Balancing realism with ideology is a tough task for anyone that follows politics religiously. How one wants policy to be shaped is often at odds with what is realistically possible, thus one’s realistic political position is often different from their diehard philosophical views.
As conservative as I am ideologically, I realistically know that there are many people that will not agree with 100% of what I believe. The important thing to me is that the portion that people agree with is what is most important, namely fiscal responsibility (capitalism, balanced budgets, tax/spend policy, etc), individual freedoms, national defense and border security. The GOP would be smart to have the same strategy as the future goes forward. In 2012, we need a candidate that not only is a conservative and a leader but one that is electable and can beat Barack Obama. Without defeating Obama, it is impossible for the party to repeal Obamacare and look towards getting our country out of debt.
Below I have outlined a couple things I feel the GOP should focus on as it moves towards the future and looks to regain its stronghold with the American electorate.
I) Focus on issues that are important.
This is not to say that issues such as abortion, gay marriage, etc. are not important topics, but more so to say that there are other things more important for the future of this nation. Let me put it this way, on a typical day how much does it affect you if Bob and Jim get married? Not much. However, on a typical day, how much does a crumbled economy and high taxes affect you? Quite a bit.
This is not to say that issues such as abortion, gay marriage, etc. are not important topics, but more so to say that there are other things more important for the future of this nation. Let me put it this way, on a typical day how much does it affect you if Bob and Jim get married? Not much. However, on a typical day, how much does a crumbled economy and high taxes affect you? Quite a bit.
Social issues are important for instilling traditional values in the generations to come. However, when push comes to shove, the church and the family will always be there to push for these values and ensure the moral stability of future generations. As of now its important to put these things aside and focus on what is urgent and important.
So what is important?
1. Fiscal Responsibility
This should be priority number one for any candidate seeking office. In their campaign, a good candidate must stress ending our country’s deficit and putting into place a balanced budget.
As part of this, they should also stress reforming social welfare programs. These programs cost hundreds of billions of dollars each year and are detrimental to both the economy and the general work ethic of our country. Welfare should not be awarded based on how many children you can squeeze out, it should be used to get people back on their feet and working.
Privatization should be stressed in regards to Medicare, Medicaid, and social security, these programs are important to the elderly and it is important that we fulfill the promises that were made to them in their working years. By privatizing these programs, we will be able to use the market to generate the most revenue possible instead of relying on the falling standards of public finance.
In fact, the government should privatize everything that it can. Public jobs lead to unionization and less competition. Without this competition, it is impossible for people to thrive. Why work harder if you are receiving the same benefits either way? In fact, why work hard at all if you are not at risk of being fired? Private companies give their employees a sense of risk and reward, the people that put in the most effort will reap the most and the people that put in the least amount of effort will reap the least. If equality can be found anywhere it is found in the free market.
On this note, it is imperative that Obamacare is repealed. Socializing healthcare is expensive and would be detrimental to this country. Additionally it would inevitably create an even greater reliance on the government for those that are not self-sufficient. Healthcare like everything else in this world is not a right but a privilege, if someone is able to purchase healthcare they should be able to do so without having their taxpayer dollars pay for others to compete with them to receive the same treatment. It also should not be mandated for anyone to purchase a service, including healthcare, against his or her free will, it is unconstitutional (commerce clause) and is morally apprehensible.
2. Individual Freedoms & State’s Rights
A big part of being an American is one’s ability to pursue happiness without government interference. In fact, the Bill of Rights were put into our constitution to ensure that the government could not do away with a set of what they believe to be our most fundamental rights. Unfortunately, through the increased size of the Federal Government and Judicial Activism many of these rights have been limited and other rights that were not enumerated eliminated all together. This must stop.
The perfect 2012 candidate would make this a major platform as well. He or she would emphasize local control and restoring the government to the people. It is much easier for a state to look after the interests of its own constituency than for a bunch of strangers in Washington to do so. People are not stupid and they should be allowed a lot more control over their interests than the Feds would like.
3. National Defense and Border Security
A strong army and secure borders are important to protecting our nation. Dangers ranging from extremist terrorism to old-fashioned country-on-country warfare are always looming in the distance, so to be the best we must also remain the most powerful. At the same time, it is not fiscally responsible to throw our hat into every conflict that arises on the planet. We need to pick and choose our battles more wisely and focus on realistic threats to national security.
