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A ‘doctrinal shift’ in the works for the GOP.

By: Moe Lane (Diary)  |  February 27th, 2009 at 07:55 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Like Gateway Pundit, I didn’t think Bobby Jindal’s speech was bad*, but this DC Examiner article by Byron York is still of interest:

“A Major Doctrinal Shift for Republicans”

I just got off the phone with a very plugged-in Republican strategist who told me that Republican reaction to President Obama’s speech, which the party will roll out in the next few days, will mark the beginning of a new GOP approach to opposing the president’s initiatives. (No, Bobby Jindal’s ineffective response was not part of that new approach — everyone seems a little embarrassed about that.) The Republican leadership in the House has concluded that in the stimulus debate, the GOP succeeded in dominating a number of news cycles but failed to score any points on actual policy. That, the leaders believe, has got to change.

“You’re seeing a major doctrinal shift in how Republicans are going to focus all these debates,” the strategist told me. “The key is to focus on winning the issue as opposed to winning the political moment. If you win the issue, people will think you are ready to govern.”

[snip]

Just a few weeks ago, House Republicans cheered and high-fived each other for unanimously opposing the stimulus. Now, having realized they won the soundbite contest but lost the war, they don’t want to talk about it. That is a major shift indeed.

This change in focus sounds great to me, and I endorse it – but I don’t think that we should discount House Republicans’ unified actions in opposing the Democrats’ debt bill. The ability of Cantor and Boehner to hold the line on voting against that monstrosity was a powerful shot in the arm for rank-and-file conservatives and Republicans who wanted some indication – any indication, really – that our representatives were paying attention. Every time the GOP pulls off something like this, it makes the next time easier. As just one example: does anybody here think that we would have lost only two votes to the Democrats on Flake’s anti-corruption resolution if we hadn’t stood firm on the debt bill? Sure, voting in favor of investigating the links between campaign contributions and earmarks is the smart choice anyway**, but absent the idea that the House GOP can stand together when necessary we would have lost more ‘presents’ to ‘nos,’ and probably more ‘yeas’ to ‘presents.’ So while I agree that focusing on strategy instead of tactics is a good call, I also want to make sure that we don’t actually discount the tactics, either.

We also need to start paying serious attention to logistics, but that’s a whole different post. Suffice it to say right now that it’s time to reopen the faucets.

Moe Lane

*Merely not the slay-the-beast speech that people are yearning for, perhaps unwisely. I can think of at least three things that are more important for the GOP right now.

**Yes, I’m suggesting that the Democrats’ willingness to close ranks behind Murtha and the rest of the PMA Porkers on this was dumb, dumb, dumb. OK, I’m actually saying it outright at this point.

Crossposted at Moe Lane.

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COMMENTS

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  • EagleWatcher

    So while I agree that focusing on strategy instead of tactics is a good call, I also want to make sure that we don?t actually discount the tactics, either.

    This is key. The party needs to make sure they manage the perception and not just the mechanics. What good is doing a good job if no one knows about it? The party is like a herd of zombies being beat back by the Obamulan Empire. The stand the GOP took in the House invigorated the base, a base which they will need to fund their campaigns in 2110.

  • TxCon

    is not the way to start. It wasn’t the best speech in the world. But good gracious, it was a “Response” speech. He rebounded the next morning and did a great job at articulating the conservative message.

  • IJB

    Don’t ever get the idea that the Beltway punidts like Bill Kristol are “our people”.

    For all intents and purposes, they’re pretty much the “enemy” too.

  • TxCon

    and when they stop calling themselves conservative, I won’t worry about it.

  • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

    They’re our rivals.

    The difference? Rivals can be allied with; enemies have to surrender.

  • IJB
  • djemi

    That ability to question and attack our leadership without fear of retrabursion is our greatest strengh. I am not saying that our side isn’t guilty of political cronism but we understand that the power of America comes from the respect given to the minority by the majority, the live and let live atitude.

