Many, in both political camps, have decided that they are all-powerful and have the answer for what Republicans must do to again become a viable party. It would be a fairly safe bet to put little to no stock in the declarations coming from the opposition. Advice from those who profess Republican bone fides and yet echo the advice from those who aspire to permanently banish us to minority status is equally ill advised. 

The key to a Republican resurgence will not be in the form of a campaign slogan, rhetorical message or demographic pandering; it will require strategy and tactics.

For starters, Republicans must end the intimidation factor of the mainstream press. The media is for the most part an organization with a serious liberal bias. Republicans need to understand that no amount of pandering will result in favorable media coverage. Since the media have now adopted both a partisan and a political agenda however, Republicans “must” subject these agents of propaganda to the same vetting process and public scrutiny as the media does the candidates. The media must not be allowed to operate as a political party incognito.      

Moreover, the Republican message has no punch. It is delivered in a fog of non-committal rhetoric couched in words without conviction. Call it the Miranda approach, they want to be sure that nothing they say can and will be used against them. It may be a politically safe approach but it hardly instills confidence and does even less for respect in the American voter. For all the reasons that have caused Republicans to suffer at the polls, this spineless, conciliatory, back peddling sits at the top of the list. 

In addition, linking Democrats to notorious figures is a non-starter. The left celebrates unsavory and radical behavior. Domestic terrorist, William Ayers, is now enjoying celebrity status as a result of being used in this manner in the last election. What is required is an airtight argument as to the dangers, consequences and deterioration we suffer as a nation as a result of this despicable behavior. Only then, can the Democrats’ frequent associations with these individuals be linked with those of such disgusting character and reputation. 

Perhaps the most effective strategy the Dems have developed is the ability to take even the most direct and damaging charges and criticism from the right and turn them into a point of ridicule against them. It is effectively accomplished by issuing a blanket rejection of the charges and a militaristic discipline among Democrats to echo these talking points verbatim. Republicans must develop a serious “anti-talking-point” strategy. 

A perfect example of this is the results of a November 18 survey conducted by Zogby International. Of the 512 Obama voters who were given questions in the multiple-choice survey, only 2% were able to correctly answer all of the questions about Barack Obama and only about 50% could correctly answer half or more. However, over 80% of these same people were able to correctly answer negative questions about John McCain and Sarah Palin. 

In short, the Dems have been extremely successful in silencing criticism from their opposition while clearly articulating their own attack against them.  Attacks high in vitriol and slander and seriously absent facts and truth. It is time for the Republican Party to join the information age and develop a network system that can dwarf the formidable juggernaut created by the Democratic Party. It must be broad in scope and intimately aligned with both the conservative and Republican Blogosphere. If it is to have any chance for success however, it must be driven by the grass roots and not mired in beltway groupthink. 

Lastly, one of the greatest opportunities for Republicans is to “re-educate” the American people in the principles of freedom and democracy. One of the most disturbing perceptions expressed by many of those who supported Barack Obama is nested in statements as to “how he will rule.” This is America, we don’t have “rulers,” we are a nation “governed” by those we elect to represent us. What greater opportunity is there, than to remind the people that they are a free and democratic society, not subjects.  

The Republican Party can regain the position of leadership: if, they demonstrate the dangers of the current entitlement mentality; clearly articulate that our rights come from god not government; dispel the growing perception of “rule by the government;” awaken the ability in the people to think for themselves; put names to those responsible for our failures and most importantly, “dare to lead.”      

A mild sense of disconnect began to become noticeable somewhere around the end of the presidential primaries. It went unnoticed for a time but was undeniable by the time of the presidential debates. In the early stages, I still followed my usual routine and faithfully tuned to the political programs and pundits that I had come to rely on for my political fix.  But more and more, the rush I would get from their prognostications was waning in intensity. 

It was when I found myself watching more of the Food Network programming, which aired at the same time as my trusted pushers of politics that I knew I had to face my demons. Would I be able to finally break my addiction to politicaholism or would I forever be a slave to the talking heads, political analysts and issue experts? 

Driving this new and refreshing freedom was the realization that a political culture, steeped in its own self-importance, had no clue as to the enormity of the consequences and the realities that face both this nation and its people. When the substance of the arguments became focused on the need to destroy the character of an ordinary citizen as a result of the candid reply to a perfectly appropriate question, and allegations of the impropriety of the cost of a wardrobe, all credibility ceased to exist. 

