Aftermath 2: Acting Like Conservatives

The soul-searching continues on the Right.

People like Sean Hannity - by far the weakest and most inane of the radio talk show hosts - continue to tell the "base" that when conservatives "act like conservatives" they get elected. And that's the crux of it, without any further explanation. Some obvious issues like federal spending are cited as supporting detail. Again, this means either:

1. The GOP grassroots stayed at home instead of voting for the least awful option - the incumbent conservatives who were, instead, "acting like politicians" on issues like immigration because they balked at the prospects of throwing millions of people out of the country.
2. The voters who really wanted conservatives didn't actually stay at home, but they somehow thought the Democrats would be the next best thing - either because they are fatalistic or confused.

And it isn't clear what "acting like conservatives" means in terms of the war in Iraq, the single issue where sticking unquestioningly to plan seems to yield the least results. On the toughest, most painful and costly issue of the day are people on the Right still suggesting that we conservatively, loyally, and dutifully toe the party line? Or are the polls (and media) wrong when they report that this was a key item in the voters minds? In the final analysis the ballot may have looked, to many, like a choice between "more of the same" and "change direction", regardless of who wore which jersey.

Results. Results are conservative. They may not be conclusive, roll-up-the-troops and go home in victory results, they may be a progressive, hard-fought result only incrementally better than last year. But they are results - and they may need to be communicated forcefully to the citizenry above the distortion of the media. Even on domestic issues, we need results. Republicans, if they aren't going to become irrelevant in the long haul, are going to have to account for Hispanic voters, to answer the political question by showing them which political party has the best answers for their prosperity - while simultaneously delivering results in the area of our out-of-control borders. A tough problem, but it takes more wits and leadership than seems to exist in the politicians pushed forward by the GOP.

Politics is still a game of communication - appealing to constituents and controlling a message. Republicans have too often ceded this battle to the Democrats and their media allies - and they have still managed to achieve some success, because there have been some noticeable results (which are often claimed by opportunistic Democrats). But without visible results or a vigorous plan to communicate and manage expectation - nobody should be surprised when the average voter yearns for a change of direction.

Next Up: Is this good news for weasely centrists like me? There are some signs - McCain is still a front-runner, the return of Lieberman the Triumphant, and all of the newly elected quasi-conservative Democrats (people who will rip off their masks in January, according to talk radio, to expose themselves as godless socialists). Are the times a-changin'?