  • Scope

    I agree EagleWatcher. When the House Republicans were united in full against the Pork Bill, it gave some encouragement to the Republican base, because they had the courage to stand up and not only talk about how much damage the passage of the bill would create for the country, they walked the walk and voted against it. When the 3 Republican Senators that were in favor of passage made the airwaves, they detracted from the majority of Republicans that voted against it look like uncompromising members of the party of “no” or obstructionists. The gang of 3 were made to appear as the “good guys” by the liberal media. In my opinion, the actions of the 3 did alot of damage to the Republican Party as a whole who is struggling to get back into a position of fiscal conservatism. They diluted the message that we so desperately need to change. Sorry, but, I don’t care if they have R’s behind their names, they need to go, period. Even if you are a moderate, you don’t vote for Socializing the country, and expanding Government, in one case, just so you can get a $6 billion pork approval for Cancer Research. That’s laughable anyway as Specter voted for his pork but also for the beginnings of Universal Healthcare where you won’t even have a chance of diagnosis before you croak of the cancer waiting for a doctors appointment. These 3 need to go straight to the landfill and bypass the dumpsters.

    Moe, I respect the fact that you are one of the directors, and that all of the directors don’t always agree on everything but, it wasn’t helpful that a diary was posted the next day saying that Jindals message was good, but the delivery was terrible. It may not go down in history as one of the great speeches, but, I for one am much more concerned with the words rather than the delivery. Wouldn’t it be much more helpful to the party to not participate in what the Liberals will say and do anyway as it just gives them more fuel for the fire. The Liberals message would be- See even they think he is not qualified.

  • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

    Merely a site moderator.

    As to your point… (shrug) if the GOP wants RS to flack for them, they can start paying us all salaries. I for one certainly wouldn’t mind having one, although I’d still tell ‘em when I think that they’re messing up.

  • Scope

    Because RS is, from my understanding, a very important and active Republican website, they should be paying you all salaries. The Libs pay something like $10 an hours for ACORN streetwalkers, it sounds to me like you guys would be rolling in the dough if paid by the hour from the GOP.

    And, I would never ever want to see you not say it like you see it!

  • Scope

    Because RS is, from my understanding, a very important and active Republican website, they should be paying you all salaries. The Libs pay something like $10 an hours for ACORN streetwalkers, it sounds to me like you guys would be rolling in the dough if paid by the hour from the GOP.

    And, I would never ever want to see you not say it like you see it!

  • Illinicon

    As with a vast majoritiy of these responses it wasnt the best delivered speech and he had sound defects to deal with also. The text of the speech was good as it demonstrated the practial defects in the stimulus, Obama’s big government approch in general and gave a mea culpa for the spending binge that was the Bush adminastration. To label it a “diaster” begs the question what is the agenda of the people labeling as such.

  • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

    NT

  • kevingreen

    There’s no way the Republicans could have stop the bill from passing. So, where exactly did they do wrong? What were their options?

    I love the fact that they were unified opposition. By doing being universally opposed, they hung this Porkulus bill is around the necks of Democrats. They may not have stopped it, but they now have a solid foundation to run on in the next election. Imagine if they had fought and won to take out a bunch of earmarks (or add their own) and voted for it…. How are they going to use it as an issue in 2010 if they helped pass it? isn’t that what got us here in the first place?

  • jimmuy8

    in a party that has a leadership that doesn’t listen. At least when I yell at my dog, he does something. These guys turn around and pee on my leg.

    Further, our questions are not producing policy–see the questions put to McConnell re: Specter: non-responsive, vague, with illusory promises of future results with no indication of specific action. “He’ll be a good soldier.”

    Well, gee. I’m all warm and fuzzy now. It’s so nice to see such aggressive action while our country collapses.

  • The_Gadfly

    the “very plugged in strategists” than I am of Spectre, Snowe, and what’s his name.

    They followed up a poor showing in 2006 with an even worse showing in 2008. They predicted we’d “safely” hold 45 seats in the Senate and instead, after the Dems get done stealing the vote in Minnesota, we’re going to hold 41, including the 3 rinos mentioned above. These jokers belong in the same place as the CEOs of failed institutions: Out on the street hoping somebody will give them a bottom rung starting position at a firm where they’ve never been heard of before.

  • djemi

    And don’t forget that all politics are local, I’ll let the people of Pen decide if they want to keep him or not, I do disagree with his vote and so hope he is removed, in the mean time he should be used as a foot soilder.