It has been instructive to observe the media shaping their message, position and personal evaluations of all things political depending on which direction the election seemed to be going. If the momentum favored candidate “A” the focus and fawning followed. If the tides reversed and candidate “B” was in vogue, the result was similar. The reason is obvious, the media is not interested in reporting the news, they want to “be” the news. 

So, while I will never abandon my passion for participating in the political fabric of this nation, I am quite capable of separating propaganda from the facts. Stated more simply, it means that I will never again allow any medium to serve as the basis of my political assumptions. There are those who I believe I can trust to present “the rest of the story” but never again will they be the catalyst for my opinions. 

“We the people” have allowed a partisan medium to dictate how we think and feel about the critical issues that govern our lives. We have succumbed to the fraud that is “Global Warming” and are ready to bow to the carbon tax punishment for the sin of keeping our homes warm in the winter. We chant in hypnotic trance to the windmill deity of electric power, the salvation of the electric car and the permanent banishment of fossil fuels, but never ask the question; how will our obedience to the green doctrine impact the very fabric of our lives? 

In short, we have essentially stopped thinking for ourselves and allowed a partisan media with a political agenda to tell us what we think and how we should interpret what is said because they know better than we as to what the speaker actually meant. It is chilling to understand how many opinions and personal positions are programmed daily into the accepting minds of those who receive them without question and no means to rebut if they do. Programming that for me now comes with a warning, “This program may cause serious damage to your cognitive drive.”   

This new sense of purpose and personal freedom is enlightening. A freedom that I hope compels a majority of Americans to reject the persuasion of personalities as a substitute for the research incumbent on them to make the informed and wise decisions as to whom they will select to represent them in elected office.   

Blasphemy you say! Do you know the consequences an Obama administration will have on the fabric and foundation of this nation? Yes, and frankly, the thought scares my socks off but there is more driving my turbulent thought processes. In spite of the media blitz, enormous campaign funds and a Democratic Party acting in lockstep to blame the world’s ills on Republicans, it is still a close race. 

The very success of Barack Obama, a political novice, a man of extremely modest achievement, a man with a sealed past and a man associated with the epitome of those who seek to destroy all that has made this nation great is instructing. In the absence of a dynamic Republican leader, the Democrats have been successful in their ability to demoralize the Republican base through harassment, blame, innuendo and lies and put an enigma at the threshold of the presidency. 

Two factors stand out as Election Day approaches. First, is that a powerful political machine, to include a majority of the mainstream media, has been overt in their determination to elect Barack Obama as our next president. Secondly, even with this enormous effort, backed by hundreds of millions of dollars, McCain is within the margin of error in many polls. If McCain prevails over Obama, given the enormity and probably corrupt effort against him, the ensuing physical and political donnybrook could be beyond description. 

It isn’t the potential for an angry to violent confrontation that concerns me as much as an already unhinged liberal mob, to include a thoroughly humiliated media and a Democratic Party with the intent of absolute power. This is the same extreme liberal coalition that has successfully demonized the Bush presidency. It didn’t help that George Bush found in inappropriate to aggressively push back. It is this circumstance that would put a president McCain at the mercy of the press and a Congress controlled by the Democrats. 

John McCain, in spite of his many accomplishments and triumphs, has not demonstrated that he would be any more dynamic than George Bush in inspiring the public at large and holding the Democrats accountable for their hypocrisy.  The fear is that another uninspiring Republican president that is led by the nose by an arrogant Democratic Party could be the final straw to silence any remaining shred of enthusiasm among Republicans.

It is important to note at this point, that Barack Obama has clearly demonstrated that he is not presidential material. In spite of glowing rhetoric, adoring crowds and an obsequious media, he appears incapable of making a decision. While he has an idea in his own mind of the types of policies he wants to “impose” on this nation, he has all the cohesion of marbles in the explanation of the details of those policies and how they will impact mainstream America.  

Moreover, as his own running mate has stated, the world and especially our enemies will “test” a president Obama. It will be the inexperienced, indecisive, noncommittal Obama that will be forced to meet that challenge. His response is likely to leave both our enemies and our allies in disgust. 

