With yesterday’s announcement that she will be resigning as Alaska’s governor at the end of July, Sarah Palin opened speculation on her plans and political future. What are your thoughts? Participate in the poll in the sidebar, and leave your comments here.

Update: I’ve added this topic in the new and improved Forum.

John Fund WSJ article, More Acorn Voter Fraud Comes to Light, looks at another case being brought against ACORN and the response from the left.

On Monday, Nevada officials charged Acorn, its regional director and its Las Vegas field director with submitting thousands of fraudulent voter registration forms last year. Larry Lomax, the registrar of voters in Las Vegas, says he believes 48% of Acorn’s forms “are clearly fraudulent.” On Thursday, prosecutors in Pittsburgh, Pa., also charged seven Acorn employees with filing hundreds of fraudulent voter registrations before last year’s general election.

As usual, ACORN claims that the abuses where only the work of a few bad employees.

But Catherine Cortez Masto, Nevada’s Democratic Attorney General, told the Las Vegas Sun that Acorn itself is named in the criminal complaint. She says that Acorn’s training manuals “clearly detail, condone and . . . require illegal acts,” such as requiring its workers to meet strict voter-registration targets to keep their jobs.

What is interesting in Fund’s piece is the marked difference between local and federal Democratic response.

State and city Democratic officials — who’ve been contending with its many scandals — are moving against it. Washington Democrats are still sweeping Acorn abuses under a rug.

He cites two examples: John Conyers (D-MI) suggesting that a House Judiciary Subcommittee look into the allegations surrounding the group and later withdrawing that idea saying, “the complaints against Acorn, I have concluded that a hearing on this matter appears unwarranted at this time.” Also Rep. Barney Frank; at first voting in favor of Michelle Bachmann’s amendment that would “block groups indicted for voter fraud from receiving federal housing or legal assistance grants” but latter reversing his position.

Bachmann’s amendment is about the money, and it is a lot of money.

In the stimulus bill passed by Congress, Acorn is eligible — along with other activist groups — to apply for $2 billion in funds to redevelop abandoned and foreclosed homes.

State after state, election after election, allegations and charges have been brought against this corrupt group. So, naturally, they’ve been enlisted to help with next year’s census. Unbelievable.

In spite of every straw heaped upon the camel’s back they don’t appear worried.

“We’ve had bad publicity before, and all it does is inform the community that we’re here working for the community,” Bonnie Greathouse, Acorn’s head organizer in Nevada, assured the Las Vegas Review-Journal this week. “People always come forward to our defense. We’re just community organizers, just like the president used to be.”

I don’t know if that’s scary, sad, or just infuriating. Maybe it’s all three.

South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint laid out a very practical look at building the Republican “Big Tent” in a WSJ Opinion piece yesterday. Key to such an effort is this:

To win back the trust of the American people, we must be a “big tent” party. But big tents need strong poles, and the strongest pole of our party — the organizing principle and the crucial alternative to the Democrats — must be freedom. The federal government is too big, takes too much of our money, and makes too many of our decisions. If Republicans can’t agree on that, elections are the least of our problems.

The Republican Party has spent a lot of time and effort trying to construct a big tent by stitching a bunch of little tents together. It has proven to be ineffective and, in some cases, impossible. We tend to overlook the fact that despite the myriad of fabrics we use to cover our tents the supports hold much in common.

The reality that, “The federal government is too big, takes too much of our money, and makes too many of our decisions” is the common theme that can provide the basis for all of our coalition building.

Freedom will mean different things to different Republicans, but it can tether a diverse coalition to inalienable principles. Republicans can welcome a vigorous debate about legalized abortion or same-sex marriage; but we should be able to agree that social policies should be set through a democratic process, not by unelected judges. Our party benefits from national-security debates; but Republicans can start from the premise that the U.S. is an exceptional nation and force for good in history. We can argue about how to rein in the federal Leviathan; but we should agree that centralized government infringes on individual liberty and that problems are best solved by the people or the government closest to them.

John Hawkins adds his thoughts:

Still, this ain’t football. It’s not all about cheering for “our team.” So, being a “Republican” has to mean something. So, what DeMint lays down are some very broad and inclusive — but also, conservative principles that EVERY Republican — moderate, conservative, libertarian leaning, neocon, paleocon, and social conservative should be able to agree on. If you can’t AT LEAST agree to the incredibly basic principles that DeMint is discussing here, then you’re probably in the wrong political party.

