Posted by
Patrick Henry on Monday, November 17, 2008 8:38:15 PM
Whatever the failings of the Democratic party, identifying and elevating a charismatic,
articulate leader is not one of them. Barack Obama almost singlehandedly transformed
a presidential campaign that was supposed to be about critical national issues into a
referendum on his rather compelling personality. His success in that effort got him
elected. The lesson for Republicans is that unless they find a similarly compelling
leader -- an inspiring messenger to carry their message -- it won't much matter what
that message is.
Leaders don't arise in a vacuum. They emerge from the crucible of human
interactions and public dialogue. Those wishing to mount a successful resistance
to Democratic socialism will do well to identify, elevate and polish such leadership
while they are re-packaging their message and determining just how their historically
conservative philosophy can relevantly address current national issues.
The GOP is not without potentials for the leadership mantle. Such consideration
must start with this year's VP hopeful, Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin. No other
candidate either excited the conservative base or provoked rabid ralings from the
left like she did. In the post-campaign haze, the substance of criticism leveled
against her by the media has begun to fade. The most recent evidence of this is
the public retraction by MSNBC -- one of her harshest critics -- of the charge that
in a debate prep session she didn't understand that Africa was a continent, not a country.
It seems that both the "McCain staffer" who supposedly leaked the information, AND
the organization he supposedly worked for didn't really exist, and the "news story" was
based on an e-mail from a friend of a reporter's friend. (Just bye the bye, what kind of
half-assed news organization publishes so absurd a story without confirmation, and
on such thin documentation? I guess the answer is MSNBC, who gave the nation
Obamabots Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews).
Palin has won universal respect from her fellow governors, who say she's plenty
smart and experienced to govern a country. She's clearly short on foreign policy
experience, but that can be remedied. And her folksy way of expressing herself,
while dubbed by some elitists "a lack of gravitas," won the hearts and minds of
a whole lot of ordinary people. If she runs in 2012, the media and the far left will
come out gunning for her. Some Republicans may prefer a less controversial candidate,
but her fire and spunk -- both qualities needed to challenge a presidential incumbent
will be hard to match.
But not to worry, the list of rising Republican aspirants doesn't end with Palin. Paul
Ryan, an exciting congressional up and comer from Wisconsin is a solid conservative
with a strong personality and fine communication skills. Less effusive, but equally
brilliant is Virginia Representative Eric Cantor, expected to stand for Minority Whip
in the 2008 House. And don't forget young Republican governors like Bobby Jindal
of Louisiana, Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, Mark Sanford of South Carolina and
Charlie Crist of Florida. All of the foregoing -- particu;aly Jindal, the nation's
first ever Indian American governor -- deserve a long look.
The point is that the GOP doesn't just need ONE leader. It needs a whole cadre of
new leaders who bring youth, intelligence, political savvy and common sense
governance experience to the table. The Dems won with Obama. They might well
have won with Hillary, too. Wouldn't it be great if Republicans had two such
pre-eminent leaders from which to choose. That won't happen simply through the
dominant ambition of these leaders. How many people do you suppose contacted
Obama and asked him to run? It was a lot! And how many women's groups and
feminist leaders came out in support of Hillary? Count them! It's time for GOP
voters who care to pick a favorite (or favorites) and begin corresponding with them,
encouraging them, tracking their progress, talking them up. Who are the conservatives
in your own community who would make good state or national legislators? If you
don't know, why not? Revolutions are only won by those who care enough to support
the cause.
Winning elections should be about messages. But the fact of life is that it's usually
just as much about messengers. And Republicans need some new ones!