Over at his blog, Governor Mike Huckabee has opened a discussion:

Last night was a reminder of what a tough year this will be for Republicans. The loss of the Congressional seat in Mississippi was tough. We had a great candidate, but the Democrat very effectively ran as a pro life, pro 2nd amendment conservative. I’m convinced that for the GOP to have wins this year we have to focus on specific issues and not party building (for us) or party bashing (against them).

What do you think the GOP needs to do to reverse the slide in support and start winning elections?

Huckabee in his MSNBC election analysis hit the nail on the head when he said the Republican Brand was damaged nationwide. I asked my wife, who is the less partisan of the two of us, what the Republicans had to do.

Her answers included: 1) Following through on commitments, 2) having a platform that means something, and 3) honesty.  Those are good starts. Here are my thoughts:

1) Get Serious With People

A lot of Republican leaders could care less about the rights of the unborn, the future of social security, or any of the issues that they pretend to care about. They’re pandering to our fears and making promises they have no intention of keeping. They’ll say anything to get elected. We need Republican leaders who actually believe in the principles of Republican power. Too many of our Republican leaders in Washington are just hungry to hang onto their own power and have no principles.’

People are getting sick of it and what’s killing us is a Republican leadership in Washington that at its core things Republicanism is about lower marginal tax rates and blowing up terrorists.

2) Deal With Tough Issues

Continuing to run up deficits while not addressing entitlements is idiotic. It’s time to address it.  Also, we have to have Republicans who aren’t afraid to drill in ANWR and solve the energy crisis. We have to get serious about taking care of the budget and reducing spending. What we had in a Republican Congress and a Republican White House included Tom DeLay’s inane statement that government was cut back as much as it could be.

3) Persuade the American People

When you have a vision, the thing to do is to persuade people of that vision to make the case. Republicans can be divided into two classes: 1) Those that pander to voters and accommodate them at their lowest and least, 2) those that echo around ideas in columns, preaching to the choir. Republicans have to learn to educate and make their case to ordinary Americans particularly in the middle class.

4) Republicans Must Admit Error and Protect Us From the GOP Errors

When I was younger when the GOP took power, I thought term limits was a poor idea. (After all, we’d term limit the good Congressmen as well as the bad ones) and the Balanced Budget Amendment was a nice idea, but not essential. After all, with Republicans in power, why would there be a problem balancing the budget? Oh, if I knew then what I know now.

 Fundamentally, term limits, a balanced budget Amendment, and a line item veto are vital tools, not secondary mechanisms. Republicans should advocate this reform agenda up front and center. What we’ve learned is that the best of party platforms will not protect a political party from the corrosive force of arrogance of power.

I’d advocate a term limit of two 6-year terms for the Senate and four 2-year terms for the House. The longer members of Congress, the more they’re likely to think of their constituents as them and the government as us. Also, the less likely they’ll be focused on doing what’s right and the more they’ll be focused on building a legacy.

I’d favor requiring a Constitutional Amendment to balance the budget and for line item vetoes. We need to honestly admit that we have human weaknesses and we need to check those weaknesses lest they destroy the country.

In the comic books, Superman gave Batman a piece of Kryptonite because he knew the dangers his power could pose to those around him. Republicans should reach the same realization.

Doug Ross has some more policy suggestions that I’d wholeheartedly endorse.