Ed Morrissey makes several good points:

Jim DeMint, who has campaigned for conservatives and conservative causes, advises his allies on the Right that the GOP needs to narrow its focus if it expects to win elections again. In fact, the more narrow the focus, the bigger the tent

One key problem plaguing Republicans has been trying to be all things to all people. This leads to attempts to provide government solutions, federal solutions, on what should be state, local, and individual issues.

Senator DeMint:

Moderate and liberal Republicans who think a South Carolina conservative like me has too much influence are right! I don’t want to make decisions for them. That’s why I’m working to reduce Washington’s grip on our lives and devolve power to the states, communities and individuals, so that Northeastern Republicans, Western Republicans, Southern Republicans, and Midwestern Republicans can define their own brands of Republicanism. It’s the Democrats who want to impose a rigid, uniform agenda on all Americans. Freedom Republicanism is about choice — in education, health care, energy and more. It’s OK if those choices look different in South Carolina, Maine and California.

The problem, especially in recent years, is that instead of offering candidates and policies that adhere to these basic principles Republicans have too often presented themselves as “Democrat-Lite”.

Captain Ed once again:

If the GOP presents voters with a choice between a fake Democrat and a real Democrat, voters will choose the authentic item every time. The Republican Party at some point began being afraid of its own core values of smaller government, greater personal freedom, and federalism.

DeMint makes it very clear why this is true.

If the American people want a European-style social democracy, the Democratic Party will give it to them. We can’t win a bidding war with Democrats.

We have been trying to win that bidding war on the cheap. Unsuccessfully. And wrongly. In the process the only thing we’ve managed to do has been to drive up the price. We can’t continue to do this and hope to be successful as a party and, I would argue, as a nation.

If the money you have in your 401-K
Is harder to find than me wee pot of gold.
If your dreams of retirement are slipping away
cause your home, it canna’ be sold.
If your choice in November is causing regret
and you’re suffering from buyers remorse
‘Cause there’s no Skittle rainbows or Unicorns yet
and the country is on the wrong course.
Just remember this thought for your St. Paddy’s Day
as some solace you’re trying to seek.
We can turn things around, make this all go away
In a bit over 200 weeks.

Well, I didn’t expect this series to take over two weeks to complete. If this is your first visit, I’ve been examining the points John Hawkins made in his PJM post Six Keys to Turning Around the Republican Party. The last key is Stop thinking that the rules of politics don’t apply to Republicans and this is what John had to say:

The very first rule of politics is to secure your base. That means, priority number one for the Republican Party needs to be convincing conservative radio hosts, bloggers, and activists that they’re part of the solution, not part of the problem. Once that’s done, then the party can feel free to reach out to the middle in ways that don’t alienate the base.

I contend that the way for the Republican Party to convince “conservative radio hosts, bloggers, and activists” that we are part of the answer is to understand that conservatives are looking for a conservative home. They undercut that effort every time they dilute their message or dismiss the concerns of their base.

We are part of the solution. And by we I mean conservatives who actively seek to use our voices through whatever means we have available to educate voters, influence policy makers, and make our representatives at every level accountable for the decisions they make.

John makes a very good point saying, “Once that’s done, then the party can feel free to reach out to the middle in ways that don’t alienate the base.” It can be done. It must be done. But it must be done from a strongly held and communicated set of core beliefs, and not from a position where we are trying to pull the base to the middle.

Of course all of this is predicated on the assumption that we have a universal set of beliefs. That is true — to an extent. Issues arise when we try to inflate policies and programs as beliefs.

For a long time I have felt that it would be a great exercise to get a handle on the things conservatives hold as their core values. Let’s get started in the comments here. What do you think are the unalterable values that conservatives can agree on. Please try to concentrate on values rather than specific policies or programs.

Have at it.

I’ve been expanding on the points that John Hawkins made in his PJM article Six Keys to Turning Around the Republican Party. This post will be somewhat shorter than the others in this series because there’s just not much to add. Here is what John had to say:

Better support for exceptional conservative talent, right-of-center grassroots organizations, and online machinery is a necessity. In other words, we need our own George Soros to fund conservative organizations, our own Media Matters to give more conservatives the ability to blog full-time, and our own ACORN to register conservative voters.

At the core of any effort is the need for organization and support. There is a quantum difference between recognizing a good idea and actually getting behind that idea with the resources available to you.