So yes, I will be voting for John McCain on Election Day but I will be conflicted in my decision.   Is it better for America to have an experienced and tested man in office whose every action will be thwarted by an extremely hostile congress or allow the Democrats enough rope to hang themselves by virtue of finally being held accountable for their actions? 

In the meantime, we must never again allow the circumstance where a few political elites and a media with an extreme political bias select our candidate. We need to begin today to find a person with the vision, strategic ability and tactical skills of Newt Gingrich, a person with the fortitude and determination of a Rudy Giuliani to take on the corrupt Democrat machine and the political, organizational and problem solving skills of a Mitt Romney. A comprehensive job description to be sure, now we just need to find the candidate.   

It is clear that those who identify themselves as conservatives and Republicans are awakening from the lethargic stupor of the 2006 elections. In the lead in to the takeover of both the House and the Senate by the Democrats in that year, the attitude of Republicans was to send a message to those they elected with a strong warning that their complete abandonment of conservative principles and fiscal responsibility would cost them at the ballot box. They failed to listen and the result was Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.

As we headed into the presidential elections of 2008, the conventional wisdom was that Hillary Clinton was a “slam-dunk” to win in November. Republicans still did not seem to care, they simply complained about Mitt Romney’s Mormon religion, Rudy Giuliani’s pro-choice position and why wasn’t Fred Thompson running a more aggressive campaign. The one thing they seemed to agree on was that John McCain was a non-starter. While they were busy fighting among themselves, John McCain did an end-run.   

Similarly, on the Democrat side, while everyone seemed to agree that it was Hillary’s race to lose, partisans on both sides fell all over themselves to be on record as embracing Barack Obama. The dash to be the first to demonstrate their racial impartiality on camera looked like opening the doors of major emporiums to a pre Christmas day sale. In their haste to show the bone fides of their racial temperance, they completely overlooked what and who this man really was. Obama didn’t need to do an end-run, he just whistled as he walked past the focus on Hillary. 

When Barack Obama won the Iowa Caucuses, it created an opening, one it seems that many in the Democratic Party were looking for. To a large extent, Barack Obama is a manifestation of both Clinton Fatigue Syndrome and white guilt. Democrats were so sure that they had this election in the bag, they took the opportunity to both “take out Hillary Clinton” and play on white guilt at the same time by putting a charismatic black candidate in her place.  Enter the mainstream media. 

If ever there was a statement to verify the accusation by those on the right as to the bias the media has for the left and certainly for the Democrats, it was Barack Obama’s “Most Excellent Tour” of Iraq and Europe in July. “Go to Iraq” John McCain said, meet with Gen. Petraeus, talk to the Iraqi people and see the progress and success of the military surge in bringing stability to that nation. So, for the first time in some 900 days and with a contingency of every major network news anchor, some 300 advisors and a production crew that would be the envy of most movie sets, Obama accepted McCain’s challenge. 

The extravaganza, the hype, the pretense and the hypocrisy of that trip was the proverbial straw that broke the bonds of conservative lethargy. The audacity of the media to portray Barack Obama as the second coming was over the top. Conservatives were mad as hell and well, they were stuck with John McCain. Wiley ol’ John had one more trick up his sleeve though, he chose Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin, as his running mate.  With his selection of a true conservative, all was forgiven, until the media decided to do what it does best, feloniously assault the character of Gov. Palin. 

The intensity, the ferocity, the insensitive demeaning and hurtful attacks that have been waged on Sarah Palin is so disgusting and unworthy of a medium that declares itself to be the “free press,” they have forever lost and will never regain that designation again. It is unclear at this point, as to how much this will be a factor in November but regardless of who wins the election, conservatives and Republicans are not likely to again lapse into civic lethargy anytime soon. 

Our economy is poised on the brink because of liberal social experimentation with the market and the Democrats eschew blame smiling like Cheshire Cats. We face the threat of energy blackmail at the hand of the hostile nations that supply our energy needs and Democrats wax ridiculous for alternatives that barely meet 1% of our demand. We face a radical extremist ideology that is determined to destroy us and the Democrats talk of dialogue. This, while a media with a political agenda successfully silences the voices of dissent.