I must confess to being rather mystified at the gaggle of Republican geese honking at us conservatives to get out of the way whilst they seemingly get their ducks in a row somewhere, according to them, in the “center”. You would think, given our Post-McCain smarting smackdown, that Republicans would finally have “gotten” it: the more you pander to the center, the more you lose your base.

     Why would this matter if you anticipate renewing your base from all those unwashed, teeming masses in the center? I would think it’s obvious: you crash someone else’s party and offer the same favors, the only thing you’ll get is “kicked to the curb”! Why would anyone relinquish voting Democrat if the alternative Republican message is the same? And it’s hardly a secret that the Demos got the “message”, and few of them reach in the conservative direction these days, do they?

     The sad part is that Republicans come off looking as if they’re afraid of their principles (e.g.- smaller government, individual responsibility, and the like), which hardly makes the Republican position delectable. Instead, they appear suspicious. Perhaps they’re really big-business shills, using this pie-in-the-sky ideaology to hoodwink us. No, we better stay where we’re safe- in the hands of Big Government.

     I would argue that letting the Republican Party re-embrace its conservative principles is the one thing that will save them. Let the world know that the Cato Institute says we’re really “classic liberals”. Let them see how fresh and liberating it is to throw off the yoke of tyranny and be your own man… or woman. How can we fear turning off our audience with such a positive perspective, especially when the GOP has done so well killing ‘em with banal platitudes and “compassionate” conservatism? Do Republicans believe in the true conservative message? They’d better- or their ship is sunk!