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The future of American politics
Johnny F. Luévano Jr.
I have written how the GOP has been successful in reaching out to more Hispanics locally; slate.com has also highlighted this Hispanic trend nationally. I would include that younger GOP candidates as a whole and more women will also be successful candidates.
The big question is why the recent leadership shifts of younger candidates, which includes more Hispanics and women, to the Republican Party?
One of the answers is that the GOP has become more engaged on social issues that typically resonate with younger voters, Hispanics and women. Say what you will about President George W. Bush, but the facts reveal that he led an effort to become more engaged within domestic social issues and attempted to put the GOP brand of self-responsibility on these policies.
I will argue that this courageous and consequential leadership approach is the renewed way forward in the Republican Party, and the renewed GOP brand is the future of American politics (Rove, Courage and Consequence).
The party of no ideas vs. the party of the cool uncle
The current and future voting demographics in our country provide no alternative for the GOP to stay politically relevant. So the big question for the GOP is, does the party remain quietly on the domestic social sidelines and allow the Democratic Party to brand us as the “party of no ideas?” It is tough to compete with a Democratic Party that is the equivalent of the family’s “cool uncle” and will bend with the wind to achieve popularity or be well-liked on almost any issue regardless of its feasibility or the best interest in long-term results.
A great example of this type of popular rhetoric was a primary campaign commercial by Brian Colón, Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, in which he stated that he will “work to increase teacher pay and reduce class sizes and as lieutenant governor he will fight to stop the Republicans who are hurting our public schools.” The rhetoric sounds great, and he would probably base his argument on the idea of school vouchers. Someone might want to tap this guy on the shoulder and provide him with an “FYI” on our current budget shortfall.
I would also suggest taking a drive around the state to count the number of classroom trailers currently placed on our school campuses due to a lack of classroom availability. Only a Democrat can work this sort of budget magic and promote an educational policy that currently isn’t financially feasible. Sounds great though.
This is an example of the Democratic “cool uncle” mentality that competes against the GOP when confronting domestic social issues, and we must take a more principled, substantive approach against these empty public policy promises.
Senator Domenici sets the tone
At this year’s annual Pete Domenici Public Policy Conference, Senator Domenici stated that “we need to go on a literal budget diet for 5-10 years on federal expenditures in order to save our country, and innovation ought to make us go.” I agree, and it will have to be the renewed GOP brand leading the way with courageous outside-the-box innovative ideas to solving problems. The renewed Republican must become more innovative and have the courage to put forward long-term domestic social policies with specific, substantive, realistic, attainable and responsible policy ideas.
We must resist the urge to fall in line with the Democratic Party’s determined effort to keep Americans separated, with interest-group pandering politics that result in the status-quo policy failures and, consequently, keep us on a path to public bankruptcy.
The lesson learned from the past 10 years is that the GOP cannot outspend Democrats. We have tried, and the result has led us to the edge of a budget cliff. Spending is a game plan of the Democratic Party.
The days of just throwing money at a problem are long gone, and it will be the responsibility of the renewed GOP brand to fall back onto old-fashioned principled ideas mixed with 21st Century innovative ideas to put forward “Smart solutions.” This effort will take a little more brain power and creativity, but our country is counting on bold leadership; the renewed GOP will lead the way. Courage, substance, innovation and intelligence – this is a Republican game plan that the renewed GOP can execute.
Luévano, a newly registered Republican, is a lifelong New Mexico resident and an Artesia native who currently lives in Tucson, Ariz. He graduated from the University of New Mexico in 2001 with a bachelor’s in political science and economics and from the University of Kansas in 2008 with a master’s in public administration. You can reach Luévano at www.johnnyluevano.com.
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Mr. Luevano has hit the nail squarely on it’s head, and he’s hit it with much more truth & force than anyone I’ve seen swinging any political hammer, in more than a little while.
Unfortunately, there are some number of mindlessly confused politically motivated race baiting detractors, who will always be lurking around. Who will relentlessly keep trying to use every trick, to falsely slander the party that freed the slaves & passed numerous civil rights laws, beginning way back in the middle 1800′s. Those like StuartH, who posted so much nonsense below.
But the truth is precisely as Mr. Luevano has so eloquently stated above. Which is, the GOP doesn’t consider the color of anyone’s skin, but does deeply care about the content of one’s character.
With that so, the New Mexico GOP, which is still, unfortunately (so far) largely inhabited by Anglo men & women, have nominated some of the finest, most qualified people, of the best possible character, to lead the GOP, & the state of New Mexico, into a color blind future. Where everyone can & will be solely judged on nothing but the content of their hearts, & on the quality of their character.
Among those fine New Mexico leaders is Susana Martinez, the GOP’s elected gubernatorial candidate, and her equally respected and fully capable running mate, John Sanchez, the GOP’s elected Lt. Governor candidate.
And it would be impossible to not mention the GOP’s excellent choice for New Mexico Secretary of State, State Senator Dianna J. Duran. And, the GOP’s choice for State Auditor, Errol Chavez as well.
StuartH, just so everyone will know how outrageous your race baiting is, I’m going to list every other New Mexico Hispanic candidate that I can think of, who is running for state leadership office, from within the Republican Party.
Republican Gary Montoya is running for the District 4 Public Regulation Commission.
Republican Alonzo Baldonado is running for the State House, in District 8.
Republican Clara Pena is running for the State House in District 14.
Republican Anthony Romo is running for the State House in District 19.
Republican Antoinette Baca is running for the State House in District 21.
Republican Lorenzo Larranaga is running for re-election for the State House in District 21.
Republican Leroy Candelaria is running for the State House in District 50.
And last but far from being the least, the very effective Republican Nora Espinoza is running for re-election for the State House in District 59.
StuartH, that’s not even mentioning the scores of other Hispanic Republicans who are far too many to mention, that are running for election, & reelection, to numerous local New Mexico elected positions. But if you’d like to continue acting like an ostrich, with your head stuck firmly in the sand, that’s your problem.
The rest of us, including Mr. Luevano, are already moving on. That’s even though we’re already many light years ahead of worn out race baiting dinosaurs, just like you.
StuartH, when all else fails, play the race card.
The Democratic Party is not just bending to appeal to every special interest group. That is a marketing theme at best, that Republicans who don’t want a fair debate promote. There are issues that people fight their whole lives for, where justice and economic equity hang in the balance and where the fight is intensely worth it to achieve progress.
Republicans generally are unresponsive to these concerns. Having grown up in Texas, and around the politics of the Christian Right, particularly under Karl Rove and Bush’s leadership, I think there is a fever that is running in the body of Republican thought which will have to run its course before the GOP can become a viable alternative for thinking people.
People try every which way to deny it, but racism is deeply, deeply ingrained. There is a conflict between a future in which a multicultural society does not politically divide along ethnic lines, and a past where frankly, white privelege was defended through whatever means were necessary. We are in a transitional period where the future isn’t quite within reach and the past still has its grip on us all.
Having said that, I very much appreciate what the author is saying. I really hope he is the future because he seems to be capable of rational thought without giving in to “hair on fire” wedge issue hyperbole. Our issues are going to become more and more complex and will require better and better intellectual honesty.