Can the GOP dominate in November with 'Just say no'?
'Just say no' might have worked for Republicans during the first year-plus of President Obama鈥檚 stint in the White House. But can it propel them to dominance in this fall鈥檚 elections?
Probably not, judging by comments Sunday from two of the GOP鈥檚 most senior elected officials 鈥� Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham.
Republicans have been basking in the good news about November鈥檚 elections from pollsters and analysts. They鈥檙e projected to come within a few seats of taking over the House, and even the Senate is now within the realm of serious discussion by pundits and pollsters.
鈥淚 think this could be a seismic election,鈥� Sen. McCain told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday.
鈥淏ut we've got to give Americans a reason to be for us, rather than just against the Democrats and the president,鈥� . 鈥淲hen you look at the approval ratings of Republicans, they're just as bad as Democrats. We've got to give [voters] a reason to be for us.鈥�
(Though they don鈥檛 think Obama is doing a great job on the economy, Americans are more inclined to blame Republicans than Democrats for the current economic state of affairs, according to a .)
On NBC鈥檚 Meet the Press, Sen. Graham said essentially the same thing as McCain.
鈥淚 think what we have to do is to come up with a uniting agenda, sort of a Contract with America,鈥� , referring to the plan put forth by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich that helped win the GOP big gains and control of the House in 1994. 鈥淕oing forward, [we need to] show the American people that the Republican Party can govern.鈥�
There鈥檚 actually something like the 1994 鈥淐ontract鈥� out there.
Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, senior Republican on the House Budget Committee, has laid out a 99-page
Among other things, it would reduce personal income taxes, end the corporate income tax and the estate tax, and privatize some of Social Security.
it 鈥渃alls for radical policy changes that would result in a massive transfer of resources from the broad majority of Americans to the nation鈥檚 wealthiest individuals.鈥�
Ryan鈥檚 鈥淩oadmap鈥� didn鈥檛 get many cosponsors, and Democrats no doubt would have had a field day with certain provisions 鈥� like the one ending the State Children鈥檚 Health Insurance Program (or rather replacing SCHIP with something else, which is harder to explain in a sound bite).
What McCain and Graham have in mind, they say, would include a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, extending the Bush tax cuts to wealthy Americans, and replacing what critics call 鈥�Obamacare鈥� with a different health care reform law.
Then there鈥檚 the 鈥渢ea party鈥� movement, which is as much libertarian as it is traditionally conservative and can be as cranky toward mainstream Republicans as it can toward Democrats. This makes it harder for the GOP to come up with an agenda designed to attract independents and some Democrats.
Not many Republicans will be openly critical of this new political insurgency and the problems it may be causing for the GOP. Graham is an exception.
鈥淭he problem with the Tea Party, I think it's just unsustainable because they can never come up with a coherent vision for governing the country,鈥� . 鈥淲e don't have a lot of Reagan-type leaders in our party. Remember Ronald Reagan Democrats? I want a Republican that can attract Democrats. Ronald Reagan would have a hard time getting elected as a Republican today.鈥�
GOP leaders know they need to do something about their perceived lack of a coherent agenda (if not a vision).
The Los Angeles Times that they鈥檙e 鈥減reparing a new campaign manifesto that will be unveiled this month, to answer charges that they offer no credible alternative except to recycle the unpopular policies of the Bush administration.鈥�
