Last week, Jason Johnson – columnist for The Murfreesboro Pulse – sounded the death bell for the GOP. In his column, Johnson writes:

It’s official; the Republican Party as we know it is dead. Samuel Wurzelbacher, a.k.a. Joe the Plumber, announced that he has abandoned the GOP, Sarah Palin ran back to the hills where words aren’t complicated, and Rush Limbaugh is still an idiot who only fringe lunatics take seriously. And those are just a few false figureheads.

The actual half-working party is plagued by infighting and doesn’t appear to have any legitimate leadership or firm ideals to stand on. Senator Arlen Spector switched to the Democratic Party and some prominent Republicans recently went on a town hall tour to find out what America is thinking. They used to be the party of bad ideas; now they’re the party of no ideas. 

Amused by Johnson’s inadequate assessment of the GOP, I was naturally inclined to respond. And because many people do not follow the links through to the various websites, I will repost my letter in its entirety here:

The Pendulum Will Swing

I find it increasingly disturbing that the decision makers at The Pulse have allowed Jason Johnson the opportunity to spew his filth for such an extended period of time. His diatribes would make even a novice columnist shudder. Take for instance his most recent piece: “It’s Party Time, Unless You’re a Republican.”

To quote that American intellectual Samuel Clemens, “The reports of [its] death have been greatly exaggerated.” It being the Republican Party.

In his scholarly work, Johnson asserts that the Republican Party is dead, and shores up his airtight claim with three anecdotal substantiations: (1) Joe the Plumber has left the GOP, (2) Sarah Palin “ran back to the hills” and (3) “Rush Limbaugh is still an idiot.” At the risk of weakening his argument, I will allow his assertions to stand on their own merit.

What consequence does one ignorant columnist in Murfreesboro have on the future of the GOP? None, essentially. But his words do highlight a growing problem with the mainstream media. The MSM has all but read the eulogy for the modern GOP when, in reality, the Republican Party of today does not look very dissimilar from the Democratic Party of the 1960s. Held hostage by one fragment of the party, the Democrats of the 1960s floundered aimlessly for some time before eventually growing out of their adolescent stage. Modern Republicans, resistant to change (i.e. a re-branding of sorts), seem to be held hostage by the stalwarts within their party.

I am not suggesting that Republicans abandon principles of limited government and personal liberty, I am merely suggesting that Republicans expand those concepts to all facets of American culture. Alienating groups of people is no way to win an ideological battle against the Democrats, who have spent decades dividing Americans into easily-appeased “groups”—union workers, minorities, women, homosexuals, etc.

The British Conservative Party recently experienced a successful “re-branding” and they are now poised to make substantial gains in government during the next general election. The modern Tories did not abandon their ideology in the process.

So, while the GOP struggles to find itself, writers like Jason Johnson will be all too quick to suggest the Republican Party is dead. As has been the case historically, however, the pendulum often swings back when Americans feel one party has gained too much control over the American political system.

Johnson would do well to sit tight for about 18 months or so.

There’s little debate on whether or not Republicans are stumbling to define their message at the national level. For two consecutive election cycles, the American electorate selected Democrats over Republicans, and I think it is time the Republicans try to redefine their message. It needs to be repackaged, reinvigorated, and redefined. Conservatism is not on the way out, I do not think. It is just that – nationally – many people are tired of the messengers. The left’s hatred of Bush for eight years dominated the American media, and there’s a stigma that is hanging over the Republican Party – a spector, so to speak.

Where are conservatives thriving and doing well? England. Under the youthful leadership of David Cameron, the Conservative Party has reinvented itself – moving away from the party of old white men and moving toward an inclusive party whose message is engaging and relevant. Last year, Boris Johnson won the London mayoral race, becoming the first Conservative to ever be elected to that position.

Under Cameron’s guidance, the Conservatives have launched their party into the 21st century, engaging constituencies all over the globe through their website, on YouTube, and on Facebook. 

One blogger writes:

The Conservative finally saw the error of their ways by electing a young, media savvy and articulate leader David Cameron. As a leader he is environmentally aware (a very important characteristic which can not be overlooked), he is far too young to be a Thatcherite, he is socially aware of views from the growing British ethnic minorities and he understands that Image is vital in today’s media frenzy world.

Cameron’s moved early to establish a new tone to the way Conservatives communicated to the electorate in Great Britain. He replaced the well known Conservative torch logo with a greener more modern image of the green and blue tree logo. Why? Because Image matters. He was replacing the old with the new. The fossil with the renewable element. He was effectively drawing a line between his predecessors (Thatcher as well) and himself.

Although I agree that British politics is very different to its American counterpart (admittedly we lean a lot more to the left side of the Isle) Cameron still holds firm the key Conservative ideals; fiscal constraint, strong national defence, less government and individual freedom.

David Cameron has shown that these ideals can coexist along with ideals such as being environmentally responsible, being ethnically – socially aware and putting more emphasis on the ‘family’ without the exclusion of the gay community. Put it simply a guy who agrees with him 75% of the time is not his enemy.

Can Republicans learn something from Cameron’s approach? Yes. If not, the Republicans run the risk of alienating themselved from an ever-evolving electorate.

Below is the first video David Cameron posted on YouTube over two years ago. The videos have come a long way – just the party – and I expect great things from Conservatives once they take power in the UK.