The Grand Old Party in an Obama world 
March 12, 2009 by Afan Tarar
Republicans need new faces to protect party from demise
Together, former President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama have done something that no other Democrat (with the exception of Franklin Delano Roosevelt) has ever done, they have all but destroyed the GOP.
With eight years of failed policies and successes that have been overshadowed by the collapse of the economy, throw in a fresh, elegant and intelligent Obama and the GOP will never have a chance.
The GOP needs to rise up and bring forth their own Obama, a person who can clearly and eloquently express the GOP’s positions and this will not only be good for the future of the GOP, but for America as a nation.
The first thing that the GOP lacks is a true leader. There is no one in their roster today that can actually lead. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal failed to impress America during this rebuttal to Obama’s address to Congress, Mitt Romney has nothing more than the looks of a president, Rudy Giuliani has to say “9/11” at least five times every 10 minutes to get attention and Sarah Palin…well enough said.
The GOP needs to stop remembering the old glory days of the 1980s when former President Ronald Reagan defined their party. Reagan is gone and he is not coming back, it is time to move on to the 21st century. The Republican Party needs new ideas that can tackle the problems that America faces today at home and abroad. This process will begin when the party finally unifies and figures out what it really believes in. The two big problems that the GOP faces in the realm of policy are health care and the economy.
The GOP needs to understand that cutting taxes is not the cure all for the economy and every problem that it faces. With regards to health care, there is no concrete plan that the GOP has proposed to even suggest that they’re keeping up with the changing needs of their people. Simply put, the GOP needs to understand that 21st century problems need 21st century solutions.
Once the GOP finally comes together (if they can) and can have a leader that can express their ideas clearly to the public, America will be much better off. Now I am not a Republican but I do believe that a two-party system has benefited American policy and democracy. Having just one party push all of its policies through Congress has never been good for the nation.
In fact, the first six years of the Bush administration show that passing bills through in a time of panic does not really work well. Compromise has been the motto of U.S. legislation since the founding of the nation. Right now the Democrats can push through any piece of legislation they want because they have the power and the public support to do so. But we must remember that this nation is neither strictly blue nor red.
The policies of the nation need to reflect this balance, rather than be one sided.
This is the time that the GOP can either sink or swim. If they stick to the idea of cutting taxes and continue to be unclear on major issues like health care, the GOP will sink because they are no longer in tune with Americans. The base is not something that the GOP needs to appeal to; they need to appeal to the moderate Americans.
It is a shame that the most motivating speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference was Rush Limbaugh. The GOP needs to come together not just for the sake of self-survival but also for the sake of America. Having some sway in Congress will force Democrats to come up with policies that can withstand the crucible of the Republican Party.
If the GOP does not make necessary changes then the Grand Old Party will be just that – old and non-existent.
“Mitt Romney has nothing more than the looks of a president”
Really? And what did you ever accompish in your life, Einstein?
Were you Valedictorian of your class?
Were you Magna Cum Laude with a duel degree in Law and an MBA from Harvard?
Have you created a business, whereby creating tens of thousands of jobs in the private sector, starting hundreds of business and saving scores of others?
Amassing a personal fortune, the old fashioned way, by earning it.
Have you run an Olympic Games which had a 600 million dollar shortfall and leave with a 100 million dollar profit? (for a dollar a year)
Have you been Governor of a major state with a 5 billion dollar deficit and leave that state with a 3 billion dollar surplus? (for a dollar a year)
No!
Wel, Mitt Romney has done all of these things.
So why would anyone look to someone like you to tell us who is qualified to be President and who is not.
Mitt Romney is the most qualified Executive, with more expeience in life, to lead this country in the last 50 years.
You sir are a pontificating clown.
ajarizona
Too bad he never got nominated by his own party….lol
Never? Haha, he’s only ran for President one time.
I always find it hilarious when Liberals like the author always try to tell Republicans how to run their party. Well, Mr. Tarar did get what he wanted the Republican Party to be in Sen. John McCain, a stand-for-nothing, moderate hack. Apparently that wasn’t good enough for the author.
