouse. Stick to telling the electorate WHY your policies are better for the individual and the nation.
5. Keep in mind that the electorate consists of young and old, black, brown, yellow, red, white, and pink with purple polka dots, rich, poor, and all levels in between. Seek the commonalities, and don’t use the differences to divide us.
6. Intelligence is NOT something to avoid. Give us candidates who THINK before they speak or act, and who can communicate those thoughts clearly. While you’re at it, make it less difficult to achieve a higher education for all Americans. An educated electorate is better equipped to make informed decisions, find jobs, reduce welfare rolls and pay their own way.
7. Recognize that today we live in a GLOBAL world, and not one that is necessarily USA-centric, however unpleasant you may find that thought. Develop alliances that benefit ALL the participants, not just ourselves. The return will be countries who WANT to partner with us to improve the global condition.
8. “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer”. Never refuse to talk to those who would do us harm; it costs little and we might just learn something.
The United States of America is still the grand experiment, and is only 232 years old. Continue to work to prove that the experiment WORKS.
