How Republicans can beat Obama (maybe)

Tony Blankley explained how recently:

"Overly broad charges against him are dangerous. Republicans will make a mistake if they take to calling him "too liberal for America." He is too liberal, but they need to make the charge specific point by specific point...The Republicans must systematically make a hundred tightly argued, irrefutable critiques of very specific examples of Obama's policy being wrong for at least 60 percent of America. America may be going through one of our episodic style shifts. In 1932, FDR's conversational style trumped Hoover's old oratory. In 1960, JFK's coolness and wit caught the emerging post-World War II sophistication of our culture. Twenty years later America, tired of sophisticated cynicism, was ready to return to Reagan's old-fashioned sentiments and values. Obama is tapping into a curious alchemy of youthful idealism tempered by Internet edginess. Republicans must communicate their values and policies through that prism, or they will not communicate at all."

Yes--we're not talking here about abandoning principle. Obama is too far to the left, and Republicans and conservatives must communicate it. But not the old, clunky way, by shouting
"liberal" at him. That won't work in these changing times. Reagan understood that, and hence learned to package conservatism in his warm, sunny, optimistic manner. So must we learn to change today, too.

Hey, conservatives: get fired up!

Michelle Malkin has an excellent column today. An excerpt:
"The contest for the GOP presidential nomination is over. The conservative movement is not. Sen. John McCain’s campaign resurrection and Super Tuesday victory leave a diverse group on the Right—from the libertarian Club for Growth to First Amendment defenders to immigration enforcement proponents—dispirited. But the failure to nominate a true Republican unifier does not spell ideological defeat. On Wednesday, wielding his olive branch like a schoolmarm’s ruler, Sen. McCain told conservatives to “calm down.” My advice is exactly the opposite: Get fired up.

Some on the Right advise their readers and listeners to vote Democrat or sit home. My advice is exactly the opposite: Get off the couch and walk the walk for conservative candidates and officeholders who need all the help they can get defending free markets, free minds, and secure borders—no matter who takes the White House in November. Dissatisfied with the flawed crop of GOP candidates who lacked the energy, organizational skills, and ideological strength to carry the conservative banner and ignite your passions? Then pay attention to the next generation of Republican state legislators who do vote consistently to lower your taxes, uphold the sanctity of life, defend marriage, and cut government spending. Support their re-election bids. Reward them for standing with you instead of their Democrat opponents and the liberal media."

She's right. There are a ton of state and local races, and conservative candidates, to find and to support. And there are a ton of local issues on which to push for conservative solutions. For example: "Don’t sit and wait for the fence to get built. It won’t be finished under the Bush administration or a McCain administration or an Obama or Hillary Clinton administration. What you can do is pressure mayors and police chiefs and city councils to rescind dangerous sanctuary policies. What you can do is alert county sheriffs that you want them to work with the feds to end illegal alien catch-and-release policies in your neighborhood.. What you can do is stop patronizing businesses that you know are knowingly employing illegal immigrants using fake Ids and stolen Social Security numbers."

Read the whole thing.

the Republicans: John McCain

So Mr. McCain won South Carolina (as I predicted--the only prediction I got right yesterday).
But I note that exit polls show that, while he did well among veterans and independents, he didn't win among Republicans and conservatives. In fact, he has yet to win among those voters.

That will eventually come to haunt him. In Florida, it's a closed primary--only Republicans can vote in it. Mr. McCain has NOT united conservatives around his candidacy--not by a long shot. One small but illustrative example of this is George Will's anti-McCain column in today's Washington Post--read the whole thing.
This thing is far from over.

Republican candidates and character

Rich Lowry on NRO has a good take on it:

"...[Last night's debate] shows how important character and narrative is to a presidential campaign. McCain, Huckabee, and Rudy have shifted to the right in this race, but it doesn't hurt them so much because they already have their characters/narratives set, as the war-hero straight-talker, good-guy Christian underdog, and tough-talking "America's Mayor" respectively. Once you have those identities, you are allowed a lot of room to maneuver. Romney's problem is that the maneuvering became his character/narrative. And once that's the case, you can't even put up a new sign at one of your events—the "To Do" list in New Hampshire—without people accusing you of being a flip-flopper."

Fundamental: people today crave authenticity in their politicians.

The Republicans

I see the GOP candidates had another debate last night. I wasn't able to catch it.
I feel like everyone's getting debated out. There's been too many of them.
Meanwhile, the Republican race for president could go on for a good while, which is increasingly becoming my feeling of what will happen. Here's a good explanation of how this could be the case.
Will the conservative movement be able to unite around a candidate? That remains the question.
Hasn't happened yet.