Forgetting Reagan at Our Peril

The WSJ had a opinion piece this week title: “Should the GOP forget Reagan?”, in response to comments made by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush over the weekend. The article was great and insightful, but I thought I would throw my own two cents in.
Since last November, Republicans have been stuck in the mud. Not only have they been thrown into the wilderness, but they seem to be lost and still unsure which direction points out and eventually lead them to regain at least some power in the House.

The Republican Party seems to be lingering on one question: What now? Go back to more conservative values or become more moderate? Big tent or little tent? Books, radio pundits and journalist have been running wild offering their own ideas in an attempt to answer this question; and it was exactly what prompted Bush to question the role Reagan plays in the present-day GOP. In my mind, the idea of forgetting Reagan would condemn the GOP to an even longer stay in the wilderness. The real question we should be answering is: what would Reagan do?

First, it is important for Republicans to understand that the wilderness we currently find ourselves sorrowfully wallowing in, pales in comparison to the treacherous jungle that the GOP was flung into after Barry Goldwater’s campaign in 1964, the election that first threw Reagan into the political spotlight. Goldwater was not merely defeated, he was demolished, and many thought - and the Liberals hoped - the conservative movement along with him. Goldwater only received 52 electoral votes compared to Johnson’s 486; that was an 80 percent spread. In the popular vote, Johnson destroyed Goldwater with a 22.7 percent margin.

In 2008, despite the spin, John McCain didn’t get blown out of the water. Barak Obama only received 7 percent more of the popular vote and 35 percent more of the electoral votes. Don’t get me wrong, I am not delusional. It was a decisive victory for the Democrats and the Republicans have limped away badly battered.

While the GOP is facing serious challenges ahead, the leadership and grassroots alike must realize that we have been in worse predicaments in the past and the lessons of history should serve as a guiding light.

The wilderness that created Ronald Reagan and the Reagan Revolution was far more violent towards GOP ideas. What did Reagan do while in the wilderness of the 60s and 70s? What approaches worked? Did he become more moderate after Mr. Conservative was demolished, or did he cling tightly to Conservative values?
While the answers to these questions have and can take up volumes of scholarly work, there is one fact that remains constant and it is exactly what Henniger was referring to: Reagan was a man deeply committed to a set of basic principles. He had an optimistic vision for the country, he believed in freedom, liberty and the amazing abilities of this country and its people. These principles were the backbone of his policies; they were the soil that brought forth the fruit, the ideas that were flushed out into action. A man is defined by his principles; and Reagan was clearly defined.

Reagan knew the party had to grow, but he would not sacrifice Republicanism in order to accomplish that end. Barry Goldwater in “With No Apologies”, quotes Reagan saying, “What we needed was a restatement of fundamental facts of republicanism…we had lost elections because we lacked leadership, because the presence of such radical liberals as (and he lists a slew of Republican senators) ….all wearing the Republican label, made it impossible for the voters to find any significant difference between two major parties. “

There were those in 1964, like today, who want to see the GOP head more centrists. To that, Reagan replied, “I don’t know about you, but I am impatient with those Republicans who after the last election (1972) rushed into say, ‘We must broaden the base of our party’ when what they meant to say was to fuzz up and blur even more the difference between ourselves and our opponents.” On another occasion, Reagan said “a political party cannot be all things to all people. It must represent certain fundamental beliefs which must not be compromised to political expediency or simply to swell its numbers…if there are those who cannot subscribe to these principles then let them go away.”

Sounds pretty “small tent” minded, doesn’t it? But, I would venture to say that Reagan expanded the GOP base more than any other Republican in history. Young voters flocked to him; they actually spearheaded his run against Ford. Regan carried every state but one in ’84. To me, that sounds like the largest small tent I have ever heard of.

Reagan knew that in order for the GOP to succeed, it needed to differentiate itself from its opponents; it needed to offer a clear alternative to the Democrats. If the GOP wanted to be a viable Party in the future, it needed to build itself upon a set of principles that defined the conservative movement: individual liberties, freedom and the ability to pursue happiness any way a person saw fit. Nowadays, everyone is scrambling for every last vote, that the identity of the parties have been lost. Who would have thought, in 2008, the Democrats would be the champions of tax cuts? In fact, the optimism of Obama sounded very Reaganish.

If the GOP wants to find a way back from the wilderness, it first must find itself again. The GOP is in need of some good old soul searching, and that always begins by looking inwards. It must become a Party built on fundamental principles and let their policies flow from there. If Republicans want to start winning, they must clearly contrast their sets of beliefs with the opposition. Obama is giving the GOP a golden opportunity to do this. The President is seeking to drastically overhaul the American government and the American way of life: taxes, socialized health care, massive government, appeasement with our enemies; all ideas that the GOP can effectively challenge on principle.

At the moment, it is ok to be the “Party of No” and it is fine for Rep. Cantor to be nicknamed “Dr. No”; but, at least show the Americans why, at least offer them a principled alternative. We cannot forget Reagan or the lessons he taught us during his time in the wilderness. Not because we are trapped in the “heyday” of Republicanism or because we are nostalgic for an era long past, but, because it worked.