Senate GOP leader says party must change

Town Hall ^ | 2009-01-29 | Liz Sidoti

[rabscuttle385]

The top Republican in the Senate is warning that the GOP risks remaining in the minority unless it does a better job of explaining its core principles to woo one-time faithful and new loyalists.

"Every so often, there comes a time when a political party has to re-examine itself. For Republicans, now is such a time," Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., says in remarks prepared for delivery later Thursday. "For some, the work might seem daunting. It shouldn't - because there are signs that a revival is already taking place."

In excerpts obtained by the Associated Press, McConnell doesn't elaborate on that point, though he lays out a stark assessment of where the Republican Party went wrong and how it can right itself to be competitive with Democrats in next fall's midterm elections and beyond.

Republicans have gathered in Washington to choose the next national chairman, with five candidates trying to unseat former President George W. Bush's hand-picked Republican National Committee chairman, Mike Duncan of Kentucky.

Implicit in McConnell's message was the concern that the Republican Party under Bush strayed from its beliefs and, thus, lacked diversity in its ranks, resulting in crushing defeats in two straight elections that saw Democrats sweep Congress and the White House.

McConnell called for the GOP to embrace its conservative tenants - and resist diluting its message - to bring people back and attract new rank-and-file, saying: "Our principles are universal. They apply to everyone."

Still, he added: "It's clear our message isn't getting out to nearly as many people as it should ... Too often we've let others define us. And the image they've painted isn't very pretty."

He acknowledged GOP fears that "the very wealthy and the very poor, the most and least educated, and a majority of minority voters, seem to have more or less stopped paying attention to us." And, he warned: "In politics, there's a name for a regional party: it's called a minority party."

"As Republicans, we know that common sense conservative principles aren't regional. But I think we have to admit that our sales job has been," McConnell added.

Just eight years after Republicans controlled the White House and Congress, the GOP finds itself out of power and trying to figure out how to rebound while its foe seems to grow ever stronger. The Democratic Party is empowered by a broadened coalition of voters - including Hispanics and young voters - who swung behind President Barack Obama's call for change.

Meanwhile, Bush left the White House with bottom-barrel job approval ratings, Republicans saw their ranks in Congress grow even smaller and the party finds itself without a standard-bearer. Perhaps even more damaging to the GOP, the slice of the country that calls itself Republican has shrunk over the past few years as Obama and his Democrats attracted voters of all political stripes.

Among those challenging Duncan for party chairman are: former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, South Carolina GOP chairman Katon Dawson, Michigan GOP chairman Saul Anuzis and former Tennessee GOP chairman Chip Saltsman. They have spent the past few months arguing that Duncan simply represents a continuation of Bush.

The 168-member RNC will vote Friday, and Republicans say it's all but certain no one will get a majority on the first ballot. Republicans say Duncan leads in endorsements for a second two-year term, with Dawson and Anuzis - two sitting state party chairmen - in strong position, while Steele and Blackwell trail. Republicans say Saltsman is by far the longest shot.

Still, with at least two rounds of balloting expected, it's possible anyone could end up with a majority.

[rabscuttle385]

Mitch, get rid of the RINOs, and you'll do just fine.

[rightwingextremist1776]

Exactly...they have a lot of EARNING to do before they get my trust again.....

[Darkwolf377]

McConnell actually seems to get it—he’s talking about attracting voters to our message as opposed to altering our beliefs in order to go after voters who would never buy a version of Dems Lite.

[ExTexasRedhead]

The leadership of the GOP would do well to find their gonads ASAP.

[FreeReign]

"As Republicans, we know that common sense conservative principles aren't regional. But I think we have to admit that our sales job has been,"

Yes conservatism is another name for "common sense". That's how you sell it. You don't sell if by bragging that it's "right-wing".

[Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit]

Seems to me that the best thing to do is to keep calling the 56% of Americans that voted for Obama stupid. /sarcasm

The implicit message in this article is that southern-brand conservatism which is strong on preaching and weak on principle is not going to work any longer.

[Lurker]

Remind me please. How did McConnel vote on the TARP bill?

L

[Iscool]

They don’t have a clue...

[Arm_Bears]

Indeed—Beginning with a four-square stance against the porkulus bill by the Senate Pubs.

[demshateGod]

But is he talking about attracting voters to their current message, which is Dem Lite?

[FreeReign]

Mitch, get rid of the RINOs, and you'll do just fine.

