
 |
|
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
|
| |
Jewish World Review
Nov. 24, 2008
/ 26 Mar-Cheshvan 5769
Whining, vendettas will do GOP no good
By
Debra J. Saunders
| 
|
|
|
|
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
In the months ahead, think tanks will convene to discuss the future of the GOP. Boring, and futile.
Some will argue that the Republican Party needs to move to the center. They have a point, as many economic conservatives are hungry for a candidate who treads lightly on social issues, and knows how to win office without waging culture war.
Others will argue that the GOP should return to the right's roots. They might argue that a more staunchly conservative Republican than Sen. John McCain, for example, would have challenged Barack Obama for saying during the campaign that it was "above my pay grade" to opine when life begins.
They, too, have a point (although it has been my experience that the purists who whine about Bush and McCain not being "conservative enough" are the least reliable Republicans when it comes to voting day, and thus make themselves expendable.)
In the end, the confabs don't matter. Voters across the country will elect candidates whose message works for them.
Now Democrat Obama is president-elect. How will the Republican Party navigate through the next four years? It still is not clear how post-partisan Obama will be. As a Clinton Democrat told me the other day, Team Obama was not particularly gracious with Clintonia during the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Then again, Obama waged a disciplined, intelligent campaign - and he may see it in his interest to move to the middle to get things done.
Whether he does, or stays in the left wings, Republicans are going to have to work with him. That's why voters send elected officials to Washington. If GOP leaders appear as if they simply want to sabotage Obama's success - which means America's success - voters once again will see GOP leaders as brats busting up all the toys in the box. Now is the time for GOP leaders to appear as calm and collected as Obama himself. With the economic problems ahead, professionalism will carry the day farther than righteous indignation.
There is one thing the right side of the right wing needs to understand: Personal attacks against Obama have not worked and will not work. Discard them. They only chase away voters who agree with Republicans on national security and economic issues.
Ever notice how neither the Bush-haters' nor the Clinton-haters' thirst was ever sated? Vendettas know no end.
I have to think that a number of Republicans have seen the excesses of Bush-hating and Clinton-hating, and they want the GOP to respond, not with more anger and ego, but with more principle and ideas. They don't want to be in a party of angry losers. They want to be in a party that stands for something better - smaller (but more effective) government, unwavering commitment to national security - instead of payback. They want to feel proud of elected officials who are adult enough to work with Obama when both parties agree, and principled enough to make the next president feel searing heat when they do not.
Our elected officials must never leave voters thinking they put their party's interests before voters' interests.
To me, the 2008 election was lost for McCain in two steps; one beyond McCain's control, the other of his own making. First, President Bush called for a $700 billion bailout - revealing that the Bush administration had failed in its oversight of the markets. Then, after McCain said he would push the bailout bill, House Republicans failed to deliver the votes to pass the measure on the first vote. Many Republicans opposed the bailout, others supported it. The thing is, both sides had reason to feel they were treated unfairly after House GOP leader John Boehner claimed that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's highly charged partisan speech caused "12 wavering Republicans" to bolt on the first vote - only to watch them climb aboard a bill onto which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had strapped another $110 billion.
Sure it was the Dems who tacked on the extra $110 bil. But it was GOP leaders who were whimpering like babies - no slur on babies intended - when it was the taxpaying public that got hosed.
In the end, the important measure will be, not whether moderate or conservative, but the right pitch and focus - with more emphasis on results than ideology. The competence question will loom large. Yes, Republicans want smaller government (and I think most voters want smaller government, too), but whatever the size, Americans want their government to work, and to put the public's welfare first.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment JWR contributor Debra J. Saunders's column by clicking here.
Debra J. Saunders Archives
© 2008, Creators Syndicate
|
|

Arnold Ahlert
Mitch Albom
Jay Ambrose
Michael Barone
Barrywood
Lori Borgman
Stratfor Briefing
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Richard Z. Chesnoff
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Alan Douglas
Larry Elder
Suzanne Fields
Frank J. Gaffney
Bernie Goldberg
Jonah Goldberg
Julia Gorin
Jonathan Gurwitz
Paul Greenberg
Argus Hamilton
Victor Davis Hanson
Betsy Hart
Ron Hart
Nat Hentoff
Marybeth Hicks
A. Barton Hinkle
David Horowitz
Jeff Jacoby
Renee James
Paul Johnson
Jack Kelly
Ed Koch
Ch. Krauthammer
Michael Ledeen
John Leo
David Limbaugh
Kathryn Lopez
Rich Lowry
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Ann McFeatters
Dale McFeatters
Dana Milbank
Jeanne Moos
Dick Morris
Jim Mullen
Deroy Murdock
Judge A. Napolitano
Bill O'Reilly
Kathleen Parker
Star Parker
Dennis Prager
Wesley Pruden
Tom Purcell
Sharon Randall
Robert Robb
Cokie & Steve Roberts
Heather Robinson
Pat Sajak
Debra J. Saunders
Martin Schram
Culture Shlock
David Shribman
Roger Simon
Michael Smerconish
Thomas Sowell
Ben Stein
Mark Steyn
John Stossel
Cal Thomas
Dan Thomasson
Bob Tyrrell
Ben Wattenberg
Diana West
Dave Weinbaum
George Will
Walter Williams
Byron York
ZeitGeist
Mort Zuckerman

Robert Arial
Chuck Asay
Baloo
Chip Bok
Dry Bones
Lisa Benson
John Branch
John Cole
J. D. Crowe
John Deering
Brian Duffy
Everything's Relative
Mallard Fillmore
Glenn Foden
Jake Fuller
Bob Gorrel
Walt Handelsman
Joe Heller
David Hitch
Jerry Holbert
David Horsey
Lee Judge
Steve Kelley
Jeff Koterba
Dick Locher
Chan Lowe
Jimmy Margulies
Jack Ohman
Michael Ramirez
Drew Sheneman
Kevin Siers
Jeff Stahler
Scott Stantis
Ed Stein
Danna Summers
John Trever
Gary Varvel
Kirk Walters
Dan Wasserman

Mr. Know-It-All
Ask Doctor K
Richard Lederer
Frugal Living
Tech Maven
On Nutrition
Bookmark These
Bruce Williams
|