A New Year always elicits thoughts about what will be the most important issues of the coming dozen months. In the case of the Democrats and Republicans, the key challenges they face are perhaps not what most might think, at least in my humble view. For the Democrats and their new majorities in Congress, there are two fundamental challenges they must successfully confront if the Donkey is to remain a viable national political party. First, the Democrats must demonstrate that they understand the peril facing America in Jihad and have a systematic strategy for defeating it. They can no longer depend upon voter dissatisfaction with Bush and GOP corruption in Congress. There may well be a slackening of public resolve, thanks to the difficulties of the past year in Iraq, but that will change because there can be little doubt that there will be more terrorist attacks in America. Democrats simply cannot afford to be the party that promised to stop terrorists with cops and failed when the next 9/11 takes thousands of innocent American lives. Second, thanks to the entitlement crisis, Democrats must figure out how to reinvigorate the credibility of activist government. It won’t be enough if Bush settles for a tax hike to “solve” the Social Security funding crisis because such a deal will do nothing about the unsustainability of Medicare, the federal and state pension systems and the rest of the benefits guaranteed by the Great Society edifice, which remains in place. Smart Democrats will eagerly embrace measures like the Coburn-Obama federal funding transparency act and they will lead efforts to apply rigorous and credible performance measures on all federal programs. Democrats should also be the first to demand the end of government programs that don’t deliver what their advocates promise. Democrats need more programs like the Clean Air Act that has succeeded in its stated purpose, not more boondoggles that only create jobs for bureaucrats and cash flows of tax dollars for lobbyists, consultants and “experts.” Conversely for the GOP the challenge of 2007 will be deciding what it stands for. Is it merely a more aggressive provider of earmarks and appropriations for the permanent government and its interests? Or will it be the party that seizes the opportunities created by the Internet and other emerging digital technologies to transform the Democrats’ BigGovernment model by restoring the power of people working individually and together to build the lives they desire. There are lots of creative idea people among the conservative and libertarian troops that have heretofore made up the GOP’s heart and soul. These folks are quite capable of figuring out countless ways to use the wisdom of crowds, collaborative networking, instantaneous communication and limitless space of the Internet both to make government work better and to do so while reinvigorating the Constitution’s republican institutions. The problem is the GOP establishment types who became obsessed after President Bush was first elected in 2000 with staying in power and retaining all those nice perks of office. Will they now step aside and let the people with the needed principles, energy and vision rebuild the party? That will be the central drama for the GOP in 2007. If there is not substantial movement in both parties toward these changes, we will be left essentially with a one-party system — the Government Party, with two competing wings. No, I am not optimistic about either party. But hey, it makes for a target-rich environment for journalists and bloggers of all stripes! Happy New Year. Democrats Republicans Politics
