For conservatives still reeling from the 2012 presidential election and wondering if there’s a bright spot anywhere on the horizon, there’s good news and there’s bad news.
The good news is, establishment Republicans have admitted there’s a problem. The bad news is, they don’t yet understand that they’re part of it.
As reported by Politico this week, the Republican National Committee has taken steps to figure out what went wrong this past year by, well, doing what committees do best–appointing another committee–to assess their own inefficiencies. As the saying goes, a camel is a horse wrought by committee. Maybe I’ll be surprised, but I don’t hold out much hope that this one will birth anything truly useful.
So forget the committee. Just stick to the following new rules:
1. Democrats aren’t the Visigoths.
I didn’t become a conservative because someone convinced me liberals were terrible people. Conservatism has an uplifting message that we need to promote at every opportunity. And smile more often–voters will be far less terrified of us if we don’t look like we want to eat their children.
2. Don’t endorse stupid.
The Todd Akins of the party won’t be coddled, explained or funded. Strong opinions on abortion, gay marriage and other social issues are welcome, but junk science is not.
3. Get out of the Beltway.
The same tired old establishment voices have been crafting party messaging for decades, and what worked 30 years ago may not work today. Step outside once in a while, leave DC, invite younger thought leaders to the table and consider unorthodox ideas. (Unless they are Newt Gingrich’s).