Most of us could argue (If there is someone reading this who can not make this argument, please contact me!) that we do not have the resources of a George Soros to support conservative efforts. That’s OK. There is still much that can be done to advance conservatism.

I’m reminded of a story I heard in church some years ago. There was a deaf gentleman who was faithfully in church at every opportunity. Without the benefit a sign language interpreter, or the ability to read the pastors lips, he still was in the congregation whenever the doors were open. Someone asked the man why he continued to show up week after week when he was unable to hear what was said. He replied, “I just want to show the world who’s team I’m on.”

Yes, there is a need for those Republican Fat Cats that I’ve been hearing about for years, but never actually meeting, to do what they can. The rest of us can still do our part. At the very least we can show the world who’s team we’re on.

The fourth key of John Hawkins Six Keys to Turning Around The Republican Party post is Expanding our domestic agenda. I have a little bit to say about that this morning, with an idea related to this that is still percolating around in my head for later. Here is what John wrote:

The GOP has become almost entirely reliant on tax cuts and social issues on the domestic side. While those are still strong issues, we also need to expand our appeal by talking about a wider array of policies that can appeal to the American people. For example, we should get behind true energy independence through nuclear power and shale oil. We should develop a real security-first policy on illegal immigration. We should focus environmental efforts on clear water, clear air, and a non-polluted environment. Finally, we should strive to reduce health care costs by giving health care tax breaks to individuals not companies and allowing people to buy insurance from any state.

The short version of this is the old maxim, “All politics are local.” While people see the needs and issues we face as a nation, at the core they are most concerned about those things that impact them directly.

One thing we need to do as we attempt to share our vision for the country is show people how the ideas that we propose impact them personally. We can only get so far by declaring that some policy is best for America. We have to be able to demonstrate clearly how that policy is best for the individual we are trying to reach.

Related to this is the need, as the minority party, to present an alternative to any policy we propose. We are portrayed as the party of “No” by the left and the media. It is a tool they use effectively to marginalize conservatives and the Republican Party. That doesn’t make it true. What is true is that we are not always effective in communicating the reasoning behind our opposition and the positive alternatives we offer.

Some will argue that our message is ignored by the left-leaning press and that the majority leadership spares no effort in making sure that our voice isn’t heard. While that is certainly true, it is not a reason to give up the fight. In the face of opposition that hopes to win by presenting only their side it is incumbent on us to redouble our efforts to get our message across.

One way in which President Reagan was most effective was in taking his ideas directly to the American people. Granted, he had the bully pulpit of the presidency, but there are still things we can do to circumvent the obstacles we encounter.

Individual blogs, even the “biggies”, are extremely limited in their scope. That is offset to some degree by the number and diversity of offerings out there. I believe that there are some people who read bRight & Early and other similar sized blogs that don’t regularly read Michelle Malkin, Right Wing News, Ace of Spades, or the other big hitters. Having that variety of voices making the case for conservatism is just one way we can overcome the attempt to limit our effectivness.

It would take another post, or several, to explore the ways conservatives can get their message out there, and that really isn’t the point of this “Key.” However, I do believe that it is related. Much of what could be described as expanding our domestic agenda is really a matter of expanding the visibility of items already in place.

As I stated in the begining of the piece, I have more to say on this subject at another time. The ideas are still stirring.

This morning I am taking a look at the third key John Hawkins mentions in his post Six Keys to Turning Around The Republican Party. This will leave three more keys to examine this week. Here is what John had to say:

What the last four years have proven conclusively is that there is no future for a “Democrat-light” party in this country that talks about small government, keeping spending under control, cleaning up corruption in Washington, and law and order while delivering none of those things. Yes, we do need to continue to be a socially conservative party and we do need to continue to stand for a strong American foreign policy. However, those two issues alone will not carry us back to the promised land. We also need to “walk the walk” on the other parts of our agenda that were all too often ignored during the Bush years.

I’ve never been real happy describing the Republican Party as a brand as if it were a car, beer, or the latest battle in the Cola Wars. However, the analogy is apt and serves as a way to describe the dynamic between the message we offer and the American voters.

There are, I believe, two intertwined issues surrounding rebuilding the party brand — education and control of the message.

As in advertising, either you make your case to the consumer or your competition will do it for you. You will not be successful if the opposition is given free reign controlling the message that people hear.