Oh please Mr. Government Guy. The voters are too stupid to get rid of the RINOs. Can you do it for us.

Sheesh! You should address your comment to the voters.

[org.whodat]

He acknowledged GOP fears that "the very wealthy and the very poor, the most and least educated, and a majority of minority voters, seem to have more or less stopped paying attention to us." And, he warned: "In politics, there's a name for a regional party: it's called a minority party."

You cannot be owned and operated by K street and expect people to support you when you slip a knife in their backs day in and day out.

[penelopesire]

Instead of ‘blaming Bush’ for all of our woes..our republican Senators should start by a ‘study’ of what THEY did wrong..starting with McCain and the rinos they have allowed to lead the Senate!

McConnell is getting on my last nerve these days....sorry. I hope I am wrong, but I fear he is going to cave on Obama’s socialist stimulus...I can smell it coming.

[WOSG]

“Mitch, get rid of the RINOs, and you’ll do just fine. “

it’s not about what you take away, its about what you ADD and FIX to get to a majority.

The call is to return to core conservative values, which implicitly is about spurning the RINOs, but in addition about getting an attitude that leaves no voter behind. we have a universal message and we should carry it to every household and every voter we can.

[omega4179]

Exactly what we did in 92. Re dedicate reeducate regroup.

[FreeReign]

You cannot be owned and operated by K street and expect people to support you when you slip a knife in their backs day in and day out.

Let's see. Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Barack Obama... to name a few apparently have enough support of the people.

[org.whodat]

he’s talking about attracting voters to our message

What flavor of coolaide do you like??

The only message the republicans have had in the past few years is spend, spend, spend, and what K street wants k street gets.

[jjotto]

...GOP risks remaining in the minority unless it does a better job of explaining...

What a dumba**!

GOP needs to actually DO what it says it's gonna do, not keep promising and then failing to deliver!

[WOSG]

“southern-brand conservatism which is strong on preaching and weak on principle”

It’s not weak on ‘principle’, its weak on selling itself outside the confines of its cultural milieu.

The Bush brand never ‘argued’ or ‘sold’ conservatism. It just kind of assumed it, and you either followed or not.

There must be SOME conservatives in Washington state, Michigan, New York and New Jersey. Sell conservatism there on their terms.

[org.whodat]

When there is a article about those people I may comment, other than that why try to change the topic???

[indylindy]

I agree, they will let Juan do a few little tweeks here or there for their own cover and go vote for it.

These people need term limits and fewer years between elections.

[ExTexasRedhead]

Every Liberal dirty deed, deliberately foisted upon the American people by the Hussein Obama God and Liberals in the US Congress, that destroys our country even more, MUST be exposed to the American people; at least, the ones that want to continue living in freedom with security. The only thing Liberals fear is the truth and exposure of their intention to destroy our country in their quest for power and dominance over each of us.

[TADSLOS]

Mitch, walk down the hall, kick McCain in his liberal balls and Graham in his transsexual parts, then get back to me.

[KC_Conspirator]

Well, they should get a new chairman because Duncan sucks and has a terrible track record.

Otherwise, I think your rants are of a loser.

[Badeye]

‘Mitch, get rid of the RINOs, and you’ll do just fine’

Exactly.

Keeping Mike Duncan in this job is insane, given the results. Its one thing to give the seated President ‘his guy’...but Bush is no longer President, and ‘his guy’ oversaw losing the House and the Senate, not to mention the Presidency.

[Bahbah]

McConnell called for the GOP to embrace its conservative tenants....

I'm quite sure he was not referring to "tenants."

[Oldpuppymax]

Unfortunately, this advice is coming from a RINO! Mitchie joined that other famous steel-spined conservative—Johnny Boehner—in laying down and voting for the trillion dollar, pork laden Wall Street bailout, er Stimulus Package, last year. You remember...the one for which Juan McCain had to cancel his pathetic campaign, fly back to Washington and join the rest of the democratic party in endorsing as the only chance the nation had. Jim Bunning, our other KY senator and an actual conservative, voted against it! I emailed both senators after the vote, congradulating Bunning for his guts and...well, I’m surprised the Secret Service didn’t pay me a visit for a few of the choice phrases I happened to throw at Mitchie the Kid. So please, Mitch...just shut up.

[rhinohunter]

Exactly...they have a lot of EARNING to do before they get my trust again.....

Voting 100% against the stimulus was a good start, but I agree with you...they have a way to go.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

Actually, we’d be better off if this speech were made to Democrats. These people are evil.

