On Republican Self-Doubt

As usual, the day after the election has led to a lot of soul searching among Republican-leaning commentators. Is the Republican Party broken? Has the US electorate permanently changed? Was Romney the wrong candidate?

This is the sort of thinking Jack Kerouac meant originally by “hung up.” All things must pass; this will too. Nothing is as significant as it looks at the time. This was an important loss, but things may be completely different next time. Things were completely different as recently as 2010.

What lost the election for Mitt Romney? A unique constellation of events that will not happen just that way again. I think the largest share of blame goes to Hurricane Sandy.

It is not a time for panic, nor a time for making grand changes to the Republican Party's brand. A lot of commentators are shocked because, in their--our--hearts, they thought they understood the American people, and the American people were with them. Now they discover they, and not, or not just, the Mainstream Media, were out of touch. This can feel like a betrayal; or like culture shock.

This feeling makes little sense, in an election decided by perhaps 4% of the popular vote. There is no “the people,” after all. As Hamilton said to Jefferson, “Your 'people,' sir, is a great beast.” The bottom line is that we were a little arrogant. Too much talking, not enough listening.

If there are any changes that should be made, to the Republican platform, my first suggestion would be to avoid any nativist or anti-immigration policies. Hispanics ought to be Republicans, given their Catholicism and their cultural conservatism; it is anomalous that they are not. And the US is probably lucky to have a stream of immigrants who share so much in terms of culture. Being pro-immigrant is the classic liberal position, and the best of the American tradition. I would hate to see any “multicultural” accommodations; that is cultural suicide, besides being patronizingly racist. But letting people become Americans who choose the US voluntarily? Yes.

My second suggestion is to push something like George McGovern's Guaranteed Annual Income. This too is a good liberal position, it would do much good, and it would actually cut costs. At the same time, it would cut off the Democratic claim that Republicans do not care about the poor at the knees.

In a candidate, what the right needs most is another great communicator. Someone who can explain policies so as to make the general public agree can do far more than someone who just shifts policies to reflect whatever the general public already thinks. There is little point to the latter. This is just as necessary in the primaries as in the general election.