The Moderate Republican: Election Night Redoux

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.

Minnesota- Franken vs Coleman:
In the final day of the Minnesota U.S. Senate race recount, reports are that 171 uncounted ballots mysteriously turned up and had apparently been uncounted because of a ballot-counting-machine malfunction on Election Day. Al Franken made a net gain of 37 votes from these ballots, as he got 91 of the total, to 54 for Sen. Coleman, (26 went to other candidates). This gives Coleman an official edge of 305 votes, assuming all the challenged ballots will remain uncounted. The Franken campaign somehow insists Coleman's lead is only about 50 votes.

Georgia- Chambliss vs Martin
Two of the last polls give Chambliss what appears to be a solid edge. Public Policy Polling gives him a 7 pt advantage and the Insider Advantage poll has him up by 4. Additional good signs for the incumbent- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that turnout is light but steady. This probably means the democratic turnout that so helped Obama is not coming out for Martin.

So it looks likely that Republicans will win both of these seats and the question becomes, what does this mean?

It means the Republicans will have to be active participants in the next congress. They won't be able to hide behind a Democratic super-majority and instead will have to engage the other side both on issues they agree on and those they don't. Centrist Republican senators like Susan Collins, Arlen Specter and yes, John McCain, will become pivotal players leading up to 2010. They will feel pressure from the right to obstruct everything that comes down the democratic pike, and they will be pressure from the left to "cross the aisle" and put "country first."

It is going to be an interesting couple of years.

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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

Election Night Redoux

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