It is not enough to just be right, you have to be able to articulate WHY you are right. Wise people understand their weaknesses and they work hard to overcome them and explain them. When questioned about her credentials, too often Gov. Palin has chosen to attack the credibility of others in an odd effort to boost herself. George HW Bush is not some childish “blue blood” and Ronald Reagan is not just an “actor”. Both are men of substance with long histories of accomplishments (no, being a state senator or a half-term governor doesn’t count).

This brings us to Joe Scarborough’s column today in Politico. http://politi.co/fDwDvF Many conservatives are going to attack it as “tearing down another conservative” by a “RINO”. But let’s be honest. Everyone knows Gov Palin can’t win a general election. Her disapproval numbers are too high and she isn’t making any credible attempt to lower them. Scarborough is likely to spend most of the day getting savaged on talk radio and twitter for saying what we all know to be true.

I’ve seen her show on TLC and I think it’s oddly captivating. Fishing with her children and her family life qualifies her to be a commentator that represents a point of view I basically agree with. But, if there is anything President Obama has solidified, it is that experience matters. For conservatives that want to use the argument that Obama didn’t have experience, I would remind them that the country has seen where that has taken us. It’s an argument that looks to the past and not to the future. More conservatives need to take the practical viewpoint that Scarborough does and look to the future without arguing the 2008 election disaster.

Pretending that Gov Palin is presidential material is just delusional and we need more conservatives like Scarborough speaking candidly. Nobody is challenging her right or the value of her contributions as a pundit, but can we stop with the Sean Hannity love affair with the idea of a Palin presidency? Conservatives need to take back the executive branch in 2012 and make the hard decisions necessary to restore this country’s financial order. If we are going to do that, we need a little more Scarborough and a little less Palin.

In the upcoming election-cycle, are conservatives really going to make the argument that Obama is an amateur in over his head so the country should vote for Palin? It’s not personal. I like her. But it is about winning.

We are at an unfortunate place in America where both political sides spend more time yelling than listening. Liberals and conservatives seem content to debate amongst people with whom they already agree, without engaging the other side. Name-calling is frequent: un-American, racist, socialist, homophobe, communist. Are the children now running the fun house? Where is the restraint and civility? Good examples are hard to find.  

The best example of the type of conservative thinker we need is Joe Scarborough. He has consistently demonstrated his ability to articulate conservative views and to engage both sides in constructive dialogue. Even rarer to find, he has been intellectually consistent. Joe was conservative in 1994 when it was cool and he was elected to Congress. Joe was conservative in 2004 when it wasn’t cool to criticize the big spending GOP. Joe is conservative now in 2010 and is still talking about a cautious foreign policy, sustainable domestic spending, and calmer rhetoric. His ideas about our politicians’ lack of restraint in these three areas should be the playbook for how we articulate conservative views and sell them to the American people.

Domestic Spending – For years, Joe Scarborough has been talking about the need for real entitlement reform due to the exploding budget. The Congressional Budget Office projects the national debt ballooning to $22tn by 2019 and the Tax Policy Center just reported that 47% of Americans pay zero federal income taxes. To put our fiscal situation into perspective, that is ~$75k per person. If you are married and have two kids, your family owes $300k. That is equivalent to a mortgage on a nice home you don’t get to live in. Joe’s been talking about the need for real entitlement reform for years. The track record of conservatives doesn’t make it easy but it is time for us to lay out our plan. Our plans for restraint in how we spend our money must be articulated.

Foreign Policy – Besides George Will, Joe Scarborough has been one of the only conservatives talking about our lack of an end game in Afghanistan and tangible approaches to dealing with Iran’s nuclear ambitions. A senior intelligence official recently stated that there were only 100 al Qaeda members in Afghanistan. This was at the same time President Obama was sending another 30,000 troops with broad support from conservatives. Secretary Gates recently said that Iran is a year away from developing nuclear weapons and that the US lacks an effective strategy for dealing with this. While many conservatives have supported President Obama’s surge in Afghanistan, Joe’s been calling for a description of the end game. It’s time for conservatives to lay out what our end game in Afghanistan would be and how we will tangibly deal with Iran. Our plans for restraint in where and how we deploy our troops must be articulated.