The plain and simple fact is that for the Republican party to succeed, they need to return to Conservatism.
Mr. Tarar, like many Liberals and Obamamaniacs, always suggest that the Republican party abandon Ronald Reagan. Who just so happened to be one of the greatest presidents this country ever had. A man who defeated a recession far worse than this one is today. A man who cut taxes and created 20 million jobs. A man who stood up to the Soviet Union, where pansies like the author think its better Red than Dead. A man who stood up on Conservative principle.
But notice, people like Mr. Tarar always suggest the era of Ronald Reagan is dead. Yet, the era of the socialist Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson is eternal!
There was an article in this paper a few months ago by an author who understood what was at stake for the Republican party. Look it up!
Republicans don’t have to be like Democrats and they certainly don’t have to prop up a phony like Obama, who is just words and speeches. The Republican party needs to find a real leader and that could be anybody from Michael Steele to Mitt Romney and yes, even to Rush Limbaugh, who for that matter was as inconsequential as Liberals like Mr. Tarar like to believe, then how come you even give him the attention?
As for this article, just like a typical liberal. Always trying to tell somebody else what do without ever having done it themselves.
I think that republicans need to stop being sore losers. McCain was not a good choice to run against Obama. The republicans really don’t have a true leader. Afan was correct in this statement. I am not sure if anyone really remembers the electoral votes, but it wasn’t even close. 365-117 The American people thought Obama was the correct option. He has been doing well thus far, even though he may be overextending himself trying to fix so much so fast. I am a republican and I think our party has lost focus on the real deal, (Helping the nation as a whole, not just the party issues.)
Now for the Mit Romney thing. Just because Romney lived the American dream, does not make him the best man suited to lead the nation. Yes, he helped change things in Massachusetts, but having a surplus in a budget is not cause to throw him in the White House. Get rid of the state debt… and I would be impressed. As for this education. He was not magna cum laude from Harvard. He was cum laude (With honor)from the law school. His first degree was in English. (It is fallacious to argue Mr. Romney’s achievements against a fellow student. Especially one who took the time to make insightful remarks, whether you agree with them or not Mr. Arizona)
Ronald Reagan was not a great president. He was a good president, but did little of what the republicans romanticize him to have done. He shrunk the government and increased the size of the military. Ok, and? Took government spending from one side, and gave it to another. Tax cuts and supply-side economics were not key to saving the US from the recession. Deficit spending and corporate tax (which Reagan was reluctant to do) did. Trickle-down did not help us either. It made the rich, richer and left the poor about the same. He also had a few problems like the Iran-contra affair? Not to mention, in his failing health, his wife did a lot of his work, and helped him along in his second term. He did not single-handedly crush communism. The economy there was already failing.
This leads to my next point. Republicans need to stop saying that we are going to become a nation of socialism. This is just false. Socialism is “a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.” Having the government make sure firms don’t abuse their power is not socialism. Regulation and oversight is not a bad thing. Wasteful spending on programs that are unproductive… now that is shameful. People need to remember that in order to have the type of socialism they think of, there must be some type of leader or power to implement it. We elect virtually every seat in public office. The real problem is, not enough people participate in their community to say “this is bad, or this is good.” College students do, but then again, the educated always do.
The problem here, and it has always been a problem, is that the republicans are so overly conservative that it chokes them out of credibility with everyone except the fundamentalists, and the democrats are so “hippy” in nature that is just kills republicans to hear them. We have problems, and we need them to be addressed. Our problems aren’t simply republican or democrat, they are the American people’s issues. Always being conservative and closed minded to everything does not leave an avenue for a solution. Being so flamboyant with options and negating to recall the costs will not work either. Joint decisions must be made if anything will be handled.
Well done Mr. Tarar. I’m sorry that some think you are a pontificating clown. You are dead on. Despite what some people may think, this article is not a treatise on Romney’s qualificacations (and despite his college and business accolades, they ARE few). Romney was a good businessman, but I don’t want businessmen in charge anymore. Your ideas about the GOP’s lack of direction are right on.