Comments on: Victories scored Tuesday present possibilities for the future of the Republican Party http://www.nextgengop.com/2009/11/06/victories-scored-tuesday-present-possibilities-for-the-future-of-the-republican-party/ Political Commentary and Analysis from the GOP's Future Leaders and Visionaries Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:04:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: James Kane http://www.nextgengop.com/2009/11/06/victories-scored-tuesday-present-possibilities-for-the-future-of-the-republican-party/comment-page-1/#comment-13880 James Kane Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:05:33 +0000 http://www.nextgengop.com/?p=2163#comment-13880 Perhaps I was not clear. There is a place for conservatives in the GOP. That is part of a big tent movement. It's hard to have a "big tent" if one's leaders are all of the same persuasion and footing ideologically. Nonetheles, what should bother you is not the selection of McCain and Dole as the GOP nominees in 2008 and 1996 respectively, but rather the eery similarities one or both shared with George W. Bush whom it may be safe to assume you voted for twice. In every political campaign, style is as important as, if not more so than, substance. It is for this reason that George W. Bush succeeded where John McCain failed. Indeed, if one looks back to the issues McCain emphasized in 2000, one sees much of the George W. Bush agenda. What hurt McCain in 2008 more than his centrism was, yes, his public perception as a media darling, but also the unfortunately valid moniker given to him by liberals, John McSame. In no way of substance was McCain ideologically different from George W. Bush. Where McCain went wrong was in assuming that the media would stand by him, which was something even he should have figured could not be counted on after the controversies of the second Bush term. Thus, with Sarah Palin can be seen a similar phenomenon. She certainly is a politician with a certain style, but it is a style necessitating stronger policy credentials than have been demonstrated by the former governor thus far. It's hard to be a populist of the right when one is A. without a platform, and B. also trying (and failing) to claim victimhood as a defense from "meanspirited" critics at every turn. Perhaps I was not clear. There is a place for conservatives in the GOP. That is part of a big tent movement. It’s hard to have a “big tent” if one’s leaders are all of the same persuasion and footing ideologically. Nonetheles, what should bother you is not the selection of McCain and Dole as the GOP nominees in 2008 and 1996 respectively, but rather the eery similarities one or both shared with George W. Bush whom it may be safe to assume you voted for twice.

In every political campaign, style is as important as, if not more so than, substance. It is for this reason that George W. Bush succeeded where John McCain failed. Indeed, if one looks back to the issues McCain emphasized in 2000, one sees much of the George W. Bush agenda. What hurt McCain in 2008 more than his centrism was, yes, his public perception as a media darling, but also the unfortunately valid moniker given to him by liberals, John McSame. In no way of substance was McCain ideologically different from George W. Bush. Where McCain went wrong was in assuming that the media would stand by him, which was something even he should have figured could not be counted on after the controversies of the second Bush term.

Thus, with Sarah Palin can be seen a similar phenomenon. She certainly is a politician with a certain style, but it is a style necessitating stronger policy credentials than have been demonstrated by the former governor thus far. It’s hard to be a populist of the right when one is A. without a platform, and B. also trying (and failing) to claim victimhood as a defense from “meanspirited” critics at every turn.

]]> By: Clay Barham http://www.nextgengop.com/2009/11/06/victories-scored-tuesday-present-possibilities-for-the-future-of-the-republican-party/comment-page-1/#comment-13856 Clay Barham Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:29:54 +0000 http://www.nextgengop.com/?p=2163#comment-13856 Gee whiz and golly! Shouldn't we appealing to John McCain and Bob Dole to be our party leaders? After all, they are moderate, centrists, middle-road pragmatic appeasers who will compromise with Obama and make the media happier with Republicans. We must avoid one of those 19th century Democrats who followed Jefferson as that could anger the 20th century Democrats who follow Rousseau and Marx (see THE CHANGING FACE OF DEMOCRATS on Amazon and claysamerica.com). And, we must be careful not to allow the likes of Sarah Palin to stir up the individual freedom, free market, American prosperity and exceptionalism crowd, and piss off the media so they won't speak well about us. Gee whiz and golly! Shouldn’t we appealing to John McCain and Bob Dole to be our party leaders? After all, they are moderate, centrists, middle-road pragmatic appeasers who will compromise with Obama and make the media happier with Republicans. We must avoid one of those 19th century Democrats who followed Jefferson as that could anger the 20th century Democrats who follow Rousseau and Marx (see THE CHANGING FACE OF DEMOCRATS on Amazon and claysamerica.com). And, we must be careful not to allow the likes of Sarah Palin to stir up the individual freedom, free market, American prosperity and exceptionalism crowd, and piss off the media so they won’t speak well about us.

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