A GOP Recovery Plan

The first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem. Faced with the consistent refusal of the Republican leadership to do just that, the American people have staged an intervention. It is now time for Republicans to give our humble thanks for their doing so, and to follow through with treatment.

The GOP reaction to Tuesday’s losses suggests that most Republicans do recognize the true breadth of the problems the party faces. But regardless of their level of understanding, recovery will take time. Republicans cannot pretend that simply disavowing prior errors of judgment and promising a fresh start will instantly solve their problems. The credibility gap that Congressional Republicans’ corruption, arrogance, ineptitude, and hopeless defense of the Bush administration has created is simply too great. The negative impact of the past can only be erased with time.

While I am among those disgusted with the conduct of the past few Congresses, as a Republican and a conservative I do hope that the party can clean house quickly and get back to doing its job. The recent scandals over earmarks, pork, budget deficits, and runaway spending only confirm the importance of reducing the size of government so that there are less spoils over which to fight in the first place. It is for this precise reason that conservatives have supported the Republican Party in the past, and why conservatives must hope for its recovery now. There are, however, several basic guidelines that I believe are requisite to any lasting resolution:

1. Realize that our domestic principles are still sound politics and sound policy, if we actually adhere to them. For example, in early November the Republican polling firm OnMessage Inc. found that in swing districts with Republican incumbents, likely voters trusted Democrats more than Republicans to “reduce the the deficit,” “cut taxes for the middle class,” and “keep government spending under control.” It seems that, at least in part, Democrats were elected as a protest against Republicans’ failure to live up to their own promises. Preventing similar future failures must become a lasting concern of our party.

2. Toss out the neocons. Enough is enough. No constituency has expended a greater share of our party’s political capital than neoconservatives, and no constituency has had worse results (politically and practically) to show for it. Neocons claim that the Iraq war would have been successful if executed more competently, but nation-building—particularly in the Middle East—is a tall order regardless of leadership. I don’t mean to imply that Republicans should become completely isolationist, but a corrective shift in that direction would be appropriate. On a related note, Republicans should take greater care to reconcile support for intelligence and defense operations with a respect for civil liberties, the fundamental guarantors of limited government.

3. Don’t succumb to a feud between libertarians who blame the midterm losses on social conservatives and social conservatives who feel overlooked and taken for granted. The episodes of blatant pandering to either side—e.g. Halliburton favoritism and Terri Schiavo interventionism—that were rightly condemned by liberals as well as by many conservatives were driven as much or more by a cynical leadership trying to buy support for upcoming elections as by the intended beneficiaries themselves. The Republican Party’s coalition of libertarians, social conservatives, and national defense voters is a winning one, and we will only suffer if we abandon it.

4. Don’t let President Bush cave to Democratic domestic policy demands. At his press conference the day after the election, Bush stated his intention to use the new Democratic majorities to seek a reauthorization of the big-government No Child Left Behind act, and to pass the immigration bill that conservatives have strenuously opposed for the past year. It is also likely that he will enjoy Democratic support for expanding his profligate Medicare prescription drug bill. Given the degree of responsibility he holds for the party’s current political state, his new turncoat attitude is completely outrageous. Republicans must make it clear to President Bush that if he wants an ounce of support during Democratic hearings on the Iraq war, he must abandon these plans, regardless of his personal beliefs. President Bush represents the outgoing Republican Party and is trying to salvage his legacy; from now on, decisions need to be made by those who have a stake in the party’s future.

5. Use Democratic legislation as an opportunity to change the terms of debate. Frequently apt to learn the wrong lessons from elections, and eager to interpret any gains as a sign of support for big government, Democrats will use their momentum to try to create and expand a host of government programs at taxpayer expense. Republicans should wait for the House to pass several such programs and then expose not only the proposals themselves but also the impact that they will have on the deficit and on taxes. Once we reestablish ourselves as the party of fiscal conservatism, we will regain our support in middle America and put the Democrats on the defensive. We do have to mean it, though—simple grandstanding is not good enough.

6. Learn to distinguish between policy disputes and mean-spirited negativity. Republicans need to stop trying to get ahead by attacking Democrats’ character and trying to convince the electorate to actually hate them. Democrats do care about the future of this country. Republicans need to acknowledge this and focus on highlighting the problems with Democratic policies, not Democratic people. That’s not just the right thing to do, it’s also good politics.


Stephen E. Dewey ’07 is a government concentrator in Kirkland House, currently on voluntary leave, and a former president of the Harvard Republican Club.