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For a generation
of Americans,
the phrase
Morning in
America and
the presidency
of Ronald Reagan
will forever be
linked.
The phrase
represented not
just the dawning
of a new day for
our Nation, but
the dawning of a
new era for the
GOP.
Today,
Republicans are
looking for a
similar phrase
that captures
the mood of the
country at this
time and sets
the tone for the
mid-term
elections this
fall.
Surely, the wind
is at the
party’s back.
And certainly,
Democrats are in
as vulnerable a
position as
Jimmy Carter was
in 1980. But if
the picture at
this point
remains unclear
about the
party’s
electoral
prospects in
November, an
image of the
electoral
landscape is
becoming sharper
everyday. It is
a landscape that
presents
Republicans with
something they
haven’t seen in
a very long
time:
A New Horizon.
It is a horizon
that looks
completely
different than
the one
Republicans
faced in
November of
2008. Then, the
GOP was coming
off one of its
worst defeats in
recent history,
as Democrats
recaptured the
White House and
added to their
majorities on
Capitol Hill.
The horizon
today is much
brighter. It is
one shaped as
much by the
missteps of the
Obama
Administration
as it is by the
victories of
Scott Brown, Bob
McDonnell, and
Chris Christie
over the past
few months. It
is also one that
presents
Republicans with
both
opportunities
and challenges.
In this edition
of the
Forum, we
examine some of
these
opportunities
and challenges.
We begin by
focusing on the
political
environment in
Ohio. The state
has trended blue
in recent years,
electing a
Democrat as
Governor and to
the U.S. Senate
and supporting
Barack Obama for
President. But
as former
Congressman Mike
Oxley explains
in our lead
essay, Obama’s “soaring
start has
stalled and is
now more of a
freefall, as
Ohioans
increasingly
disapprove of
the broad
direction on
mega-issues like
the economy,
health care,
energy
cap-and-trade,
government
spending, and
security/terrorism.”
As a result,
Republicans have
been presented
with a new
horizon in the
Buckeye State,
with John Kasich
and Rob Portman
leading the
effort to
reclaim
electoral ground
that has been
lost in recent
years.
Similar
opportunities
await
Republicans
elsewhere in the
country as well.
In fact, as
Contract with
America
strategist Joe
Gaylord writes,
the horizon
facing the GOP
this year is
very similar to
the one the
party faced in
1994, the year
it took control
of Congress. But
Gaylord also
notes that there
are differences,
too, not the
least of which
is the fact that
the party has
not yet gotten
behind a
Contract-like
slate of
solutions that
would tell
people what
Republicans are
for, not just
against.
One important
area where the
GOP has no
shortage of
solutions is
national
security. In
light of the
failed bombing
of an airliner
on Christmas
Day, these
solutions have
been receiving
not just more
attention, but a
greater sense of
urgency as
well. We look
at some of these
solutions with
Representatives
Peter King, Buck
McKeon, and Dan
Lungren, three
leaders in
Congress who are
working to keep
America secure.
And finally, to
the extent that
the health care
debate is at a
crossroads (or,
depending on
your
perspective, in
a ditch), we
feature a
terrific essay
by Utah Senator
Bob Bennett
explaining why
he supports
reforming the
current system
but is opposed
to what the
Democrats are
trying to do.
We hope you
enjoy this
edition and
encourage you to
write at
editor@riponsociety.org
with any
thoughts or
comments you may
have.
Lou Zickar
Editor
The Ripon
Forum
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