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 American Conservative » Rod Dreher

Via Meadia

Front Porch Republic

David Brooks

The Soap Box

A Development to cheer about in Europe...no really...

Making plain their unhappiness with the European parliament and local officials across Europe, voters rejected leftist and socialist governments and overwhelmingly voted for conservative and far-right parties. From the WSJ:

Elections to the 736-seat body were a mishmash of local political needs and lofty debates over the future and purpose of the European Union. But one thread was clear. It was a "very sad evening for socialists in Europe," said Martin Schulz, a German who is president of the Socialist group in the European Parliament. "In most countries we did very badly."

Sign of things to come?

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