Rush Limbaugh repeatedly describes how the liberals and Democrats describe us as “Sexist, racist, bigots and homophobes”. Quite frankly, they have been very successful at doing so. It isn’t enough to complain that we are being mis-portrayed as even that has been used against us to paint our party as paranoid and whinny.

If you’ve listened to AM radio at any length you have probably heard an ad campaign produced by The Famous Radio Ranch with the theme, “It’s called advertising, and it works.” Those spots focus on several important areas — saying nothing allows your competition to control the message, getting the message out has to be done constantly and consistently, and the underlying idea that advertising is really about education.

However the most important point that I can make about rebuilding the party brand is that no matter how well we control the message or educate the people it means very little if the “brand” itself is something people don’t want. I believe very strongly that what conservatives have to offer is what people honestly want and what is best for their lives. Rush Limbaugh was correct in his speech to CPAC this past weekend when he said,

The American people may not all vote the way we wish them to, but more Americans than you now live their lives as conservatives in one degree or another.

Unfortunately, John’s description of recent Republican offerings being “Democrat-light” is right on the money. We can not keep portraying ourselves as not quite as bad as the Democrats. As they say in South Carolina, that dog won’t hunt. It’s time for us, as conservatives, to Reclaim Conservatism and take the lead in showcasing our brand.

Other posts in this series:
The job of the loyal opposition is to oppose
Stop conceding so many groups of voters

The second key John Hawkins espouses in his PJM article Six Keys to Turning Around The Republican Party is Stop conceding so many groups of voters. His point is a good one. It doesn’t matter how big our tent is if it is mostly empty. Here is what he had to say:

The GOP needs to do a better job of reaching out to Hispanics, blacks, Jews, Muslims, women, and young voters. That doesn’t mean we need to compromise our principles, but it does mean that we do need to stop writing off these groups and giving up before we get started. The truth is that the Republican Party is a better fit for every one of those groups than the Democrats, and we can make that case.

Let me tell you a story to illustrate my thinking on this point.

A friend and co-worker many years ago provides a good example. He was a deeply dedicated family man, involved with his children and wife in every aspect of their lives and very close to his parents. He was an avid hunter and fisherman and loved to be outdoors involved in those pursuits.

From the long hours of discussions we had working together I know that he was against high taxes and over intervention by the government. On several occasions he expressed the view that the best thing government could do was get out of the way of people and businesses.

In many ways he embodied the image of a typical Republican that is often portrayed by the media and the left: A Southern hunter with a traditional family and traditional views. There were two other things to offset that however. While he was well informed on issues he wasn’t particularly political, but he typically voted Democrat. And he was black.

I asked him on several occasions why he voted for democrats. His explanation was that he really didn’t think about it that much.

If you look at this as a marketing exercise, we have a better product but have done a poor job of advertising and education. Worst of all we have allowed the opposition and others to define us. John makes this point:

But to do that, we need to tailor our message to each group and make a real, consistent, long-term effort to bring more people from these groups into the fold instead of making a halfhearted effort, saying “they’ll never vote for us anyway,” and giving up.

He uses three words that I want to explore to finish the look at this key: Real, Consistent, Long-term.

There has to be a real effort, not a halfhearted token of an effort. That means two things. We have to educate voters on what conservatism and the Republican Party are really about. We need to show people why our policies and platform are better for them and how their values, goals, and dreams are best served by the positions and objectives that Republican conservatism stands for.

The second part of a real effort is a real effort in controlling our message. We have to stop allowing others to define who we are and what we stand for. This applies to both the opposition, who are glad to portray us as something we are not, and the media who are content to rely on old cliche’s that don’t, and never did, represent us.

Central to this is one thing I have yet to mention. I do not believe that we appeal to people outside of the party by diluting our message. Not only do I believe that the traditional Republican views of limited government, strong national defense, fiscal responsibility, the wisdom and original intent of our founders, the value of the individual, and personal responsibility are best for me, I also believe they are the best for everyone. There is no need or reason to offer something less in a vain attempt to appeal to groups and individuals by presenting anything other than what we truly believe.

That means our message and our effort must be consistent. Consistent day to day and group to group. We may tailor the message to best inform the people we are talking to, but the underlying principles must not change.

Finally, the effort must be long-term. We are not going to overcome years of misinformation, misunderstanding, and inaccurate portrayals in one day, or even one election cycle. If we believe that the things we offer are really the best answer for continuing America’s greatness we must dedicate our selves to promoting our views and helping others see how our policies and ideas mesh with their ideals.