Rhetoric – Joe Scarborough is one of the few conservatives not wading in current morass of incivility. He is one of the few conservatives who actually engage both conservatives and liberals. Nancy Pelosi calls healthcare protestors un-American and the news is full of insinuations that tea-partiers are gripped with racism. Tom Coburn said that while he is in 180 degree opposition to Pelosi, she was a nice person and that people shouldn’t dislike someone because they disagree. For this glimmer of sanity, our side laughed at him. Joe is one of the only people willing to call out our side on the unnecessary rhetoric. This ability to speak with civility may be why Joe and Erick Erickson get along so well and why Erick has been on Joe’s radio show so much. It’s time for us to set a new standard in how we speak to those with whom we disagree. Our plans for restraint in how we speak to others must be articulated.

If we don’t expect more from our conservative leaders, we will never get the conservative policies we want. The financial crisis, the years of war, and the divisive rhetoric should have taught us the value of a little more restraint: in our domestic spending, our foreign policy, and in our rhetoric. America is looking for leadership and conservatives need to articulate how we will act with restraint where we haven’t in the past and where this administration has no desire to. This country can rebound and it will, but it will require conservatives willing to act with restraint and expecting it from each other. Joe Scarborough is a great example of the restraint we need.

www.draftjoe2012.com

1.) Strong conservative values

2.) Reagan’s tone and style – Treats people he agrees with 80% as a friend, not an enemy

3.) Supports states’ rights – Understands 10^th Amendment’s guidance in the role of states

4.) Supports gun rights – 100% National Rifle Association rating

5.) Limited government – Knows government is the problem, not the solution

6.) Strong pro-life – 100% National Right to Life rating

7.) Conserves our resources – Supports prudent use of our national and natural resources

8.) Supports small business – Believes in small business jobs, not government jobs

9.) Cautious foreign policy – Puts troops before politics calling for the wars to de-escalate

10.) Sustainable budget – Understands that government needs to live on the budget it has

11.) Strong voting record – He has the voting record to win

12.) Dropped the F-bomb on TV – How can you not like this guy?

Joe understands conservatism is a belief in a cautious foreign policy, conserving our resources, encouraging entrepreneurship, and a sustainable budget. His politics and style make him a great candidate for 2012 and provide a path forward for the movement.

Plus, he won’t pull a Tebow and cry when Texas beats Alabama, probably.

The theme of the successful conservatives in 2009 wasn’t on social issues. They focused on conservative solutions to revitalize those states and it led to an evisceration of their Democratic opponents. Conservative solutions to the economy, our national debt, and foreign policy are the model for success and winning in 2010 and beyond. Joe Scarborough’s politics are a great example of the type of conservatism needed to rebuild and grow the party.

Scarborough is a fiscal conservative who applies this conservatism to all issues. His ideas are simple and yet profound. America is in debt, stop spending. Our troops have endured too many burdens, finish the job and bring them home. Gay marriage and abortion may drive primary voters in both parties, but Scarborough knows they are best handled by the states under the 10^th Amendment’s guidance. Americans are out of work, stop the fake “stimulus” and incentivize small businesses to hire. This is the type of conservatism needed to build the party. To quote Scarborough, “When you’re out of work, how do two guys getting married in Vermont affect your life?” Social issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and prayer in schools should be left to the states. Conservatism means limited government and Scarborough has got his eye on the ball.

Joe Scarborough’s political philosophy and his brand of conservatism won in 2009 and will continue to win in 2010 and beyond. Focusing on solutions to the big problems and taking a federalist view on social matters wins. Conservatism means conserving our resources, a cautious foreign policy, and a sustainable budget. These are principles Scarborough discusses everyday on Morning Joe. Conservatives would be wise to listen up.