With cartel violence increasing everyday along the US- Mexico Border, it is important that we secure our borders to prevent guns and drugs from being smuggled back and forth. If we can cut this off, we can cut them off, which would save thousands of Mexican and American lives each year.
Protecting our borders not only saves lives but also it saves money. Illegal immigrants use billions of taxpayer dollars each year on social welfare, education and medical costs alone. One should not be able to reap the benefits of being a US Citizen unless they are in fact a US Citizen and pay into the system. This goes back to restoring fiscal responsibility, we cannot continue to fund those that are not our own if we can’t pay our own bills as a nation.
II) Push the Party Towards the Future
If the GOP intends to accomplish its most sincere goals, it is important that as a party they are electable. As Republicans, we cannot continue to market ourselves in the same way we have in the past, we must capture the next generation of voters before they begin to identify with the Democratic Party. Below I have outlined 3 key things that could help make this happen.
1. Revamp Our Image to Capture the Future Voter
The media makes the Democratic Party look like the party of the people, a party that emphasizes with your situation and is looking out for “the average American”. While this is obviously far from the truth, people believe it. To capture the next generation of voters, the Republican Party should do better at playing at its strengths and marketing itself to the general electorate.
We need to make it sexy to be a Republican. Being the “party of capitalism” this should be no problem. What is “sexier” than capitalism?!? It is social Darwinism; one can come from literally nothing and die with all the riches in the world with nothing but hard work and raw talent.
We need to remind people that it is through the free market and hard work that dreams can be fulfilled, not through handouts and government regulations. It is such a simple sell, yet I have rarely seen the Republican Party push this. Simple rags to riches stories are so inspirational that it makes it almost impossible to resist capitalism; we need to share these stories with the youth so they desire to do something similar and make their own way in life.
2. Capture the Hispanic Vote
If the Republicans are to succeed in the future, it is important that they win back the Hispanic vote from the Democrats. This is definitely possible, because as Ronald Reagan said, “Latinos are Republicans, they just don’t know it yet”.
While many doubt this can be achieved because Hispanics have historically been a voting block for the Democrats, I think it can be. Hispanics agree with Republicans almost completely on social issues, in fact if you were to ask them issue-by-issue I am almost sure they would agree with Republicans 9/10 times. Often they even agree with Republicans on issues involving national defense and personal freedoms.
Where Hispanics tend to have problems with the Republican Party is when it comes to social welfare issues and issues regarding immigration. The social welfare obstacle, while a difficult hurdle, is best overcome through the capitalism strategy I mentioned above. Hispanics are some of the most hardworking men and women in America and if we can get them to see the power of capitalism and the free market, social welfare would largely lose its appeal.
The immigration obstacle is one that needs to be handled more delicately. The Republican Party needs to be very stern towards illegals while emphasizing their support for the Hispanic community at large. In essence, avoid passing legislation that sounds like it directly targets Hispanics while still passing legislation that strengthens our borders and removes obstacles from deporting those here illegally. Tackle these two issues and the Hispanic vote will overwhelmingly vote GOP.
3. Effectively Use New Technology and Media Tools
The radio is a fine tool for mobilizing voters that we already have, however, to capture new voters we must utilize emerging technology and media tools. Social Media, Blogging, Youtube, etc. are all great tools that the GOP has greatly underutilized. If you don’t believe me just look at the 2008 Presidential race, Obama utilized all of these things and it greatly contributed to his ability to mobilize (and whoop McCain).
Obama currently has over 22 million fans on Facebook, where as “front runner”, Mitt Romney, has barely over a million. Advertising online through these sites is cheap and effective. Candidates need to be active on all the major sites and keep their supporters up to date with Youtube updates. This will make mobilization a lot easier and allows for new comers to see what that voting Republican is all about.
The road towards a large victory in 2012 is a difficult one but is one that is definitely obtainable. To do this, the GOP needs to revamp itself and face the future or it will get left behind. Because Obama has made a lot of mistakes in his first term, a good campaign that focuses on what is important could definitely lead to a change in administration in 2012. Voters can hope for change all they want, but only through free market ideals will it be a change that can truly improve their lives. More government is not the solution, it is the problem.
