Can the GOP be Saved?

You know, by listening to the media, one would be forced to come to the conclusion that the republican party is gasping for air. Notorious Bush-haters are licking their chops at the negative coverage the President has been getting. But what REALLY has been so negative?

The democrats' big argument right now is that the Iraq war is based on faulty intelligence, and that somehow they are all above the fray. Well, we know that's not true. All of these upset Senators, from Ted Kennedy to John Kerry, supported the War on Terror and had access to the exact same intel as the President. Some of these Senators, like Hillary Clinton, stated as fact as far back as 2002 that Saddam Hussein possessed WMD. So this argument that Bush somehow lied to the public is flawed and hypocritical.

Having said this, the knee jerk reaction for republicans is to come out and publicly attack the hypocrisy of the democrats. While they may be justified in doing so, that kind of posturing doesn't win respect. Instead, by going on the defensive, the GOP appears weak. By playing into the democrats' argument, the GOP looks like the whiney kid who is being beat up on the playground. Sure, you feel bad for him, but unless he punches back, you won't respect him.

The last time I checked, the GOP still controlled the Presidency and both houses of Congress. It's time they need to start acting like it. Yes, deficit reduction and budget trimming are important - and history will judge the conservatives fairly for trying to decrease federal spending when the government's income can't keep up. However, this doesn't resonate with a dumbed down populace. I say dumbed down, because the public seems to be buying into the democratic arguments even though they have not offered so much as a fix for what they see as problematic.

The GOP looks weak not because it is weak, but because the democrats look strong. As much as I hate to say it, the democrats have been acting cohesively, staying on message no matter how flawed their argument. And guess what - people are buying it.

The reason why Kerry lost the presidential election is because he appeared whiney and weak. He was constantly defending himself. Now look what the republicans are doing? Have we learned nothing from Kerry? Luckily, the democrats have no actual plan for making things better. If they did, the GOP would be in more trouble than they are. But if the republicans can start making their argument forcibly, and stick to it no matter what the democrats say (in other words, stop trying to defend it and instead work to sell it), they'll look strong and the public really won't care what ends up happening to DeLay or Scooter Libby.

If we republicans can follow that policy, we will win.