Core values are great, but if you aren’t in power, you cower on the sidelines and whisper them to the passing parade.

I agree that the Conservatives need not turn to the left, to get the center because by turning to the left, you are turning your back on the very people who are your core.

What we need is someone who can communicate conservative ideas in a way to bring the centrists to the right.

Someone who can sell it ‘like Reagan’ so that all the uneducated masses can understand it.

They have to be genuine and trustworthy first, not just fake folksy, and then be able to explain:
1. Why increasing taxes doesn’t bring in more revenue.
2. Why tucking our head in the middle east sand doesn’t help us be safe in a world full of bully’s.
3. Why drilling in downtown New York City if there is oil there is a good thing.
4. Why investing in new sources of energy will bring us more jobs.
5. Why buying goods from communists and Terrorists only strengthens them, not us.
6. Why being fat, lazy and stupid raises our health care costs.
And Lastly,
7. Why to get anything in life that you want all you have to do is incentivize enough other people to do it.

If you want people to spend money, don’t tax their credit card interest.

If you want them to save, don’t tax their savings interest.

If you want them to invest, don’t tax capital gains.

If you want 400 mile battery technology then put a prize out their for the person or company who develops it. And make patent exclusivity for it.

If you want people to be responsible for their own health care, don’t give them a free tax credit. Allow them to invest in a Tax Free Savings account and let them shop for insurance across the nation.

If you want businesses not to go over seas, then don’t tax them to death, just burn a lawyer a day in effigy so they know that they won’t get sued for making their coffee to hot.

Our Country is significantly messed up, but it didn’t get this way over night. The left has been working on it for decades.

We need to find some standard bearers and work on getting it back with the same diligence.

and then he raised our taxes.

Another lie from you; it is Congress that raises taxes; Reagan only withheld his veto because the lying Dems promised two dollars of spending cuts for every one dollar in increased taxes, but of course, they lied.

With Robert’s definition of investment at least.

Mine is spending money to make more money. What’s yours?
Govt spending is subsidy, at best, and waste, usually.

A more extensive version from Economist.com:

Investment

Putting MONEY to work, in the hope of making even more money. Investment takes two main forms: direct spending on buildings, machinery and so forth, and indirect spending on financial SECURITIES, such as BONDS and SHARES.

Traditionally, economic theory says that a country’s total investment must equal its total SAVINGS. But this has never been true in the short run and, as a result of GLOBALISATION, may never be even in the long run, as countries with low savings can attract investment from overseas and foreign savers lacking opportunities at home can invest abroad (see FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT).

The more of its GDP a country invests, the faster its economy should grow. This is why GOVERNMENTS try so hard to increase total investment, for instance, using tax breaks and subsidies, or direct PUBLIC SPENDING on INFRASTRUCTURE. However, recent evidence suggests that the best way to encourage private-sector investment is to pursue stable macroeconomic policies, with low INFLATION, low INTEREST RATES and low rates of TAXATION. Curiously, economic studies have not found evidence that higher levels of investment lead to higher rates of GDP GROWTH. One explanation for this is that the circumstances and manner in which money is invested count at least as much as the total sums invested. It ain’t how much you do, it’s the way that you do it.

Emphasis added by me. Govt spending can either encourage or discourage private sector investment, and govt keeping its nose out of the market can allow the maximum return on investment.
Clear now?

What’s your definition?

So you want to do MORE of what lost you this election. Hilarious!

Keep it up, nutters, and no Republican will get elected dog catcher for years!

Gman! Nice post.

So, I will say this one last time: We conservatives have lost our way not because our vision for America is not the right vision; but, because we have no one that can give voice to those values and to that vision clearly to America.

That is an excellent way to put it. We need the messenger. Someone who can reach all conservatives and keep the current base, but at the same time express why conservatism benefits young people as well. Take nearly any young person in ND this year for example – the vision needs to be something other than we won’t raise your taxes – hardly any young peoples taxes will be raised by Obama – they don’t make $150k, $200k, $250k, whatever his level may be. The GOP had no message to embrace those people. For the most part, young Republicans don’t care about abortion, gay marriage, etc. They just want small government and fiscal conservativeness, but to the young folks, Obama’s plan (unfortunately) isn’t all that negative for them. They have little if any stock holdings so cap gains aren’t affecting them, they certainly aren’t making $200k a year, etc. so to them Barry seemed like a pretty good fit unfortunately.

Neiman:

Republicans are calling for a bigger tent, more moderate and liberal Republicans because of our losses.

We do need more bodies, but going the McCain way to the center isn’t the answer.

I wish I had access to the Reagan tapes as does Hannity, today he played comments by Reagan that said in effect, if they don’t embrace our conservative values, bid them well and let them go out of the party.

and then he raised our taxes.

Works for me — The part of compassionate conservative punching bag needs to be retired permanently.

I could never figure out why Bush signed all those big spending bills. The result is exactly how I expected it to be.

I agree with The Whistler.

I’ve never seen anyone do more heavy lifting, with less support from ANY Quarter – McCain from Day 1 was in there undercutting and undermining President Bush – certainly the second he saw any perceived weakness, as from a Dim attack, or any thing else, he leaped into the breach to exploit the situation so fully…
Never has a GOP Candidate thrown so many Conservatives under the bus, in the GOP HISTORY.

Sarah needs to clarify her statement, considerably, as far as I am concerned.

Because certainly it is a problem when a Party abandons their leader in the midst of the battle at the Front Lines.
And we all know some incidents or other that Bush didn’t “handle the way WE wanted it done” …

But I want to know if she thinks the loss was the fault of President Bush, or the fault of the stampede.

Neiman it seems to me that you have to settle on a philosophy that WILL win and once it does stick to it.

The repubs failed to do it and hence the current situation.

RealityBasedBob:

And then he raised our taxes again.

Damn, you are really stupid.

Reagan’s first public appearance after that was at the University of North Dakota field house in a campaign stop for Mark Andrews.

I still have great memories of being there.

He ranks, IMO, in the top Four Presidents: (1) Washington, because he refused to be king and set the pattern. (2) Lincoln, for all the obvious reasons in preserving the Union. (3) Reagam for many things, but mostly for ending the Cold War without firing a shot. (4) FDR, despite his Court packing scheme and being president for life, he was a great leader during a critical time in our history.

Whistler:

The ironic irony in that is that McCain should have won on that issue. &heellip; But the worthless one wasn’t able to make the issue of the day HIS issue of the day.

He might have been forgiven for his klutziness if this hadn’t been the case. Bt too many people new this, and expected him to exploit it.

When he demonstrated his trademark lack of flexibility in dealing with what should have been a winning issue, it closed the deal for Barrack.

Robert108:

The only investment comes from the private sector.

With Robert’s definition of investment at least.

By which I take you to mean “if he hadn’t been McCain”.

Exactly, hence the contradiction that the race was over when McCain was nominated but even then, against Obama, it was winnable if McCain would have done what it takes.

But McCain is who he is and isn’t going to reinvent himself.

Regarding the “big tent.” It seems to me that we have to refocus on the brand. What makes a Republican worth voting for? Then sell that.

Now it’s one thing to stand for limited government but you have to sell the benefits to people that are willing to listen.

I could never figure out why
Bush signed all those big spending bills.

Keep working at it,
everything is illuminated.

I agree.

Let’s hope more Republicans follow Palin’s lead.