Gadsden Flag (iStockPhoto)

More than a month after a national election that diminished Republican power nationally, Eugene Robinson argues that it’s time for the party to start embracing popular policies and compromise.  Not for their own sake, but because the Democrats need to be challenged and prodded. The unpopular and unworkable GOP rhetoric on immigration, Robinson explains, helped hand the big election to Obama, even though Obama’s policies aren’t super-great or what everyone who voted for Obama wanted.  Get serious, Republicans, Robinson advises. His words are part a warning and part a plea.  

For some reason, the resident Republicans commenting on the Opinions page were skeptical of Robinson’s advice. Party leaders have thrown around ideas about how to appeal to a more diverse demographic, and House Speaker John Boehner has stutter-stepped toward moderation, but those who neither have to govern nor get elected seem to think the GOP is doing just fine, thanks, Mr. Robinson.  The GOP should not moderate; it should wait, they believe. Wait for the inevitable hubris and self-crushing of the Dems:

Uhuh.ThatsRight

There is no mystery here. Fifty two percent of the electorate are now officially freeloaders, fellow travelers or useful idiots. Conservatives (read productive people) will simply invest wisely and keep our party dry. Meanwhile the worthless (Obama, Robinson) will lead the useless into their dystopian collectivist nightmare.

PostScript is slightly suspicious that Uhuh might be satirical here, but being a trusting soul (who sees much odder put-downs round these parts than “collectivist”), she shall treat the comment as probably serious.  Plus, there is greatness in the idea of “keep[ing] our party dry.” 

blackwell575

Eugene, the quickest way for Republicans to become totally irrelevant in today’s political environment is to take any advice about issues and policy from someone like you. Going into the mid-term elections Republicans know what we have to do. If Republicans cave on tax rate increases and spending in this fiscal cliff deal it will be a HUGE psychological advantage for liberal Democrats. And it will signify that our brand is tarnished and that Republicans have caved and are no longer concerned about being the party of smaller government and less spending.

pechins

We are regrouping and with leaders like Rubio, West, Martinez, and Haley and we will come out even stronger. We need to attack and rewrite those areas in Obamacare. Everything that Sebilius has written and regulated should be undone immediately. That’s just for starters.

Besides hoping 2013-2014 too shall pass, and that Rep Allen West gets to lead the Republican Party even after losing his election, what can the conservative rank-and-file do meantime?  Well, criticize Obama. 

IndependentSince72

Mr. Robinson’s glee at the GOP’s electoral gaffes is built upon one, sadly correct assumption – that the President he supports will not actually address America’s significant financial mess unless forced to do so by political considerations. It’s Mr. Robinson’s implicit admission that Mr. Obama’s current proposals reflect no serious attempt to address the nation’s runaway credit crunch. Mr. R – isn’t THAT the job that POTUS has spent the last twelve months assuring us he wanted?  
 
In his current posture, Mr. Obama is demonstrating all the signs of a political hack, and a lightweight who doesn’t deserve the title he will continue to hold for the next four years. (He was just lucky that the GOP couldn’t field anyone more saleable.) Each party will continue to play the political game – trying to be the last to tell the American public any truth they don’t want to hear or heed – until a “cliff” is the most minor disaster we have to worry about. 

Other than those remarks, pretty much all the advice seems to be coming from the Republicans’ loyal opposition.  

MNUSA says come on back to the lamestream media, GOP: 

A problem with Republicans and their allies is that they need to tell the truth. FOX had conservatives believing Romney was going to win big. The FOX “experts” and pundits couldn’t come up with big enough terms for the Romney win. The truth is we aren’t going to deport all of the undocumented immigrants for a variety of reasons. The truth is that billionaires like Adelson don’t give a whit for jobs or a balanced budget or some concept of freedom. They just want to avoid supporting the country that made them wealthy.

Candressuhmoose suggests that more in the party call out craziness when they see it: 

The voices of reason in the GOP are drowned out. This country needs to get the noise out of the way so we can have a serious discussion with the right about chickens for health care and the threat of gay astronauts staying aboard the international space station.

DownTheMiddle suggests that conservatives lurch ALL the way leftward and embrace the Nannystate.  He or she doesn’t indicate a political preference, but what Downthemiddle suggests sounds pretty … far out:  

I don’t disagree. A smart GOP would mandate that people stop eating pizza, drinking lattes and smoking weed. If 50% of America is going to get subsidized health insurance, then the GOP should at least mandate that there be a personal responsibility element to it. No more buffet lines. No more 3 a.m. pizzas. No more frappucinos. No more Pizza Tuesdays or dollar value menus.  Show me you walked 3 miles today. That’s what the GOP should do if they want to lower health care costs in America.  
Lifestyle drives 76.5% of our health care costs.

PostScript totally LOVES this idea, possibly more than she loves 3 a.m. pizzas.  Nationwide mandatory P90x with Rep Paul Ryan!  Eat Like Bill Clinton Month!  It’s the Nanny-Personal Trainer State! PostScript has no idea how it would be enforced, and everyone responsible would lose all their elections ever, which would, in turn, make the program incredibly popular and effective.  Man, she hopes Congress reads these comments.