Principles vs. electability: the future of the Republican Party

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" ~ Mark 8:36 (King James Version)

I couldn't help but think of this verse yesterday as I filled in for Brian Wilson on WSPD and we talked about the recent flap over supporting conservatives or the best conservative who could win.

I understand that the role of a political party is to elect its candidates. But what we've seen over the past years is a tendency to look first at electability and only peripherally at the principles of a candidate.

I believe that's wrong - and it's part of the reason that the GOP has lost is 'brand' as the party of limited government, low spending, low taxation and personal responsibility.

There are many we can blame for this state of affairs, but blame is not as important as understanding why and how it happened and preventing it in the future.

In the aftermath of Christine O'Donnell's win in Delaware, individuals considered leaders in the party blasted her and her record. What they failed to understand is that the people - the Republicans - in her district (the state of Delaware) made it clear who their choice of a representative was. It is, therefore, the proper role of the party structure to accept that choice and support it.

But when the party structure and other 'leaders' assume to know better than the people voting, they are no better than the liberals we criticize for assuming the same thing.

So how did we get to this point?

We decided that winning in the short-term (an election here or there) was more important than standing on principles.

In deciding that a 'battle' at a polling booth was more important than a 'war' of ideals, the Republican Party has sacrificed the core truths on which we have stood for decades. And what we got in return was only a temporary success at the ballot box.

That temporary success was seen as a step toward control, a majority, more power. But it was really more like a toxic drug, giving us a high while destroying the body. So while we were 'gaining the world,' we were 'losing our soul.'

As a result, many people cannot identify what our party stands for and too many think there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats. Today, voters will look at RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) and decide that if they're going to vote for someone who believes in large government, supports raising taxes and thinks government is the first solution instead of the last resort, they might as well vote for the Democrat and get the 'real thing.'

In fact, as conservatives increasingly became disillusioned with the lack of adherence to the conservative principles of the GOP, they either stayed home (as seen in the 2008 elections) or sought out others who still shared their values (as seen in the rise of tea-party and patriot groups). The rise of the tea-party groups didn't just appeal to conservatives, but to Democrats and Independents who also shared similar concerns about the overall direction of the country.

But with the future of the country at stake, these individuals are no longer sitting on the sidelines and they are seeking out ways to get involved. Sadly, because of the loss of the Republican brand, it wasn't the GOP where they found a home.

So what are we to do now? We have a choice: we can follow the misguided direction of so-called party leaders to 'trust' them as to the electability of candidates or we can vote for the individuals who represent our values.

Will we win every race in supporting Republicans who adhere to the core principles of our Party? Probably not. But we will win some - and then we will win many.

Conservatives can run on conservative principles and win. I've proven four times that can be done and there are numerous other examples. Voters appreciate candidates who stand on principles in their campaigns and in their votes once elected. While they may not always agree on the decisions, they will not find fault in an elected officials who says what they mean and does what they say when it comes to those principles.

In the long run, adherence to principles is what defines the individual - and the party.

The choice - and the obligation - is ours.

Republicans can't win when they act like Democrats

Having been elected as a Republican four times in predominately Democrat areas, I believe I have some expertise in this subject. My four campaigns were intense, targeted and every 'expert' said I was going to lose.

I didn't - and here's why:

Campaigns are won by drawing a contrast and offering the voters something different - and hopefully, better - than your opponent.

When Republicans talk about being 'moderate' or 'appealing to the middle' they mean representing ideas that are just like what is being espoused by their opponents, the Democrats.

When given such a choice, voters are NOT going to select a Democrat-lite candidate when they can vote for, and get, an actual Democrat.

This lesson was clear on the national level with John McCain and locally with the 2006 election of Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop over Republican City Councilman George Sarantou.

In the national election, both candidates voted in favor of the biggest expansion of government - the bailout. There were other similarities in perspective and even the selection of Sarah Palin wasn't enough to give McCain the edge he needed to solidify his base and draw conservative-leaning voters to his side.

In the commissioner race, the GOP candidate said 'I agree with my opponent' more than he said anything else. Especially in Lucas County, which strongly favors electing Democrats, you cannot win by saying you're more like your opponent than not.

Many conservatives are concerned - and rightly so - that the GOP has lost its brand; that it no longer stands for the core principles of limited government, lower taxation, individual responsibility, local control and less government involvement in our daily lives. The reason we no longer 'own' those issues is because our elected officials have drifted so far from them. It certainly doesn't help that the Republican National Committee is more committed to maintaining incumbency than it is in promoting the values of the party.

And the voters, recognizing this, have rejected such Republicans.

Many times throughout my political career I had people disagree with me over my votes or positions on the issues. However, they always said they respected me because my positions and votes were consistent with what I said I believed. It didn't matter to me who was making the request - I first looked to the statutes to see if I had the authority to do it and, if so, I weighed it against those core principles.

Needless to say, I often found people mad - but not at me, personally, because they got what they elected. In many other areas, voters are not so lucky. They've elected "Republicans" who don't hold the line on their core principles and the choice is either to 'hold your nose and vote for the lesser of two evils' or withdraw from the process.

But it's not just the politicians or the philosophy, it's you and me and our willingness actually do something, rather than just complain.

There is hope, though. Many in the Republican Party are tired of being offered a Democrat or a Democrat-lite. They are forming new groups, on Facebook and other social media networks, and joining with others who are similarly angry. The only question is this: will there be enough of us to actually make a difference, and will we be able to use the tools we've seen the other side employ so effectively to do so?

Time will tell - but as the old saying goes, "If it is to be it is up to me."