->  It should be glaringly obvious at this point that – as distasteful as it is, and what it says about our society – a winning candidate for President needs to be telegenic.  The more telegenic the candidate, the less substance they need to have to their platform.  I think the new generation of GOP leaders has this covered, from Palin, Steele, Jindal (ok, not quite so much), Romney and others.

->  For the most part, the election returns confirm that solid conservatives are still winning elections, and the country is still a right of center country.  But being a RINO (or Squishy Republican) is a recipe for roadkill.  You can’t out-Liberal a Democrat.  Again, the backbench seems to have it down.

->  There are 15 Democrat and 19 Republican Senate seats up for election in 2010.  It is imperative that the GOP begin placing candidates today, and building a coherent POSITIVE message.  Don’t even THINK of running against Obama; run against the excesses and mistakes of the left, with a message of positive steps, and, to appropriate the word: Change.  You can be sure the Democrats are already calculating how they can get a filibuster proof majority in the Senate…

->  The GOP needs to bring some of the old hands from 1994 back, to help in crafting what should, in essence, be a new Contract with America.  But this time, it should be somewhat more long term.  The Contract was a wonderful idea, but once the line items were exhausted, the Republicans got fat, lazy, and overwhelmed by ability to spend money.  A new Contract – call it a Compact for America, perhaps – should spell concrete legislative actions, and bind all signatories to pledges to fight any and all earmarks, change the tax code to a fair tax/flat tax/anything but the IRS, and other positive steps to make life better for America, while reducing government interference in our lives.

->  The GOP MUST learn to tap the Internet.  There is a huge pool of Internet and New Media savvy people on the Conservative side.  The GOP needs to bring these people into the fold, not to duplicate the lefts efforts, but to surpass them.  It is obvious that the traditional media is nothing more than an organ of the Left at this point.  Efforts need to be made to wage 21st century campaigns using 21st century media.

->  The GOP must immediately cease and desist from participating in any primary or caucus process that is open to non-party members.  Participating in open primaries is what saddled us with McCain in the 2008 campaign.  The GOP must regain control of it’s nominating process.  Imagine, if Romney – the successful business man – had been the nominee when the Demcrat time bomb at Fannie Mae/Fredddie Mac exploded.  It would have been an entirely different race.

Tags: 2010