A New Face for Conservatives?

Barack Obama won the election for a number of reasons. He was wildly popular when the incumbent President’s approval rating was at an all-time low. He embodied youthful hope. Most importantly, he never once strayed from his message.

The Republican Party, on the other hand, has fallen far from its roots. It once stood for smaller government and greater individual responsibility. Since the Gingrich Revolution, the Republicans have turned into big spenders. They’ve started increasing dependence on government, because they liked the power.

So how do the Republicans get back on track? I think the answer is fairly simple. There are a great number of people in this country who label themselves as Centrists, or Moderates. (Although, the media will have you believe that only Republican or Democrat means anything.) If the Republican Party reaches out, and brings in this Centrist group, they can reclaim power.

In the last few elections, “independents” have been key. Unfortunately, the “independent” label gets applied to all political parties outside the Big Two. The largest third party in the country, the Libertarian Party, offers possibly the most centrist view. The Libertarian philosophy is quite simple, “Less government, more personal freedom.” Most Libertarians are former Republicans who realized that their Party was straying from its original purpose.

If the Republicans hope to regain prominence, they should first invite the Libertarians back into the fold by, essentially, “rebooting” the Party. For a reference to popular culture, consider how the new Batman movies came about. Christopher Nolan re-launched the series with the same characters, but a truer, more “real-life” story. Republicans need to do the same with their platform.

Make an official stand as the Republican Party that they will stand against all earmarks, pork barrel spending, they will fight to end the useless-yet-overpriced War on Drugs, reclaim the status as Party #1 on national defense, and limit government involvement in our daily lives.

Every Party needs a face, though. Since 2004, Barack Obama has stood as the face of the Democratic Party, taking the torch from FDR, Kennedy, Kennedy, and then Clinton. The Conservative side of the aisle needs a face. Someone fairly young and charismatic; someone that can carry the torch, be the standard-bearer. Sarah Palin does NOT fit the bill on this one. I tried to support her, and I found it funny that the liberal media did all it could to destroy her. But in the end, she just wasn’t what this country needed.

A potential “face” for the Conservative movement is current Louisiana Governor Piyush “Bobby” Jindal. He is the youngest serving Governor (36 years old), and he breaks the Conservative mold of “old, white guy” (his parents are Punjabi Indian immigrants). He sets the standard for Conservative leadership, allowing the legislature enough room to govern themselves, but stepping in when necessary, and he shows poise in learning from his mistakes.

The Republicans have dug themselves a wonderful hole, and with the right thinking, and the right faces, they can dig themselves right back out.