The battle for the GOP begins now…(Part 2)

We wrote about this two weeks ago:

Whether McCain wins or loses, the party needs a massive overhaul and there needs to be a push to make Reagan conservatism the focal point of the platform.  That is the only forumla for success in elections; this goes not only for general elections, but for elections at the state and local levels.  The reason why states such as Virginia and North Carolina could be turning blue is that the Democrats have spent the past few years developing Democrat strongholds in state governments and municipalities.  The Republican party needs to focus on organization and efficiency, bound together by a coherent platform and message. 

Perhaps the Republicans need a few years in the political wilderness.  However, the costs of defeat are high and any policies set in place by a liberal Congress and liberal President will take years to reverse.  They’re already ecstatic at the prospect of spending even more taxpayer money.  The media and leftist bloggers are full of hatred for Republicans and conservatives, but they will claim that this is a victory for big government and liberalism in general.  As Balko notes, this election is not a repudiation of smaller government, just more big government under the GOP banner.

During the primaries, a lot of the establishment Republican pundits and talking heads were bloviating about what a great choice John McCain would be, as he has experience reaching across the aisle, appealing to bipartisan sensibilities in Congress like Joe Lieberman and the like.  Apparently, that strategy did not turn out so well in the general election, and an all too accommodating media were obliged to incessantly point out the opposite; the Obama talking point that McCain was too partisan, a clone of President Bush.  No surprise, the very same people who supported McCain for this very reason (read Peggy Noonan, Christopher Buckley) were busy jumping ship at the eleventh hour. 

As Malkin puts it, the Republican Party does not need  to water down our conservative principles; it needs to refocus on them.  Those responsible for letting Republicans in the Senate and House turn into an abyss of bi-partisan spendthrifts, need to be held accountable.

The inclination will be to throw President Bush under the bus as well, but this is not acceptable either.  The President is lambasted for reaching over the aisle, while succumbing to liberal inclinations in policy as well (NCLB, immigration, etc)  The WSJ:

This is the price Mr. Bush is paying for trying to work with both Democrats and Republicans. During his 2004 victory speech, the president reached out to voters who supported his opponent, John Kerry, and said, “Today, I want to speak to every person who voted for my opponent. To make this nation stronger and better, I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust.”

Those bipartisan efforts have been met with crushing resistance from both political parties.

The president’s original Supreme Court choice of Harriet Miers alarmed Republicans, while his final nomination of Samuel Alito angered Democrats. His solutions to reform the immigration system alienated traditional conservatives, while his refusal to retreat in Iraq has enraged liberals who have unrealistic expectations about the challenges we face there.

It seems that no matter what Mr. Bush does, he is blamed for everything. He remains despised by the left while continuously disappointing the right.