Meet this site’s newest columnist. She plans to write a weekly column about a timely topic: redefining the Republican Party.
By Sarah Lenti
When Heath and I discussed the possibility of me blogging on his site, I knew immediately what I wanted to kibitz about — redefining the Republican Party. No, the subject matter is hardly original. And, yes, it is actually probably a bit predictable for someone who has worked on several Republican presidential campaigns and then worked in a policy position for four-plus years.
As a still youngish, fiscally-conservative female who was born in the North but (mostly) raised in the South; who was a Russian-studies major, but can’t actually stand Moscow; who doesn’t devour meat, but takes great delight in dining at up-scale steakhouses; I have my own strong opinions regarding the Grand Old Party. Go ahead, mock me — I am a Republican and I actually care about America, its greatness and our place in the world. And, yes, I have a lot of ideas as to the Who, What Where, When and How the Republican Party needs to rebrand and repackage itself.
While I will be the first to admit that our current party status is not so ‘Grand,’ I refuse to sit along the sidelines with slumped shoulders as MSNBC (and the likes) rip the party into oblivion. There are extremely thoughtful, conservative leaders out there who have real ideas and a real vision — if people would just take the time to listen (and, no, I am not talking about Sarah Palin). Over the next few months, I will highlight some of these people, and equally as important, their ideas.
In Sunday’s New York Times, Adam Nagourney wrote about the “art” of the political comeback, which is timely. He wrote:
“Political comebacks tend to come in two forms. The first is when a party stumbles back into power because of the mistakes by the other side. A classic instance came in 1976, when Watergate enabled Jimmy Carter to win the presidency.
“The second kind of march back to power, which takes longer but is more enduring, reflects a party’s success in coming to grips with changing conditions — demographic, ideological or both — and in finding a leader who has mastered the new political terrain. Mr. Nixon did this in 1968, and Bill Clinton did it in 1992.
“Republicans today seem to be fixated on the first form of comeback. Many in the party appear to be biding their time, waiting for Mr. Obama to stumble in one or another of his ambitious plans.”
On the march back to power
As to Nagourney’s assessment, I could not disagree more. No truly thoughtful person I know — and let’s leave all politics aside — wants President Obama to fail. This goes against the grain of being an American, respecting the democratic system, and embracing our struggle for excellence as a nation through hard work and the gift of unprecedented opportunity.
I believe our party is, indeed, on the march back to power and to redefining itself along the way. No, we are not sitting and waiting for others to fall down — but quietly and slowly building from the inside out. And who is leading the march, you ask?
Well, in time, you will come to recognize us. We are savvy, even thoughtful people. We are educated, even worldly. We are hardworking and not looking for a hand-out. We are green and, yet, still corporate-friendly. We are pescetarians and vegetarians — and, all the while, happy to be affiliated with the NRA. We are single, married, divorced and gay — and all of this is ok. We believe in a strong defense and will never apologize for it. We believe in individual rights, yet can still be champions of a happy family life. We are who we are, and it might surprise you.
Read on in the days to come and feel free to agree or disagree. It’s just one point of view.
Lenti currently works as a policy consultant and advisor to Republican Party leaders, executives and candidates. She has worked in New Mexico and other states on presidential and congressional races and has a background in national security.