Don't Apologize for Conservatism.
Believe in it.
by Kevin Coughlin

In the wake of this year's Democratic tidal wave, there is no shortage of people stepping forward with prescriptions for what ails the GOP. The most common refrain is that a jackhammer needs to be taken to the Reagan coalition of social, anti-tax, and defense conservatives. This is utter nonsense.

The problem isn't our values. Most Ohioans identify with traditional values, fiscal restraint, and less government. And most share a healthy skepticism that government action alone can solve our problems.

The 2008 election was not a defeat for conservatism. It was a defeat for the Republican Party. We can blame the war, the economy, and bad actors. But ultimately, voters lost confidence that a Republican government can competently handle these and other issues. Acknowledging this truth, President-Elect Obama has quickly dampened his rhetoric against the Bush tax cuts, rapid Iraq and Afghanistan troop withdrawals and school choice.

The election has dealt us change. There are three ways conservatives can react: Fight it and lose, accept it and survive, or lead it and prosper.

The first rule of any party with aspirations to govern is to understand first the aspirations of the people and how they change with time.

Until recently, Republicans have done this quite well. Over my lifetime, the country's great game-changing policies have come from the right. School choice, welfare reform, and supply-side economics just to name a few. The left can boast none.

This is because in times of minority status, conservatives have tended to develop policies that connect with real people and address critical needs. Conversely, liberals have tended to spend the down time plotting their way back into government.

Republicans should keep this in mind as we head into the wilderness. It is our ideas and our leadership that will make make Ohio prosperous again.

But smashing the Reagan coalition is no way to begin.

Let's not apologize for conservatism. Let's believe in it. Let's not shelve our values. Let's figure out how to put them into practice in a world fast forwarding to the future at unprecedented speed.

For example, health care and climate change have rocketed to the top tier of issues on the minds of voters. Both issues provide opportunities to show clear distinctions between the parties, yet on them voters overwhelmingly trust Democrats more.

The voters want to feed and fuel the world without messing it up any further. We must convince them that energy conservation and lowering regulations that stifle innovation and efficiency are preferable to tilting at windmills.

The voters want access to affordable health care. We must convince them that a conservative approach to wellness and prevention and empowering people to become knowledgeable consumers of health care is preferable to taxpayer funded government rationing and waiting lines.

Think of it as a teaching opportunity. Conservatives now have a chance to explain our approach to the challenges of our times and to draw key distinctions from liberals. We have to sell conservatism anew.

Since 1996, I've been fortunate to win elections in swing legislative districts in Democrat-rich northeast Ohio. I didn't do that by moderating my positions or checking my values at the door. I sold the values and the vision.

Ronald Reagan left the Democrat Party, the party of his youth, because it had left American's values behind. Let's not let the GOP drift away from its core values, too. If we do, we'll lose future elections, and perhaps lose the next generation's Ronald Reagan.

So enough with the talk of re-branding and moderating the Republican Party. Ronald Reagan's coalition is not dead. It's just been badly cared for. By sticking to our traditional values, fiscal conservatism, and commitment to a strong defense, Republicans will again become Ohio's majority party.

kc

11/26/2008