[WOSG]

You cannot be owned and operated by K street and expect people to support you when you slip a knife in their backs day in and day out.

Let's see. Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Barack Obama... to name a few apparently have enough support of the people.

Correct. It's annoying when people say "The GOP is failing because it does X" and then you see the Democrats do X ten times over and stay in power despite it.

Fact is, the Democrats are corrupt, they lie to get elected, they break promises once in office, they waste money, they are K street whores who do pay-to-play on a regular basis.

It doesnt seem to slow them down. But since they are the party of pandering and not principle, it's to be expected.

[rightinthemiddle]

The GOP operates from a disadvantage in communications: The Liberal Media. Any message is distorted, ridiculed or rebuffed.

The party must shape a series of concise message of traditional virtues, personal responsibility and show the detrimental effects of liberal policies.

They’ll have to go around the Media. This will take advertising dollars at tje end and grassroots tactics at the other.

Targets should be small business owners/employees; church groups (especially young evangelicals), women’s groups; healthcare professionals; high school/college students; business organizations/chambers; veterans/military organizations and...union members. Just a 10% swing in these groups will provide election victories.

Don’t waste time on academia, government workers, non-profits, media, etc. The pickings are slim.

Try something along the lines of “Conservative is the New ‘Cool.’” “Liberalism is so in...it’s out.”

The Left doesn’t use facts or real information; it plays on people’s fears, weaknesses, guilt and vanity. They make stuff up as they go, playing to individuals. Their messages sound good on the surface.

It’s not easy, because the Conservative message is much more complicated.

I wish the Pubbies would ask everyday, common sense Conservatives what to do!

[Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit]

The Bush brand never ‘argued’ or ‘sold’ conservatism. It just kind of assumed it, and you either followed or not.

I completely disagree. Bush was the worst of all combinations: A tax-cut and spend opportunist. The only thing he did right was national defense and AIDS. Pretty much everything else was a disaster.

[Frantzie]

Hey Mitch - the 101st Airborne is in KY. You and Jim Bunning could have spoken up when the votes were counted with one congressman to do something about the usurper. You failed your Constitutional oath and the men in the 101st. Somebody has the goods on this Saudi mole. Fight like lions.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

So, I wonder how that “Appealing to the mushy-middle” thing has been working out for them?

[FreeReign]

You:You cannot be owned and operated by K street and expect people to support you when you slip a knife in their backs day in and day out.

Me:Let's see. Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Barack Obama... to name a few apparently have enough support of the people.

When there is a article about those people I may comment, other than that why try to change the topic???

You said that, "you can't expect people to support you when you slip a knife in their back". I then proceeded to give you examples...(Frank, Dodd, Obama) who do just that a seem to get enough support from the point.

I wasn't "changing the topic". I was demonstrating how your carollary(or what ever it was) is -- wrong.

[Darkwolf377]

What flavor of coolaide do you like??

Gee, haven't heard that cliche in ten minutes. Try spelling it right next time.

The only message the republicans have had in the past few years is spend, spend, spend, and what K street wants k street gets.

When did I say I approved of that behavior? I'm talking about actual conservative values. Actual conservatives on this site understand that. But you go on with your dreary self-righteous cliches if it makes you feel special--so much better than actual discussion.

[Darkwolf377]

But is he talking about attracting voters to their current message, which is Dem Lite?

I read the article and McConnell seems to get it. The Republicans by all expectations should have just rolled over for Obama, but so far they've opposed his treasury sec and the bailout. They seem to have found their inner conservative.

[PapaBear3625]

Being a moderate means you lose the power to inspire people with your message. Elections are won by inspiring your base to show up.

[rightwingextremist1776]

Now if only the Senate will follow the House leadership...wouldn't that be something...

[nathanbedford]

The Republican party today resembles nothing so much as the British government's behavior during the phony war. It dropped leaflets instead of bombs on the Germans for fear of offending the country against whom they had declared war. They declined until too late to mine neutral Norwegian waters to stop delivery of steel ore along the coast to Germany. They declined to offend the Germans by words and even sought to censor criticism of Hitler.

It was not until the nation heard a voice say: "You ask what our policy is? I will tell you: our policy is to wage war, on land and sea and in the air. You ask what are aim is? Victory, victory at any price victory at all costs, victory no matter how long it takes" (Churchill's remarks upon assuming the prime ministership to the House of Commons in paraphrase according to my faulty memory).

