GOP - Searching for a leader
Anyone following the circus act at this years CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) can’t help but scratch their head and wonder what ever became of the Grand Old Party? When republicans turn to clowns like Rush Limbaugh and Joe the Plumber for direction, you know they’re in trouble.
One of their major problems, of course, has been the disastrous leadership of George W. Bush. How bad was it? I’ll let Andy Barr of Politico tell you. In a piece titled ‘Bush a four-letter word at CPAC‘, he wrote:
“Conservatives aren’t sure who’s the Republican presidential frontrunner in 2012. They disagree over how sharply to attack President Barack Obama and on the question of whether a back-to-basics approach is the path back to majority.”
“But if there’s one thing those attending the annual Conservative Political Action Conference this week agree on, it is this: They don’t want another George W. Bush.”
“Few come out right out and say it, but they don’t have to. There’s no nostalgia for the past eight years, no tributes to Bush and no sessions dedicated to exploring his presidency.”
“Indeed, for a president who publicly embraced conservative principles, there is little evidence that the movement returns the sentiment. When the subject of the 43rd president has come up at CPAC — where he spoke each year of his presidency — it’s usually been in an unflattering context.”
Hmmm…not too surprising I’d say. Mike Huckabee, who many believe will run once more in 2012, said in a speech on Thursday:
“You know what kind of conservatives we need most? Competent conservatives. It’s when we lose our competence, that Americans lose their confidence.”
Right you are, Mike. And Americans discovered in 2006 that the current version of the Republican party was highly incompetent and they reaffirmed their discovery in 2008…and both times they let you know at the voting booth.
My belief is that Republican’s problems lie deeper than the Bush fiasco. It appears more and more that the party is out of step with what Americans want. It might be time for them to examine their core ideology and determine what parts of it are no longer tenable to Americans. Simply saying “NO!!” to every non-conservative idea without offering alternatives which make sense to Americans would appear to be a losing proposition.
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