The Great Republican Leadership Conference

Putting the cart before the horse is always the well known visual of someone with misplaced priorities.  Years ago in 1989, as Ronald and Nancy Reagan boarded their Air Force One helicopter after saying: “We have left the country in good shape and in good hands……” came the legacy reign of George H.W. Bush, or later to be known as George “the Elder”.  George H.W. Bush had been selected as Vice President for Reagan because “accommodations” had to be made, that included his history with CIA, Big Banking and the Council on Foreign Relations.  In those days, the CFR was a closed corporation and only those given “the blessing of the global community” were awarded entry.  George H.W. Bush was also considered the “The Great Moderate” that would balance “The Wild Eyed Conservatism” of a Ronald Reagan Presidency.

The first term of George H.W. Bush was a win without much opposition.  The photo of Michael Dukakis in a Military Tank and his release of a murderer and the subsequent killing and rape of another woman…..more or less ruined any chances for the compromising Democratic candidate for President.  The great line that got Bush elected:  “Read my lips……no new taxes!”  It was a early Grover Norquist moment – yet to come!  When Bush “the Elder” had to renege on that promise just a few years later…….the base of the Republican/Conservative Democratic Reagan base belched flames!  “Sold Out by the well known Moderate”.. came to mind.   A not so famous very rich industrialist and real estate developer named Ross Perot came on the very popular Larry King television program on the emerging CNN calling for Bush to stand up for American Jobs…..and shoot down NAFTA.  Perot was so persuasive that King invited him back several times and Ross “the Boss” who had gone to Vietnam several times to find our “Missing in Action” continued to hammer Bush.  “If they pass NAFTA, there is going to be a giant sucking sound…..and America will lose its entire manufacturing base!”  Not bad prognostication for 1990!

In the meantime, the Democrats knew they had an opportunity.  Bush was a mushy Republican, who sold out on his pledge not to raise taxes and was busy sending alot of American Jobs out of the country.  Reagan had brought back the patriotism that was lost in the Jimmy Carter years.  The appearance that Bush was falling back into the same old “Internationalism Malaise” was raising its ugly head.  George H.W. Bush was hanging out with folks like Ken Lay, Bernie Ebbers and Jeff Skillings.  “Market Driven Solutions” were considered the hot new panacea to drive the American Economy.  The concept was to make “Everything” a market driven commodity.  Water, Electricity, Gas, Sanitation, the newly created concept of the Internet…..Hogs, Butter Fat, Cattle, Coal, Oil, Coffee, Gold, Silver and all precious metals, Diary Products, Agriculture, Pharmaceuticals, Insurance, Medical Expenses, Hospitals, even Highways and By-Ways.  The call for a ” Supply and Demand Economy” sounded good on paper.  In the words of Ross Perot;  “The devil however is in the details!”  Also, the “Law of Unregulated Markets”  soon had a variety of “Unintended Consequences”.   You cannot use Market Driven Models for the staples of life.  At least that is what people after World War II believed.

For many years, the basic Hedge Funds for Corn, Wheat, Hogs, Cattle and Dairy were called “The Futures Market”.  The Futures Market were based on these like the Farmer’s Almanac that projected whether or not these products could suffer from a draught or from too much rain.  These Futures prices were listed on the New York Stock Exchange and people could “guess” or “bet” on whether to invest or not…..on the projections.  As more people bought into the various funds the prices could fluctuate wildly.  If the draught didn’t happen and the crops had record output…….people could lose their shirts.  These same Futures Markets had also been a great part of the Gold and Silver Rush of 1979-1980.  Some people were able to get out in time, other not and lost their homes, life savings and future retirements due to over reaching investment in these risky vehicles.  Hillary Clinton made a killing in Hog Futures, back in these days!

