An Open Memorandum to House Republicans {From Newt Gingrich]

email, HumanEvents.com ^ | November 15, 2006 | Newt Gingrich

[RobFromGa]

An Open Memorandum to House Republicans

Date: November 15, 2006 To: House Republicans From: Newt Gingrich

RE: Reflections on being back in the minority and how to become a governing majority.

As we think about the 2006 election and where House Republicans go from here, I want to suggest a few principles and actions that might be helpful.

When I was first elected in 1978, House Republicans had been in the minority for 24 years. Despite our best efforts to win enough seats to gain the majority, it took us 16 more years. If we do not want to return to a possible 40 years in the minority, it is essential that we spend time now thinking about the lessons of 2006 and what has to be done. If we do this, we can accept 2006 as a corrective but necessary interruption in our pursuit of a governing majoritarian party.

In 1946 and 1952, the Democrats found themselves in the minority. On both occasions it only lasted two years. They found the methods to recover, even though in the second case they were operating under a very popular Republican President Eisenhower.

When the Republicans lost their brief majority status in 1954, they could not recover it two years later, despite the fact that Eisenhower was winning a massive re-election. Similarly, they could not regain the majority even in the landslides of 1972 and 1984.

There are some key questions and key principles to keep in mind as we work through the process of earning back the majority.

Republicans lost the 2006 election. Do not hide from this. Do not shrug it off. Our team lost. Why did we lose? What do we have to do differently?

Are House Republicans electing a leadership team to be an effective minority or a leadership team to regain the majority? These are very different roles and require very different considerations, very different strategies and very different leaders.

To regain majority status, we have to focus on the country first and on Washington and the Congress second. If we are responsive to the country, they will support us and return us to power. If we are focused on action in Washington (whether White House action, legislative action or lobbyist and PAC action), we are probably entering a long period in minority status.

Are House Republicans electing leaders to represent House Republican values and strategies to the White House or leaders to represent the White House to House Republicans? Over the next two years, House Republicans and the White House will have very different institutional interests and very different time horizons. If we want to regain majority status, we have to focus on the building of a grassroots coalition which supports real change in Washington.

From a House Republican standpoint, the center of gravity should be the 54 Blue Dog Democrats. If we and the Blue Dogs can find a handful of key things to work on together, we can almost certainly create a majority on the floor just as the Reagan Republicans and conservative Democrats did in 1981. Bipartisanship can be conservative and back bench rather than liberal and establishment leadership defined. What did the Blue Dogs promise to get elected? What was the nature of their coalition back home? They give us the best opportunity to create grassroots efforts to pass solid legislation. Remember, the liberals will find it very hard to write a budget acceptable to the grassroots that elected the Blue Dogs. We have real opportunities if we are creative.

House Republicans should establish new principles for appointing people to the Appropriations Committee. Nothing infuriated the Republican base more than the continued process of earmarks, set asides and incumbent-protection pork. There is no reason for the House Republican conference to reappoint a single appropriator unless they agree to be part of the Republican team. First establish the principles of representing Republican values on appropriations and then ask each appropriator to commit themselves to living by those principles or accept appointment to another committee. There is a legitimate role for set asides in the legislative-executive branch process, but there is no reason to give the executive branch a blank check. There has to be some limits, and those limits should be set by the Conference and not by the committee members.

All of this will take time. As rapidly as possible there should be a three-day member-only retreat to discuss issues like this and to set strategies for the next two years. These kinds of decisions should be a key part of thinking through who should lead House Republicans for the next Congress and how they should lead.

One Last Note

Do not underestimate Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi and her team. She and Rahm Emmanuel finally put together a disciplined recruiting system that allowed a lot of Democrats to run as conservatives, even while they were planning to elect the most liberal Speaker in history. Pelosi is a tough, smart, disciplined professional. She is not going to be easy to beat, and she and her team are going to work hard to keep you in the minority for a decade or more.

This is going to be hard work and will require a lot of dedication and a lot of thought.

With best wishes for a return to majority status as quickly as possible.

Your friend, Newt

[Almondjoy]

Well I think the problem you are tackling there is an honest government. Sad to say I don't believe in one. Sort of like good and decent trial lawyers.

[ArrogantBustard]

We all know the 'rats are horrible.

Give us reasons to vote FOR each particular candidate. If all that can be said of Ralph Republican runnning for Congress is than Davey Democrat running against him is a rotten scoundrel, we're going to lose. Again.

