Conservative ideas can still win

By SAULIUS "SAUL" ANUZIS

The Republican Party must shift toward the center say some pundits. Others urge a tilt to the right. The right answer is that our party must move forward as a party of ideas, innovation, and – yes – conservatism.

The first step is admitting that we were "thumped" in two straight elections not because of ideology but because of hypocrisy. What had been a party dedicated to the power of the American dream and individual freedom lost its way, mired in pork barrel spending and Wall Street bailouts.

Barack Obama seized on this opportunity and won many Americans to his side by promising to deliver on our broken promises.

Rebuilding the Republican Party means reclaiming that vision of hope and opportunity for all, one idea, one neighborhood and one email at a time. For too long, our party has simply focused on finding voters who already agreed with us and getting them to the polls, but somehow we forgot about delivering a compelling message that inspired new members to join our cause. To win, we must do both, and here's how:

One idea at a time. Republicans lost the presidency and seats in Congress on Nov. 4, but our ideas didn't lose. After all, Obama won with a Republican idea as the centerpiece of his platform – tax cuts. To be successful, Republicans must present bold, conservative ideas that deliver on a promise of less government, more freedom and strong national defense.

For example, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) has proposed taking the $350 billion pledged to the Wall Street bailout and instead funding a two month tax holiday for all Americans. That's two months of no income taxes, Social Security or Medicare taxes. That's thousands of dollars to pay mortgages, buy cars or invest in starting a new business that creates jobs. Newt Gingrich takes Rep. Gohmert's idea one step further, suggesting that instead of adopting Speaker Pelosi's dream of a $700 billion stimulus program, the tax holiday could be extended to a full six months. Now, that's what I call the mother of all stimulus packages!

While tax cuts remain central to economic renewal, what's important here is that our message must be more than just “Republicans are tax cutters.” We must talk about other issues that matter to moms and dads sitting at the kitchen table with an overarching theme that "Republicans are problem solvers." That means talking about education, health care, and the environment just as much as we talk about taxes and national security.

The place to find common sense conservative ideas is in the states.

Consider Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who beat his Democrat opponent by nearly 500,000 votes on the strength of a bold agenda that included leasing the Indiana Toll Road and privatizing government services. Now, Gov. Daniels will continue on the reform path, fighting to permanently cap property taxes, streamline government and make college more affordable for middle- and low-income families.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush made education his signature issue and recently offered this advice to help our children learn: "We need to pay for performance for teachers. We need to eliminate tenure. We need much more accountability, we need more school choice." Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is taking that advice and running with it. He is an education pioneer, promoting a merit pay plan that links teacher pay to student performance and urging more rigorous teacher training.

In Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal continues to build on an already impressive reform record with a sweeping proposal to revitalize his state's health care system. Jindal's plan expands access to high quality, affordable care with a commitment to efficiency, transparency and accountability.

What makes Gov. Jindal an ideal messenger for our party is that is has walked the walk, successfully battling for much-needed ethics reform and commanding his state's response to Hurricane Gustav. As the son of immigrants, I connect with him because we share a passionate belief that the American Dream is still alive, that God has a place in our society and that our best days are yet to come. That's a message to inspire more Americans to join our Party.

One neighborhood at a time. Just as our ideas must come from the 50 states, the comeback of the Republican Party must begin with the grassroots in neighborhoods from coast to coast. Right now, there are too many neighborhoods where you are more likely to find a unicorn than a Republican. So our comeback strategy must concentrate on being a party of inclusion.

That means reaching out to all states and all regions of the country, all ethnic, racial and religious groups, and all ages, especially young voters. The bottom line: If we only speak to white men over 40 in states we are already winning, like the many in the south, our comeback will fall short.

The path to majority runs through Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. For example, conservative Republican John Engler won three terms as Michigan's governor by delivering on his bold promises to improve schools, cut taxes, "right size" government and reform welfare. Voters may not have agreed with everything he stood for, but they appreciated his commitment to solve problems and get things done. Following Engler's lead, we must get past endless debates about process and focus on results – because that's what voters care about most and that's how we build a new winning coalition.

Being a party of inclusion also means recruiting candidates with more diverse backgrounds. For example, African American Republicans won seats in the Michigan state House representing the largely white and middle class suburbs of Kalamazoo and Flint.

As a native of working class Detroit where union membership was a way life, I was inspired by Ronald Reagan to become a Republican. So I refuse to accept the idea that any neighborhood or any demographic group is out of reach – that means I refuse to accept the self-fulfilling prophecy that Republicans cannot win in states like New York, California, Illinois, or Washington.

Obama's campaign mantra "Yes, we can" is actually more appropriate to capsulate the Republican message of personal responsibility, individual freedom and commitment to achieving the American dream. In fact, Obama’s agenda is exactly the opposite – less personal responsibility, more government intervention and a commitment to government as the solution. It's time for Republicans to show America that our way of solving problems is not only more effective but in line with their values.

One email at a time. To be successful, the Republican comeback must be driven by a commitment to innovation and to use of the Internet – not just as a tool to communicate our ideas, but as a tool to organize, fundraise and manage every aspect of party operations.

We must learn from the Democrats’ success in 2008 and create a virtual community to carry our message across the nation. I’ve embraced the tools of the digital age, put them to work as a state party chair, challenged traditional media and communicated directly with the public. I blog and Twitter, and Facebook. The Republican Party needs a leader who understands how communities are built and nurtured on the web and knows how to lead our comeback online.

For example, I strongly endorse the 10-point plan developed by Republican activists at www.rebuildtheparty.com. In particular, I agree that “winning the technology war with the Democrats must be the RNC's number one priority over the next four years.” We can have great ideas and show our commitment to inclusion, but without a state-of-the-art technology platform to communicate, organize and fundraise, we can't get the job done.

From recruiting an online army of five million online Republican activists to opening up our technology ecosystem so that entrepreneurs can compete and promote new tools, the Rebuild the Party plan is a blueprint for a complete transformation of how our Party operates – building from the grassroots up, not from Washington on down.

This plan includes a commitment from the RNC to train 25,000 dedicated Republican activists over the next four years and to help recruit and support candidates not just for 435 congressional seats but for state legislatures and local offices, creating a great "farm team" for the next generation of Republican leaders.

Most importantly, the plan calls for reorganization of the RNC based on the principle that an e-campaign division is not enough; innovation and the Internet must "pervade everything the committee does."

What I really like about this strategy is that it recreates the Republican Party not just as a political force but as a civic institution that voters are passionate about and will invite their friends and neighbors to join.

What's next? Right now, voters don’t quite know what to expect from the Republican Party. But we do know what they expect from President Obama. Voters expect tax cuts, spending restraint, secure borders and strong national security. They also expect Obama to respect our nation's values and traditions and to restore our economic strength, not strangle it with excessive regulations and government intervention. Republicans must support President Obama when he meets those expectations, and we must oppose him vigorously when he doesn't.

But to be successful, our party must be more than a loyal opposition. Simply opposing the Democrats will guarantee another four years in the wilderness after Obama's re-election in 2012. We can build our new majority one idea at a time, one neighborhood at a time, and one email at a time. By sticking to our core values and focusing on delivering results, we can start our comeback and show America that Republicans are once again a party that keeps its promises and solves problems.

Saul Anuzis is chairman of the Michigan Republican Party and a candidate for chairman of the Republican National Committee.