As history tells us, it took the GOP but two years to regain control of the House in the fabled “Republican Revolution” of 1994. The road back may be somewhat steeper now, given both the state of the economy – the nation was coming out of a mild recession back then – and the thrall in which newly elected Barack Obama holds the electorate. But the lessons of 1992 seem as relevant today as they were then, particularly because many of the architects of that “revolution” remain on the scene to provide guidance and institutional knowledge.
One of them is Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who, in those dark days for the GOP, had just taken over as the party’s national chairman. He formulated a four-pronged plan for revival whose key components remain applicable in this day and age.
Step one, Mr. Barbour told The Washington Post, is to rebuild the GOP at the state level. In 1992, after 12 years of controlling the White House, the Republican Party was a “top-down” rather than a “bottom-up” entity. The same holds today.
Step two is the reconstruction of its small-donor base. When a party holds the White House, its donor base tends to shrink. Mr. Barbour says this has to change, much as it did in the ’90s.
The third step entails regaining its technological edge. It’s no secret that the GOP lags behind Democrats in reaching out to members via the Internet.
Fourth, and a step easier said than done, the party must regain its philosophical relevance. It needs to convince Americans anew that conservative principles are the answers for contemporary problems. In doing so, the party must restore America’s trust in its ideals.
And to these, we would add a fifth prong. The GOP needs new and vibrant leadership – first at the party level (a national chairman with Barbour-esque vision), then at the congressional level (Mike Pence, Tom Coburn, step to the fore), and finally at the presidential level. In short, it needs to start cultivating its talent for a run at Mr. Obama come 2012.
These are worthy goals. Are they attainable? Well, just ask Haley Barbour.
Daily News
1/3/9
Magnolia Tribune