[ggekko60506]

Everything went south with this Congress since President Bush was reelected. They were politically tone deaf and offered no major reform initiatives (they did pass Tort Reform, but that was the exception that proves the rule).

When a Party is devoid of ideas they tend to revert Pork Barrel spending to buy votes. The House Republicans also thought they were insulated because of gerrymandering.

We have lost a historic opportunity because the Party ran out of ideas. This did not need to happen.

[Patton@Bastogne]

.
You're a genius ...

.

[paul51]

To regain majority status, we have to focus on the country first and on Washington and the Congress second.

Since when is the usual strategy of not focusing on themselves and feathering their own futures and retirement not one of the options? It's been the most popular one for years. If the GOP wants to return to power, they have to remove their main plank of 'we are POS however we are not as bad as the other guys'. Given the kind of options presented by the GOP in 2006, their base will continue to ignore them in disgust. Until they understand that, they are going nowhere.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[LS]

Rob, I advocate a completely different strategy. I advocate the Daschle/Reid/Pelosi strategy of complete and total obstructionism. The Dems don't get ONE THING they want. We get some of what we want. I'd begin by immediately calling for charges against Murtha, and demand Pelosi resign because she knew about Murtha during the election.

[norton]

"The words compromise and Republican don't usually go together. "

If they'd stop compromising their values, they'd still have a base, still have a chance at overcoming GWB's let-em-all-come-in immigration wet dream,
and, oh, yeah, they'd still have control of congress.

[RobFromGa]

At least that way if we're going to be 'in the wilderness" we can have fun while being there.

I think that we need to NOT CAVE on any important principles, and try to paint the liberals as the crazies trying to implement stupid, illogical programs. But we are going to have to give in on some stupid things most likely-- like the minimum wage. Sure, it will hurt the poor and the inexperienced workers, but it sounds like we care.

[txhurl]

And charging Jay Rockefeller with Treason. I don't think powering up the treason pen with Adam Gadahn was a coincidence.

[LS]

That's fine, too. Remember, we won't GET anywhere, and all we can do is obstruct, but I think it's important we get on the field and stay on the field of "the Dems are corrupt/evil/incompetent."

I think Newt's suggestion to "work with" the blue dogs is the WORST thing we could do. The Dems will get all the credit and we'll be in a smaller minority later.

[txhurl]

Remember, amnesty is the checkmate. That happens, it's political Siberia for us for the next +25 years, or when that big asteroid hits, whichever comes first.

[LS]

The thing is, Kyl has already suggested he will filibuster amnesty, but who knows. I think if amnesty is passed, all incumbents of both parties will be in serious trouble to anyone wanting to use illegals as an issue.

[JerseyDvl]

I like Newt alot myself. Too bad he carries so much baggage with him.

[Deo et Patria]

Newt is an unsavory womanizer who has laughable presidential aspirations. (There. Got that out of the way.)

He is also a BRILLIANT STUDENT OF HISTORY who has his finger on the pulse of what is required for us to retake majority status.

While Newt does not have the character or charisma to lead this movement, he is ideally suited to help draw up blueprints for our plan of attack. We should listen to him, and listen well.

[StoneWall Brigade]

Here's new numbers from the Virginia Straw Poll.

Newt Gingrich 31%

Mitt Romney 14%

Sam BrownBack 12%

John Mccain 12%

Mike Huckabee 12%

Rudy Giuliani 7%

Ducan Hunter 4%

Bill Frist 3%

Chuck Hagel 1%

George Pataki 1%

and total of 146 ballots where cast

[Tolik]

Nailed It!

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[LexBaird]

To regain majority status, we have to focus on the country first and on Washington and the Congress second. If we are responsive to the country, they will support us and return us to power.

This is where McCain's "gang of twelve" screwed us. They were more interested in comity among the Senate and preservation of arcane procedural tactics than they were in putting constructionist judges on the courts.

It isn't about merely having "the power in Washington"; it's about using that power to get the job done that you were elected to do. The first gets you invited to cocktail parties; the second gets you re-elected.

[My2Cents]

instead GWB's priority is securing amnesty for illegals

Which is why Newt said, "If we are focused on action in Washington (whether White House action, legislative action or lobbyist and PAC action), we are probably entering a long period in minority status."