If their goal is to simply resucitate their party and stage themselves to be in the mix in 2012, then the Republicans should simply obstruct the new administration at every turn and run on a platform decrying the "ineffectual do-nothing Democrats." This will allow them to sweep into power behind whatever jibbering figurehead they choose and make sure that they are sitting in the nicest deck chairs on the Titanic.

If they are actual patriots who want to return our nation to Greatness, they need to take a considerably different approach.

Specifically, they need to support Democratic initiatives while requiring that those programs strive for eventual self-inflicted obsolescence.

You see, anyone who truly loves this country wants the same things: a safe, well-educated and affluent population buying high quality domestically produced consumer goods from ethical companies which treat their employees well. We should want a thriving middle class an attractive but obtainable upper class for people to aspire to and a clear path for those with initiative to escape from an ever dwindling lower class.

Both Republicans and Democrats should want this, and both should agree that there are countless obstacles between our current status and that ideal.

Where the left and the right tend to differ is a matter of how. Classic Left-Wingers want the government to help every single person at every step along the way. Classic Right-Wingers believe that it only takes some boot-strapping pulling and a healthy corporate sector to bring this all to pass.

The trick is to use government programs to, not only create such a country, but to create a population capable of sustaining it without constant government assistance. In short, programs must strive for obsolescence. We need to invest significantly in education so that our population will be educated, wealthy and informed enough to make good and productive decisions in a future privatized education market. We need a welfare program that forces work, that creates not only jobs, but qualified applicants. We need a domestic economic policy that generously rewards responsible corporate behavior once it has happened rather than in anticipation of it.

If the Republicans want their ideals realized, then we need to improve our labor pool and brain trust across the board. We have seen over the last 8 years that we can not trust corporate America to act even in its own best interests, let alone the interests of the American people. Let the Government take a firm hand in guiding the ship for a generation or so, but build in a sunset period. Stipulate the fact that "Big Government" can not be a self-perpetuating entity. Think of it as nation building. Our government needs to take care of these things until the people are truly equipped to do it on their own.

The Republicans should use Democratic initiatives to create a world in which Republican ideals can thrive.

If their goal is to simply resucitate their party and stage themselves to be in the mix in 2012, then the Republicans should simply obstruct the new administration at every turn and run on a platform decrying the "ineffectual do-nothing Democrats."

They've been doing that since the 2006 election and it didn't help them much this year.

Greatbear452:

If their goal is to simply resucitate their party and stage themselves to be in the mix in 2012, then the Republicans should simply obstruct the new administration at every turn and run on a platform decrying the "ineffectual do-nothing Democrats."

They've been doing that since the 2006 election and it didn't help them much this year.

True, but they really couldn't run from the reality of 8 years of Republican rule in Washington. Come 2012, if the Obama administration has not performed to within spitting distance of expectation, it could prove problematic.

We are in for some interesting times.

"...If their goal is to simply resucitate their party and stage themselves to be in the mix in 2012, then the Republicans should simply obstruct the new administration at every turn and run on a platform decrying the "ineffectual do-nothing Democrats."...

WTF??!!!

Democrats will now have big majorities in the House AND Senate AND executive branch AND will soon be packing the Supreme Court.

And you and Obama are already making excuses why the Democrats are gonna fail?

So you are already settling on "Republican obstructionists"?

I guess you are gonna alternate that one with cries of "Bush legacy! Bush legacy!".

This is beyond pathetic.

Just because Democrats lack the stones to fillibuster legislation doesn't mean the Republicans do. I'd like to think that the Democrats will work with Congress to get vitally important things done for this country. I just wonder if the Republicans will be receptive.

I'm not making excuses. Obama should be able to make things happen. But if Republicans' only goal was to stop the Dems from getting anything done, they have enough representation in Congress to do it.

EMStoveken:

True, but they really couldn't run from the reality of 8 years of Republican rule in Washington. Come 2012, if the Obama administration has not performed to within spitting distance of expectation, it could prove problematic.

We are in for some interesting times.

True. The democrats won't have many excuses for not getting things done. But realistically, all they have to do is not suck half as badly as Bush as and they'll still hold onto power.

Did you actually read the whole post or stop after that line? The point raised is whether the party is in it for the party's sake, in which case dragging their feet would be a good policy to get them back into power. Or, and as an American this is the one I hope they're intersted in, are they in it to effectively get the country to a better place despite who leads them there. Hypothetically, lets say America could be eight years away from a utopia. Is it more important to have a Republican President even if that means that the utopia is forstalled for another eight years, or is it more important to work so that the utopia could be achieved quicker and/or easier?

That is what the party has to ask itself is it about us or U.S.?

Looks at the polls people. If the Republicans simply return to a stalling campaign it spells real problems. Obama didn't just swing moderate voters, he's also ade significant gains in potential new democratic bases.

Obama overwelmingly won the youth vote, if Democrats can hold onto those voters as they mature it spells a generational problem for the Republicans. Reagan has similar success with the youth vote, and many of those voters have stayed Republican, a similar trend for Obama is a serious concern. Obama's ability to reach out to the youth should not be underestimated.

Obama also won the Latino voters by a 2 to 1 margin. This has put formerly red states into the Democratic column and spells real problems for the future of the Republican movement. It will take real changes to win these voters back, and many current Republican leaders appeal to Latinos even less than McCain.

Neither of these trends gets reversed by the Republicans doing nothing. Obama learned from the mistakes of the Clinton's, don't sit back and wait for him to make the same mistakes. The Republicans need to alter their message to attract NEW voters, and that's going to take more than obstructing Democrats.

"build in a sunset period. Stipulate the fact that "Big Government" can not be a self-perpetuating entity. Think of it as nation building. Our government needs to take care of these things until the people are truly equipped to do it on their own."

Sort of like, you know, scheduling a date to take down all the speed limit signs on the highway after they are no longer needed because we've all become perfect drivers who would never need that sor to government control.

And they call Liberals the fuzzy-headed idealists....

This is an old thread, but I just saw this response and had to take the bait.

First off, I am very left-leaning. At the same time, I do not like the idea of hand-holding nanny state meddling in the minutae of our day-to-day live in perpetuity. I believe that human beings have remarkable potential which is stunted by the current faux-capitalist corporatocracy we live in.

I will use your metaphor to clarify my position:

I look forward to the day when we can take down the speed limit signs because common sense reins supreme on our roadways and our law enforcement is smart enough to bust only truly wreckless drivers.

Speed limits are semi-arbitrary nonsense. The most dangerous person on the road at any point in time is the person deviating more than 10 mph from the flow of traffic. If everyone on the road is driving 70 in a 55, the one person doing 55 is more dangerous than the one doing 75. Under the speed limit system, the person doing 75 is more likely to get a ticket than the person who is more likely to cause an accident.

So, yeah. I look forward to a culture where we are not perfect, but rational enough to work together.