Into the Political Wilderness

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

-Albert Einstein

One more post today on the subject of the GOP's future, courtesy of an interesting piece in today's LA Times on social conservatives' fight to exert greater influence on the party. Here is a snippet:

In skirmishes around the country in recent months, evangelicals and others who believe Republicans have been too timid in fighting abortion, gay marriage and illegal immigration have won election to the party's national committee, in preparation for a fight over the direction and leadership of the party.

The growing power of religious conservatives is alarming some moderate Republicans who believe that the party's main problem is that it has narrowed its appeal and alienated too many voters. They cite the aggressive tone of the McCain campaign in challenging Barack Obama, who has close to universal support from African American voters; as well as the push by many Republican leaders to clamp down on illegal immigration using rhetoric that has driven away Latinos.

Some moderates argue that the party's top priority must be to broaden its outreach, a caution laid down by retired Gen. Colin L. Powell on national television this month when he broke from the party and endorsed Obama. Surveys show McCain beating Obama among white men but losing with almost every other demographic group.

Moderate Republicans, at least the seemingly small handful that are left should be afraid, very afraid. We are seeing everything that we and many other predicted months ago, namely that a McCain loss would merely embolder evangelicals and extremists to push the GOP further to the right. These conservatives are already looking towards the selection of the next head of the RNC as their key battle:

A focal point of the GOP fight is the selection of the next chairman of the Republican National Committee -- the party's power center for fundraising and strategic thinking. With various factions already trying to build support for their favored candidates, some conservatives are warning that McCain cannot serve as the party's spiritual guide even if he becomes president[...]

One moderate contender for party chairman, Jim Greer, is pushing a theme of ethnic outreach. Greer is chief of the state party in Florida and is a close ally of the state's governor, Charlie Crist, who some in the party say is laying the groundwork to spread his brand of centrist Republicanism to the national stage.

If the GOP ends up appointing a moderate to head party efforts I would be stunned beyond belief. Indeed, one of the leading candidates for the post, from South Carolina incidentally, has sounded similar themes against pushing the party to the middle:

Two other potential candidates for chairman, both considered more conservative than Greer, plan meetings shortly after the presidential election.

One gathering, in Myrtle Beach, S.C., will be hosted by South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson. In an interview, Dawson said that "moderating our party is what caused us to lose power" in the 2006 elections. He said the party must speak more forcefully against excessive government spending and illegal immigration.

That's more like it. "[M]odering at our party is what caused us to lose power [in the first place]." What a brilliant insight!

The article does on to mention that former Mayland Lieutenant Governor and 2006 Senate candidate Michael Steele is also pondering a run. One would think that electing a black leader to head the party apperatus in 2009 would be a smart move, but again it is not one I would anticipate coming from the Grand Old Party. Consider that right now, the GOP has zero black members of Congress, zero governors, and only four Hispanic members left in all of Congress, two of whom are 50-50 to be back in January.

Folks, this is a party that simply cannot learn the right lessons, and is going to be in the political wilderness a long time as a result.