A new website was started called Rebuild the Party  dedicated to Conservative success in 2012 and rebuilding the Republican Party. It’s actually a pretty comprehensive plan that I endorse. One plank calls for a 435 seat strategy:

The 435 district strategy. By 2012, the Republican Party will field candidates in all 435 Congressional districts in America, from inner city Philadelphia to suburban Dallas, and our leaders must be held accountable for progress towards this goal. With an 80 plus vote margin separating Democrats from Republicans in the House, it’s time to widen the playing field, not narrow it. While our targeting has gotten narrower, honing in on a class of seats we feel entitled to because they lean Republican, Democrats have been stealing traditionally 60-40 Republican seats right and left. It’s time to return the favor.

What’s more, it won’t be good enough to run perfunctory races in safe seats. 2008 showed us that every seat — Republican or Democrat — is potentially a target. If you aren’t seriously challenged this time, chances are you’ll be challenged the next time, or the time after that. Incumbents who don’t prepare for this reality will find themselves scrambling to catch up when the inevitable happens. That means that our party needs to set a new standard that campaigns will be professional and fully staffed in each and every seat.
 

That’s a good strategy, but that will also mean that they have to make some accomdations on economic issues due to location. The Dems ran candidates that were more conservative in areas that leaned more Republican. If this group wants to run candidates everywhere, especially in districts that lean Democrat, then they need to run candidates that are far to the left on economics. We’re talking about people who believe in cradle to grave government intervention, large scale expansion of the government, welfare, environmentalism, gun control, and much bigger government overall. But it’s going to be necessary to nominate people who are economically liberal in order to win a lot of these seats in these districts.

If I ended my post there, a lot of libertarians would not be happy with my suggestion and it would hurt their opinion of the 435 seat plan. So, I have to ask why the heck did this blogger write?:

If this group wants to run candidates everywhere, especially in districts that lean Democrat, then they need to run candidates that are pro-choice and pro-gay rights to have a shot.

Reading that as a social conservative turnoff to the plan. That not every candidate in 435 districts will agree with me on social issues isn’t a problem. However, what becomes a problem is an overarching attitude by some that, “Social conservatism is disposable, irrelevant, and unnecessary.” Sadly the tone is taken by a lot of folks at the Rebuild the Party site in the idea board which appears to have been overrun by arch-Libertarians with such suggestions, “Step away from the religious right.” and the statement (completely unsupported by facts) that 18-30 years olds voted for Obama because of the religious right.

Of course, this is bunk. In Florida, the State’s Marriage Amendment ran 13 points ahead of John McCain. In California, it ran 15 points ahead. Also, in California, an initiative for Parental notification ran 11 point ahead.

In addition, for those who are concerned about reaching out to minority groups, it makes far more sense to begin outreach on an issue where common ground is shared, and African Americans and Hispanics tend to be even more conservative on issues like abortion and traditional marriage rather than saying, “By golly, let’s go and run on the flat tax.”

As for those folks who believe that our society can be cultural declining and decaying, while also having small government, you are out of touch with reality. Cultural decline has produced bigger government.

And for political perspective, I’d point out that while the rest of the nation was breaking for the Democrats, Evangelicals broke 76% for John McCain. There were 26 million Evangelicals who voted, many of these on Social Issues. That is a 12.24 million vote advantage among Evangelical voters for the Democrats. If you think there are so many people who believe in small government but vote Democrat out of their love for abortion that you can make up that 12.24 million votes, you are equally delusional.

Some people want to return to the days of Goldwater who said that any real Christian should kick Jerry Falwell in the rear end. Well, let me remind you: It was the American voter that kicked Goldwater in the rear end in 1964 in a real landslide defeat. Not only is Economic Conservatism practically unworkable without social conservatism, it is politically unable to win nationwide.

Nominate who you need to nominate, but enough throwing sand in the eyes of social conservatives.