We heard from erstwhile Bushies former Homeland Security Secretary Gov. Tom Ridge and former Secretary of State Colin Powell today how the Republican Party needs to change and become more inclusive.
Presumably, that has mostly to do with social issues for Ridge and for fiscal policy for Powell.
And there are a lot of Republicans, like Utah Gov. John Huntsman who will become President Obama’s man in China, who are betting that the Democratic era that began in 2006 will continue certainly through 2012.
Powell has generally had more stroke with Democrats than with Republicans. Like he did for the U.N. on Iraq, Powell’s chief political role was to appeal to the middle on behalf of Bush and the GOP. He tried to do the same for Barack Obama, and it no doubt helped with some security-minded moderates. But because Powell, who once considered following the same path Obama took to become the first black president, has such obvious affection for Obama that his arguments to Republicans don’t hold much sway.
Republicans suspect that Powell’s upbraidings are designed to create a party of which he and Obama would approve — a substantially liberal, socially inclusive, race-sensitive party that doesn’t step on corporate toes but rather helps build cartels. The Social or Christian Democrats of Europe are the model. It’s useful for Chris Matthews to trot out (“Even Republicans like Colin Powell…”) but Powell cashed in what GOP credibility he had last year.
Many Republicans dislike Ridge for his fence-straddling. Neither did he win any GOP friends by withholding his support today for presumptive the GOP challenger to Arlen Specter, former Rep. Pat Toomey.
But Ridge, though, still gets the attention of smart GOPers, especially when talking about tone, as he was today. As a Pennsylvania Republican (and a pro-life one at that) Ridge is used to operating in minefields. The message I took from Ridge was that Republicans need to avoid unforced errors and wait for their openings.
The Pew study on voter attitudes last week was very telling.
Americans haven’t suddenly become liberal, but instead are increasingly moving to the muddled middle. Just as the trend with religion, people are bringing the same attitude to the big ideas that they do to their iPods — they want it customizable and personalized.
Just as I can flip from Bob Marley to the Mills Brothers to Rigoletto to Lou Rawls to George Jones to Snoop Dogg, the consumers of political ideology want weird, personalized issue lists that reflect their own views and may not be bearable for anyone else.
The pro-choice, pro-death penalty, animal rights, low tax, foreign policy anti-interventionist party is about as likely to gain traction with voters as my playlist that goes from “Lodi Dodi” to “If Drinkin’ Don’t Kill Me” will be to make it on the Top 40.
But people will still be able to gather in opposition to things (like that playlist, no doubt).
Party loyalty will be harder to maintain because people are becoming increasingly picky and self-interested. That doesn’t mean that the GOP has to move to “anything goes,” though. By being predictable, not borrowing trouble on petty points, and focusing on small government, personal responsibility and national defense, the GOP would get more chances in the post-partisan era than the Democrats.
While voters are willing to give President Obama a chance to implement his plans, few wise people suggest that when we have $10 trillion deficits and an oversupply of currency brought on by printing our way out of debt starts sloshing around, that there won’t be some serious repercussions for the Democrats.
The point from Ridge (when he wasn’t trying to score points on Dick Cheney) was that Republicans have to stay viable in order to be credible and likable enough to seize the reins when Obama gets swamped by his own ambitions.
Ridge was talking about style, not substance, and his arguments there may have some currency among big-brained Republicans. If that happens, keep your eyes on Mitt Romney, who certainly fits into the Ridge mold.
