The Steele Curtain Goes Up

Michael Steele is in full swing, lobbying to the base for RNC Chairman.

by: bob parks | published: 11 12, 2008

Restoring Confidence in the GOP

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Michael Steele, GOPAC Chairman

Republicans once asserted that the opportunities this nation has to offer rests not in government but rather the hands of individuals. Public policy should empower citizens, not governments, to make informed decisions for their families and future. Taxes should be kept low because the product of one's labor should belong to the individual doing the labor, not to the government who can only take it by means of force. Growth should be encouraged in the private sector, not the public, because only in the former will risk, innovation and entrepreneurship naturally lead to greater opportunity for all Americans.

This is good stuff. Hopefully not "just words". We've been down this road before.

Over the past decade or so, however, we Republicans lost our way. The disparity between our rhetoric and our action grew till our credibility snapped. Our actions overwhelmed our words. It wasn't the fault of our ideals. It was the failure of our leadership. Over time our principles morphed into baser motives. Our continued political dominance grew more important to those who led us than the noble vision for a greater American future most of us originally signed on for. And to maintain power we turned to the controls of government - we, in fact, as much as anyone else, became the party of big government. We behaved like Democrats.

See, this is where I've always had my reservations about Michael Steele.

What's this "we" shit?

The Republican Party is at a crossroads -- like it has never been before. The Country has changed and our Party must adapt. However, it is wrong to believe we must change our principals or become conservative-lite. After all, the voters did not suddenly become liberal; but they have lost any sense of confidence that the Republican Party holds the answers to their problems.

Who should "adapt"? Is Lt. Governor Steele advocating RINOism?

Abraham Lincoln reminds us, "The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from a cause we believe is just." If we are to regain the trust of the American people and restore the credibility of our ideas, our party must break with what went wrong and once again stand for what is right.

Our party DID protest what was wrong. Our elected officials blew us off, i.e. John McCain's illegal alien amnesty program, Mike Huckabee state tax increases, Mitt Romney's Massachusetts universal health care boondoggle....

Lincoln stood on principle like a rock, strong, unflinching, alone, the waters of hell crashing against him. But Lincoln also recognized that holding on principle alone was only the first step. We must also lead and more importantly, we must listen.

Yes, but will you?

Most Americans today see a Republican Party that defines itself by what it is against rather than what it is for. We can tell you why public schools aren't working, but not articulate a compelling vision for how we'll better educate children. We're well equipped to rail against tax increases; but can't begin to explain how we'll help the poor. We exclude far better than we welcome.

That's sounding a little RINO here. Who have we excluded and who does Chairman Steele suggest we include?

Things were different as recently as 20 years ago. Back then, Ronald Reagan made it cool to be a Republican - it wasn't just his specific policies, but the timeless truths he so eloquently gave voice to upon which his policies were based. That's the Republican Party we must re-establish.

And who made it uncool? All the old men that got thrust to the top of the ticket by insiders while a vibrant young woman is being eaten alive by those very insiders. Sarah Palin is cool; many inside the beltway just can't see beyond themselves.

It can't just be a business involved with the management of government. Instead, we must represent a transformative movement that speaks with empathy and compassion, but isn't afraid of hard truths and productive debate. We must stand on timeless principles but with fresh ideas and a welcoming heart.

We must articulate a positive vision for America's future that speaks to Americans' hopes, concerns and needs. It's time to stop defining ourselves by what we are not, and tell voters what we believe, how we'll lead, and where we'll go ... how we Republicans will make America better ... how we'll make their families more prosperous, their children better educated, their parents more secure, and all of us healthier, safer, and stronger.

The problem is we've let the liberal media define us, and our very so-called Republicans sucked up to that media because they wanted to be liked. While that may have irked many loyal conservative Republicans, that was no big deal to them. In the end, all we (on the ground) have ever been good for is taking marching orders from the exalted paid party personnel, and cough up money to perpetuate their lifestyle and reason to exist.

Our challenge lies not in beating Democrats, but in uniting around a message that both solidifies our ranks and attracts new Republicans to our cause. Our foundation is strong. It consists of principles that are true in all times for all people. Yet in recent years our appeal has narrowed. That must change. While social values ground us as individuals, and serve our communities and nation well -- they should not serve as the sole agenda to animate our party's political action.

That last line should be good for an MSNBC appearance or two.

Instead, we have to listen to what Americans are telling us about their hopes, desires, and needs, and then translate that message into proposals for meaningful action squarely grounded on the values we Republicans have always stood strong for.

That would be refreshing because the party bigwigs seldom listen to us, and I'll believe it when someone other than a pundit tells me someone upstairs did.

It is this faith in the power and ingenuity of the individual to create the legacy of a nation through hard work, personal responsibility and self-discipline - The American Dream - that is our uniting principle. That is the sacred ground upon which our Republican Party was built. It is the ground upon which we have always stood when we stood at our best. And now, for the sake of all Americans today and to come, it is the ground we must reclaim.

Liberals see what they believe, conservatives believe what they see.

I'll believe it when I see it.

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