American Conservatism in the Twenty-First Century

Here are some things that I think the GOP need to work on, if they stand a chance in the twenty-first century. They aren't really guidelines, just some thoughts running through my head.

Reagan. Possibly the most charismatic president that ever graced the Oval Office. The man who was told, at 72, that he was too old to run for presidential office. Some laughed at the fact he was an actor. This man won two landslide elections (one versus an incumbent). He took the thought of "Compassionate Conservatism" (birthed by Barry Goldwater) and took it to the next level. Not to mention the fact that this man ended the Cold War. He didn't do it by sanctions, nor did he use ass kissing. He looked Gorby in the face and said, "Tear down this wall!" To look a fascist regime in the face, with the nuclear buzzer constantly at 23:59:59, and tell them (in a Moses sense) "let your people go!". That's being a true leader of the free world.

It is this form of diplomacy that the Republican Party has lost. It is what won in 1980, 1984, 1988, and brought in a Republican lead congress in 1994. Somewhere during the early 2000's it was lost. This is why they lost big in 2006, and lost huge in the presidential election of 2008. 

Reagan (and to a point Gingrich) had the love of the people. It seemed as though they were approachable, like you could possibly have a beer with them. This is why Pat Buchanon has lost every bid he has put in for the nomination, Bob Dole lost in 1996, and why McCain lost in 2008. I like the way Buchanon thinks, but I honestly don't think that I could watch the Superbowl with any of these men. Obama won for the same reason Clinton won in 1992 and 1996: constituents thought that they could either enjoy a cookout with these men, or share a joint with them.

The GOP needs to fall back to what worked for them in the latter part of the twentieth century. The people cry for change, but maybe they'd fair better with a little bit of regression.