The Republican Party is at a huge turning point. With the Bush wing of conservative Evangelicals largely disparaged by the Left, along with a large majority of Main Street America, the party is ripe for a realignment. McCain represented (or possibly still represents) the direction the party needs to move in. Unfortunately, one of McCain’s dismal campaign failures was his inability to fully embrace this New Republican.
The maverick image John McCain always held was due to his intense differences with the old guard Republicans. More moderate socially, McCain was quite ready to go against party lines when his conscience dictated. This is the McCain that was chosen by the Republican base to lead the party back to the White House. In many ways, the choice of McCain, in the primaries, was a direct refutation of the Bush base.
However, this McCain quickly disappeared during the presidential campaign, as strategists worried about the loss of the traditional Evangelical base. Rather than sticking to his moderate New Republican roots, McCain chose to straddle the fence in order to appease the old base. This demonstrated a huge concern that a moderate Republican would fail without pulling from the extreme right. McCain shifted his own ‘beliefs’ and even made a questionable choice in Vice President- all to grow support in this group.
This choice looks like it will cost the Republicans the election. The signals were all too clear for a drastic shift in the Republican base. The majority of Republicans seemingly saw this, by putting McCain on the head of the ticket. Independents and some clear headed Democrats (Lieberman) saw this. The Left even saw this as the Bush base became an ever brighter target for their attacks.
The fact of the matter is, particularly after Bush, the old guard Republicans is an outdated part of the party. The Republicans need to change their image and return to the fundamental ideologies of the party. This blog will aim to put forward a new vision of the Republican Party. One, that going forward, needs to be strong and committed to its ideals. Whether McCain wins or loses in the next week, a fundamental change is needed.
The maverick image John McCain always held was due to his intense differences with the old guard Republicans. More moderate socially, McCain was quite ready to go against party lines when his conscience dictated. This is the McCain that was chosen by the Republican base to lead the party back to the White House. In many ways, the choice of McCain, in the primaries, was a direct refutation of the Bush base.
However, this McCain quickly disappeared during the presidential campaign, as strategists worried about the loss of the traditional Evangelical base. Rather than sticking to his moderate New Republican roots, McCain chose to straddle the fence in order to appease the old base. This demonstrated a huge concern that a moderate Republican would fail without pulling from the extreme right. McCain shifted his own ‘beliefs’ and even made a questionable choice in Vice President- all to grow support in this group.
This choice looks like it will cost the Republicans the election. The signals were all too clear for a drastic shift in the Republican base. The majority of Republicans seemingly saw this, by putting McCain on the head of the ticket. Independents and some clear headed Democrats (Lieberman) saw this. The Left even saw this as the Bush base became an ever brighter target for their attacks.
The fact of the matter is, particularly after Bush, the old guard Republicans is an outdated part of the party. The Republicans need to change their image and return to the fundamental ideologies of the party. This blog will aim to put forward a new vision of the Republican Party. One, that going forward, needs to be strong and committed to its ideals. Whether McCain wins or loses in the next week, a fundamental change is needed.