Previously: The job of the loyal opposition is to oppose

John Hawkins offers Six Keys to Turning Around The Republican Party. Over the next week I hope to examine each of those keys in detail. For this morning let’s just take a look at his introduction and list the keys that he sees.

If we want to fix what ails the Republican Party, it’s worth taking a few moments to diagnose what went wrong, while acknowledging what the Democrats did right. Once we’ve diagnosed the disease and figured out how another patient overcame similar problems, we can start to get the GOP’s health back on track.

First off, the Republican Party succeeded from 2000-2004, not — as some people think — because they softened their ideological edges, but because the GOP had an edge over the Democrats on foreign policy issues, which were the dominant issues of those election cycles. However, by the 2006 election, the war in Iraq had turned into a net negative for the GOP and domestic issues — where the party’s agenda has become stale and out of step with the base — had become much more important.

The image that I’ve had regarding this is that conservatives, operating under the Republican Party umbrella, have been offering the cheep store brand product and trying to tell us it’s the same as the name brand.

Here are John’s Keys that we are going to discuss:

1. The job of the loyal opposition is to oppose
2. Stop conceding so many groups of voters
3. Rebuild the party brand
4. Expanding our domestic agenda
5. Support the home team
6. Stop thinking that the rules of politics don’t apply to Republicans

You (and I) may not agree with John’s assessment, but it is a good place to start a discussion. Check back later for the discussion of the first key.

As always, your comments are welcome and encouraged.

Cross-posted at Reclaim Conservatism.

UPDATE: Links are added to the list above as posts are made.

John Hawkins examines a National Review piece by James Gimpel. Here is a bit of the flavor of Gimpel’s work:

A campaign doesn’t move toward them [centrist or moderate voters], but instead attempts to inspire them to come in the candidate’s direction. The incoherent center moves to the left or to the right, inspired by the candidate’s enthusiasm and the enthusiasm of his supporters. It is foolish for the candidate to move to the center, because the center is never a fixed position to move toward.

Moving centrists toward one’s candidacy is not a process that hinges on taking the right policy stands, either. Instead, it involves the enthusiasm and social contagion that builds around exciting candidates. We know from several volumes of political-science research that less-informed voters commonly substitute someone else’s judgment for their own. That someone else is often a spouse, workmate, or neighbor knowledgeable and enthusiastic about one of the candidates. Support for a candidate spreads through social influence processes.

I believe the case could be made that moving toward the center does nothing more than move the center. When either the left or right changes their focus those in the middle also shift so that they remain in the “center”. Conversely, moving toward your base could, I believe, move the center in your direction as well.

Here is Hawkin’s take as it relates to the Republican party:

The GOP no longer has the courage of their conservative principles and so, on many of their core principles, they offer up nothing but mush.

In other words, we’re a small government, cost cutting, law and order, party of the middle class and honest government that supports big government, ever increasing deficits, illegal immigration, tolerates corruption, and doesn’t offer much to the middle class.

People wonder why small government and cutting deficit spending doesn’t appear to be all that popular with the American people right now. Well, could it be because the same Republican politicians who are talking up “small government” have brought us large deficits, the Medicare Prescription Drug benefit, and are nationalizing our banks as part of a ridiculous, unnecessary bailout?

If the Republicans in Washington don’t even believe in their own party’s principles, is it any surprise that moderates don’t either?

No, it’s not.

The election is behind us. As I have seen written several places, now comes the hard part for Obama. Up until now he only had a campaign to win, now he has a country to lead.

It is my belief that he will lead it poorly. In fact, I think one of his lasting accomplishments during his four years in office will be to make the Carter presidency look better.

For better or worse he will be America’s president, which means he will be my president. I am sure that I will disagree with nearly everything he does. Still, I respect the office and I will strive to show that respect to the office holder. A pet peeve of mine is the bad habit that has developed over the past years that doesn’t recognize that respect. It will be my goal, here and in private, to refer to Barack Obama as President Obama once he has taken the oath of office. Not as a sign of agreement, but as a show of the high esteem I have for the office of President.

That being said, I will use my small platform to speak out against those things that I will inevitably disagree with. I will fight for what I believe to be right. And after what is bound to be an historically short pause I will fight to help conservative men and women become elected. Twenty-four months of President Obama working with the expanded majorities in Congress could make that easy.