The Republican Governors Association had their annual conference last week in Austin. Four sitting governors and two gubernatorial candidates sat on a panel discussing the ideas that have worked in their respective states on energy policy, taxes, healthcare and the role of government. These are the types of policy discussions that build the public’s trust in conservative ideas. John Kasich made the comment that Iranian women had done a better job of message communication on Twitter than had the House GOP. It was funny because it was true and the crowd’s laughter was evident. The RGA panel was great because concrete best practices and implementation challenges were discussed. It was a great example of how conservatives need to be communicating and debating constructive solutions.

Another example last week was Joe Scarborough in New Orleans. Scarborough and his wife had been actively involved in relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina. In October, Obama visited New Orleans for the first time in his presidency, staying only four hours to conduct what was basically a health care “reform” rally. Instead of taking the time to tour the city and understand the destitute situation along the Gulf Coast, Obama jetted off to a $34k a couple fundraiser in San Francisco. The next day, Scarborough was furious and disgusted by Obama’s dismissal of the situation in New Orleans. Scarborough committed to shedding light on the situation and the unfinished recovery efforts. Morning Joe broadcasted last Friday from a high school in New Orleans with community service groups, HandsOn Network and City Year, and corporate donations were raised to fix the school. It was a great example of how conservatives need to be communicating and implementing solutions.

The game plan for conservatives must revolve around action. It isn’t enough to just talk about what “conservatives” need to do. We need to be doing. After just a year with President Obama, the country knows that talk is cheap and this may explain his 74% personal approval and his 47% job approval rating (Quinnipiac). The best way to change someone’s mind and their vote is to be working with them, together, for a common cause in our communities, schools, churches, charities, and local government. The RGA panel and Joe Scarborough provide great examples of the path forward. Action will restore the public’s trust in the ability of conservatives to implement change and keep America in its rightful place as the land of the free and home of the brave. Conservatism communicated, debated, and implemented, sells itself and should be the game plan.

Listen Live http://bit.ly/3V9DU2

Both pundits have an affable personality, but their styles are far apart. Beck makes emotional appeals and frequently embraces conspiracy theories. Scarborough focuses on reason and practical policy solutions. There is a place for emotional appeals but there must be more for a party to move forward. Practical communication of conservative principles, in Scarborough’s style, is the key to the rebirth of the Republican brand.

Republicans must overcome President Obama’s personal popularity to succeed in the 2010 midterms and in 2012. The President ran as the anti-Bush who would be all things to all people. Unlike President Obama’s 2008 campaign strategy, Republicans can’t simply run on the fact that they aren’t their opponent. While the President’s policies are losing traction with independents, his personal popularity is too strong of an asset to compete against as the anti-Obama party.

Beck attempts to appeal to the public as a likeable ordinary guy. This style will lead to a doomsday for Republicans and will squander an opportunity because it fights against the President’s primary strength, likeability. Scarborough attempts to shape the debate by putting forth practical policy suggestions. This style is a winner because it emphasizes the President’s weakness in shaping the policy debate.

President Obama has a unique ability to sell the public pseudo-truths. A recent example is the illogical idea that he can easily cut hundreds of billions of dollars in waste from Medicare without a decline in the level of care. Republicans need someone who can counter this preposterous rhetoric but do so in a style that maintains their likability across a broad swath of America.

Beck’s style has the ability to emotionally galvanize red states but it isn’t enough to win national elections. Scarborough’s even-handed style, with its practical application of conservative principles, can appeal to moderate blue and red states. For the GOP to capitalize on the President’s declining popularity, adopting Scarborough’s style is their last best hope at speaking truth to power and pointing out that the emperor has no clothes. Conveniently, the Nobel Peace Prize winner is supplying them with ample material.