Perhaps it is the amount of time that I have spent in the Hoosier State of late that leaves me sympathetic to Indiana's political establishment. But a recent interview in the National Journal with Indiana's Republican Governor Mitch Daniels leaves me impressed.
Below is a key excerpt from the interview:
Gov. Daniels point is crucial, and one that is mostly lost on the national-level Republican leadership.
Even as a minority party, Republicans must put forward new ideas. We must present reasonable alternatives that force a national conversation. As Gov. Daniels notes, simply saying 'no' is not enough, even if 'no' is our ultimate answer. Or to put the matter a bit more convolutedly, 'no' is no substitute for policy.
At any rate, the entire interview is a good read for those interested in the future leadership of the GOP. In a lot of ways, Gov. Daniels point is simply a commonsense, Mid-western alternative vision for Republicans- not unlike the ideas put forward by Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Interestingly, this view is at profound odds with the 'party of no' mantra that the media loves to excoriate - views seemingly adopted by Governors Sanford, Jindal, and Palin to a lesser extent. In particular, Gov. Sanford's notable comparison of the United States to Zimbabwe last March should be exactly the type of headline that Republicans try to avoid. Far from casting Republicans as a reasoanble alternative, such shrillness reminds voters exactly why the GOP should remain sidelined.
When Republicans finally get serious about regaining majority status, they will likely be faced with the two strands of conservatism noted above. The former is one rooted in a bedrock of neo-populism with a diluted strain of social conservatism, while the latter is a double down on the fiscal and social policies of the Reagan years.
Here's hoping we choose the former since it is a path less travelled. The latter is one we have taken often, and it seems no longer to work.
Below is a key excerpt from the interview:
Daniels: In a tough year, Obama won the state -- you know that. I guess what I'm saying is that when Indiana Republicans meet, I always tell them we cannot control what the party looks like in other places or nationally, but here in Indiana if we don't remain the party always defining the agenda, bringing the new ideas and standing for constructive change, then people will excuse us from duty. And they should. ...
[Link]
Gov. Daniels point is crucial, and one that is mostly lost on the national-level Republican leadership.
Even as a minority party, Republicans must put forward new ideas. We must present reasonable alternatives that force a national conversation. As Gov. Daniels notes, simply saying 'no' is not enough, even if 'no' is our ultimate answer. Or to put the matter a bit more convolutedly, 'no' is no substitute for policy.
At any rate, the entire interview is a good read for those interested in the future leadership of the GOP. In a lot of ways, Gov. Daniels point is simply a commonsense, Mid-western alternative vision for Republicans- not unlike the ideas put forward by Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Interestingly, this view is at profound odds with the 'party of no' mantra that the media loves to excoriate - views seemingly adopted by Governors Sanford, Jindal, and Palin to a lesser extent. In particular, Gov. Sanford's notable comparison of the United States to Zimbabwe last March should be exactly the type of headline that Republicans try to avoid. Far from casting Republicans as a reasoanble alternative, such shrillness reminds voters exactly why the GOP should remain sidelined.
When Republicans finally get serious about regaining majority status, they will likely be faced with the two strands of conservatism noted above. The former is one rooted in a bedrock of neo-populism with a diluted strain of social conservatism, while the latter is a double down on the fiscal and social policies of the Reagan years.
Here's hoping we choose the former since it is a path less travelled. The latter is one we have taken often, and it seems no longer to work.
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