Long Road Back

From Ben Smith, Moderate Republicans:

If there were a strong moderate strain in the GOP leadership, it would be saying things along the lines of a new essay by former Virginia Rep. Tom Davis in the Ripon Society's publication. The essay argues that the GOP needs a few clear principles on big issues, that social issues are a distraction, and that there's no hope to be found in looking back.

Davis writes:

What we can’t do is go back. I’ve heard much talk of going back to our conservative roots, to the issues that helped us win in 1980 and 1994. That issue matrix has changed so much as to be nearly unrecognizable now. The voters who dealt us our electoral disasters in 2006 and 2008 did so because they thought we were all too true to our roots. That we were exclusive, favored rich over poor, and didn’t care sufficiently for the plight of the little person.

Also, I suspect this call to return to our “roots” really is a call to do nothing. And doing nothing, I hope Republicans will agree, is not an option.

This may be a valid argument, but it's not one that you'll find anywhere near the center of Republican politics now, after the Democratic takeover has purged it of its swing-district moderates. It's not something anyone in the race for RNC chairman would dare whisper.

Tom Davis is clearly correct on a few counts.

Whatever "issue matrix" means, it is nearly unrecognizable and so the old terms, like "moderate" are empty of meaning.

This issue matrix is obviously multi-dimensional and there is no one path to success or defeat, but the following appears mostly true: The GOP has done best when it has portrayed itself as aligned with the values and interests of ordinary Americans in contrast to elitist and effete Democrats. The GOP has done most poorly when it is portrayed as a tool of the Rich and Powerful, unable to care less about the issues and concerns of ordinary Americans. Whatever the way back, it likely involves strengthening the former narrative and weakening the latter.

But he is wrong on some big things:

In as much as conservative social values are the GOP's best hope to make in-roads amongst generally socially conservative minorities, it is not in the GOP's interest to drop altogether its support of conservative social values.

It is rather perverse for a conservative to conflate "our roots" with being exclusive, favoring rich over poor, and not caring sufficiently for the plight of the "little person". That is a liberal's caricature of conservative roots.

I would like to believe that long road back for Republicans lies in remembering and exploiting the Democratic party's fatal flaw. In the end, the Democratic party is the party of We-Know-Better-Then-You. Democrats tend, reflexively, to prefer policies that make choices for people to policies that empower people to make their own, educated and informed, choices. The Republicans, then, ought, once again, become the party of You-Decide.