Churchill told the nation that the war was to save Christian civilization from a new dark age made more sinister and more protracted by the lights of perverted science. That's how high the stakes were. That's how serious was the very fate of the Western world.

Until the Republicans understand the fight they are in and what they are fighting for we will be mired in a phony war and, if we are confronted as many fear with a Manchurian Marxist, we as a nation, and that means our children, might well be gazing into a new darkness.

[Bluebird Singing]

Sarah Palin has no problem communicating conservative values. Too bad she had a major obastacle: RINO John McCain.

[bilhosty]

It defintely needs to change.it needs to find a message that will unite conservatives and moderates. It must be right for the time and something we can all believe in and stand for.

[Darkwolf377]

Being a moderate means you lose the power to inspire people with your message. Elections are won by inspiring your base to show up.

Exactly. McCain was talking about seeing what other voters want, and then changing our positions to go after them. What SHOULD be happening is the Republican party needs to start behaving like a conservative party, living by those conservative ideals, and showing why others should change THEIR positions and come to our party. It's the exact opposite of pandering; it's leading.

The party hasn't been doing much of that in ages, so I hope this and the votes in the last week signal a turnaround in attitude. I hope they understand this is going to take a long time, and may not even succeed in one election cycle. But it's either that or the party has no reason to exist if it's going to be Democrat Party 2 Plus Tax Cuts.

[justiceseeker93]

I can’t believe that the incumbent Mike Duncan is in the running for another term as RNC chair. It would seem that there is only one way for him to go at this point: out!

[UCFRoadWarrior]

Mitch is part of the problem...

Politically, he is a little too left, and Globalist. Not only that, McConnell has the aura of someone who bathes in embalming fluid...GOP needs someone more dynamic.

Whenever a RINO like McConnell says “we need change”...its code for “move more left”.

If the GOP truly wants to rebuild the party it needs to:

- Re-assert its conservative values...both fiscal and social...pursue right-to-life, lower taxes, less government....note that the GOP loses when it shies away from these.

- Dump the “Globalist” mentality....Globalism (Free Trade, economic integration, out-sourcing, open borders, unified currencies, etc...) are all Socialism-lite. If the GOP truly wants to bring in conservative Democrats and Independents...it needs to dump these liberal ideas...become the party of American Economics

- Re-affirm true conservative foreign policy....remain neutral in world affairs...and only act when the national security and national interests are threatened. When taking action...do not try to “reconstruct” defeated enemy (this is not “isolationism” as liberal Globalists would try to claim)

Unfortunately, with McConnell as top GOP in the Senate, these will not happen

[b4its2late]

NSS

[Melchior]

Mitch knows that it is McCain, Graham and their ilk, who blindsided Bush at every turn.  They divided the Republican party, vitiated its message, and then got a predictable loser in McCain as challenger for President.  What can you do with a Party that had a bawlbaby like Voinovich, airheads like Collins, Snow and Dole, and a flaming idiot like Stevens?  Sorry Mitch, the rank and file should forget the Senate; don’t waste money on loosers.  The House needs to reconsider the political actions taken in the early nineteen nineties that won the House. In two years the public will be calling for Obama’s scalp. The Republicans should be ready.  

[WOSG]

I read the article and McConnell seems to get it. The Republicans by all expectations should have just rolled over for Obama, but so far they've opposed his treasury sec and the bailout. They seem to have found their inner conservative.

I agree. The UNANIMOUS House GOP vote against the Pork-barrel Pelosi-Obama trillion dollar boondoggle was a strong stand showing the Republicans in office are listening and doing the right thing.

They are acting like conservatives again, and let's give them the encouragement to keep it up.

[Antoninus]

The implicit message in this article is that southern-brand conservatism which is strong on preaching and weak on principle is not going to work any longer.

Guess what? The Northeastern and California brand which was weak on preaching AND weak on priciple didn't work either. In fact, they're almost non-existent these days, having bequeathed to their states insurmountable Democrat advantages. Yeah, I'm talking to you, Tom Ridge, Mitt Romney, Pete Wilson, Christie Toad Whitman, George Pataki, etc.

We need leaders who are strong on preaching AND strong on principle.

[iopscusa]

good point about pre WWII Britain...we need the clarity of a Churchill...there has to be someone, a Sarah Palin with Reagan type of experience and intellect?
I always read your post and your pic of Nathan Bedford is helpful to catch your replys....thanks.