The Democratic Leadership Council was created to bring the best minds in the Democratic Party into a National Alliance of electeds and think tank mavens to re-make the Democratic Party.  One of the handsome well spoken stars of this group was Arkansas Governor William Jefferson Clinton.  His very cute and smart wife Hillary did nothing to detract from Clinton’s Rising Star on the National Stage.  Along with this effort by a substantial group of Moderate/Conservative Fiscally and Moderate/Liberals on Social Issues; there was a new youthfulness to the Democratic Party in 1992.  Meanwhile, Ross Perot was building incredible momentum to run as a Third Party Candidate.  And so he did!  The Presidential Debates for 1992 would include Bush, Clinton and Perot.  The first time in history that three major candidates vied for President on the National Debate Stage!  Along the way to this outcome came a last minute withdrawal by Perot and then another last minute “I’m back in!”  The lost of momentum would later become the telling point.  Perot suggested “that someone from the CIA said that unless I withdraw….my family would be sacrificed!”  Perot, later withdrew that comment….but the results of his ambivalence were already in play.   Perot got great Third Party numbers…upwards of 22% or more in various states…..but is was not enough and Clinton squeaked into office barely beating Bush “The Elder” out of his 2nd term.  The rest as they say “is history”!

Today, the American people have elected and re-elected Barack H. Obama as President of the United States.  The Republican Party is in shambles.  The current Republican party strategy of “Search and Destroy” is the same one that LBJ and Richard Nixon employed in Vietnam.  The strategy is flawed and is certainly not doing much to “Win the Hearts and Minds” of the American Public.  The Do-Nothing, Always Say No, Raise No Taxes, Agree to Nothing approaches to Government will not be winning them many National elections in the foreseeable future.  Should Hillary R. Clinton stay healthy and engaged in the process, she will undoubtedly be the odds-on favorite win the Presidential bid in 2016.  Republican stars Chris Christy and Jeb Bush…as good as they are will be hard pressed to overcome the Clinton Legacy with Hillary. 

With all of these thoughts in mind, the Republican Party needs a new birth of freedom to adjust their issues and policies of the past.  The ones that have failed, over and over and over again.  Ronald Reagan did two things in his two terms:  He gave Amnesty to Illegal Immigrants and he made a Grand Compromise to raise taxes on all levels which included a very strong attack on the so-called Unreported Black Economy.  These items were both contentious and not so popular.  As Reagan said on his way to the Air Force One helicopter leaving office in Washington D.C. – “We have left the country in good shape and in good hands……”

The time has come for the Republican Party to re-invent itself.  As it is presently configured it is totally “Unsustainable”!  Being right on the Gun issue cannot sustain them.  Backing the 1000 Investment bankers that created the economic meltdown and should be in jail……is unsustainable.  Backing Pharmaceutical Companies that refuse to negotiate Medicare and Medicaid prescription drugs….is unsustainable.  Attacking so-called Entitlements; Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and asking people to take reduced payments or restricting their cost of living raises – is unsustainable.   Not fixing ObamaCare is unsustainable.  The list goes on and on, but what players should the Republicans put on the field? 

If they were to create The Great Republican Leadership Conference who should be part of that team of great thinkers and prospective candidates?   Formulating the list, must include those from every corner of the Republican Party.  Jeb Bush, Chris Christy, George Allen, Rudy Guiliani, Colin Powell, Duncan Hunter Jr., Darrell Issa, Bill Bennet, Susan Collins, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Rick Snyder, John Kasich, Steve Chabot, Steve LaTourette, Tom Corbett, Jim DeMint. Nikki  Haley, Kristi Noem, Dennis Daugaard, Lamar Alexander, Joe Barton, Mike Lee,  John Shadegg, Bob McDonnell and  Mike Enzi.  This is a pretty good start….but as you notice…..we have left off the current leadership of the Republican Party, which has gotten a solid “F” and needs to lay low or retire. 

The Titanic needs a new captain and also needs a whole new crew that know how to at least operate the lifeboats when necessary.  We apologize for missing some new up and comers that need to be included…..but sadly the obfuscation of the current Republican leadership has blotted out the sun.  New Priorities need to be drawn and assigned.   Losses need to be taken and a new future must be created with a very real renewed optimism and positive message.  Going negative 24/7 – 365 is totallly unsustainable!

Sad really…when you think of how far the Republican Party and Star has fallen.  How could they be this far out of touch with the heartbeat of the American people?  How could they believe that they represent the grand middle class of vanishing Americans?  How could they?  Putting the cart before the horse is always the well known visual of someone with misplaced priorities and it is about time……the Republicans may finally grasp that they have put the wrong players on the field of play.

The Great Republican Leadership Conference…..is coming to a village,  town, city or state near you…hopefully?!