The
Republicans did quite well during the mid-term elections last month. Large scale gains in the House, a Senate majority
and a growing state governorship majority were just some of the gains struck by
the GOP. The Democrats’ fabricated “war
on women” proved to be just that as two states elected their first female
governor – both Republicans. The party
that does not care about black people elected three in various congressional
elections (still others in state elections). In short, for all the
demagoguery and predictions of demise for the Republicans pontificated by
Democrats and their like-minded talking heads in the media, conservative
Americans proved as resilient and diverse as their party. So, what should be the Republican strategy in
2015?
First,
the Republican Party should busy itself on focusing on those issues where there
is bi-partisan support. Contrary to most
people’s perceptions, there are issues upon which Democrats and Republicans can
create a consensus. First, despite the
lame-duck Congress’ failed attempt the other week, the new Congress should
focus on the passage of the pipeline that would connect Canada and the Gulf
Coast. The creation of jobs and growing
energy sources would be a consistent source of employment and low energy
costs.
Additionally,
both Republican and Democrat officials face the same pressure on the
immigration issue. Despite the
president’s recent unilateral attempt at solving the problem, the Congress is
in a strong position to one, enforce current immigration laws or force the
president to do the same and two, take steps to greatly bolster the defense of
the border. The president thinks he can
fix a home flood without first cutting off the water. Congress can do much to fix that. This is not a punitive measure against
immigration and great pains must be made to ensure the move is not
characterized as such. We are a nation
of immigrants and any attempts to discourage it would be, at the least, un-American. However, the Congress could make significant
steps to make our policies better, more streamlined and more humane.
Second,
the Republicans need to make the argument that a dismissal of the U.S. Congress
by the president is a dismissal of the American people. Congressmen and women were designed to be the
most responsive and accountable to the American people. The president can say that he has no qualms
about going over the heads of the Congress but in doing so, he is also going
over the head of the American people.
The president’s attempt to act unilateral with executive orders is a
tricky business. In the past, some
executive orders were a matter of procedure and protocol. President Obama is making it a point of
avoiding the legislative process, to avoid the judgment of the American
people. The Congress has power and
authority and must fight to maintain it.
Third,
the Republicans need to switch the conversation away from the president and
towards a plan after 2016. Beyond the
aforementioned steps, the Republicans need to address a political reality that
does not include Barack Obama. In
political terms, the president is a lame duck leader – one with no more
elections to contest. If he thought he
was ignored by Democrats during the mid-terms last month, it will be worse in
2016. Therefore, the Republicans have to
address what lies ahead and in the interim, show that they can lead, they have
ideas – and not ones that divide people as Hispanic or women or blacks but ones
that unites us as Americans. Such
fragmentation is how the Democrats operate but conservatives and Republicans do
not have to follow suit.
In
the past, national conservative ideas have seen us through economic turmoil
(Ronald Reagan) and terrorism (George W. Bush).
On the state level, conservative governors have ushered in prosperous
state economies that stands in stark contrast to the one directed by the
president on a national level.
Conservative economic, foreign and social policies have appeals across
the gender and racial divide. Indeed,
the core of conservatism is the champion of the individual – no matter who you
are. That would not be a bad message for
a potential candidate in 2016.
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