The Moderate Republican: Center Right?

What the Moderate Republican Stands For

Republicans came to power as the party of big ideas, and without returning to that model they could be looking at a long winter. Additionally, those big ideas need to focus on Middle America. Three issues that could work are conservation, reform and localism.

Conservation- a return to the Teddy Roosevelt model of conservation. One doesn’t necessarily have to buy into global warming to appreciate the need to protect the natural resources we have.

Reform- the federal government is bigger than ever, and won’t be getting any smaller over the next four years. Republicans need to fashion themselves as national reformers. Much of Middle America wants the government as safety net, but bloated bureaucracies breed corruption that needs to be dealt with.

Localism- this is the lynchpin that brings it all together. If we bought our food locally, shopped locally, governed locally, many of the issue we now have to deal with would go away, or at the least become manageable.

Below is a collection of writers who speak about the things that matter. Some are Right, some Left and some Center, but all intelligent and rational voices.

The newly elected Congress will be left of center, particularly the old liberal bulls that chair committees and form much of the leadership of the House and Senate. The country, on the other hand, remains right of center (exit polls on Election Day show that 22 percent of voters identify themselves as liberal, 33 percent as conservative and 46 percent as moderate). Especially in the Senate, where the Democrats will be perhaps two or three votes shy of the 60 needed to break a filibuster and pass a bill, compromise and coalition-building will be the order of the day.- By Evan Thomas and Richard Wolffe in NEWSWEEK

With the above quote in mind, how should the Republicans in Congress act? Should they work with the new president as Democrats largely did with Regan in 1981, or should they hold the line against him, as many perceive the Republicans did against Clinton in 1993? The answer is not cut and dry. There are advantages and disadvantages to either tactic.

On the one hand, the country wants Congress to act in a bipartisan fashion. Having Republicans go along with some of President Obama’s policy plans could build goodwill toward the party and encourage voters to give them some credit for the inevitable financial rebound. On the other hand, if the Democratic White house and congress are seen as successful then they will likely be there for the foreseeable future. What is a country-loving conservative to do?

The answer lies somewhere in the middle. Republican legislators need to be seen as the happy warriors, standing firm for fiscal responsibility, but they also need to take advantage of bipartisanship when it makes sense. Right now everyone is for financial transparency and reform, which should be the default position of Republicans. One of the first measures of cooperation should be in this area. Energy policy is another area where common ground could be found.

Bottom-line: the country is in crisis right now and it needs grown-ups to lead it. If conservatives are seen working for solutions and not simply obstructing, then they have a decent chance to rebuild their image and hopes for electoral success in the future.

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The Moderate Republican

What the Moderate Republican Stands For

The American Conservative » Rod Dreher

Via Meadia

Front Porch Republic

David Brooks

The Soap Box

Center Right?

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