Like the popular commercial of the 70’, It’s time to make the donuts.  Time to get up and get to work.   


Henry Ford said "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again more intelligently".  The bright side to our loss is we have started to discover the next generation of leaders.  We aren’t the party of tired old men. Bobby Jindal, Tim Pawlenty, Sarah Palin and even Linda Lingle have emerged from the shadows.  The bigger question is, who is the Republican Party, and what do they stand for?

It seems as though the Democrats and the media have tried, quite successfully to define the Republican Party in the eyes of the uninformed, and we have let them get away with it.  We are environmentally conscious without being tree huggers. We don’t tell others to conserve while buying our redemption through something called an “offset”.  We don’t penalize success. We give hand ups, not hand outs.  We invest our most valuable possession, our time, in the things we care about.  We know money doesn’t solve problems, people do.

I stopped by the local Republican Party office during the election to try and get signs and bumper stickers in support of our candidates. While there I was also given a pamphlet with a simple title: I’m a Republican Because…..

The Pamphlet follows: (my comments are indented)

I'm a Republican Because......
I believe the proper function of Government is to do for the people those things that have to be done but cannot be done by or as well as by the individual and the most effective government is closest to the people.

We expect when you are away from Congress, you are in your district talking to the citizens about what is happening in our government. Townhall meetings and hitting the local news radio and TV stations to keep the people informed is mandatory. From time to time, get out and walk the neighborhoods, go to the school zones and talk to parents awaiting their kids, Have brown bag lunches in a park and talk to us. Postal and E-mail newsletters are great, but we need to see your face and hear your voice.  Invest your most valuable resource in us, your time. Don’t forget to tell us what you are doing and who is abusing the system.

I believe good government is based upon the individual and each person's ability, DIGNITY, freedom and responsibility must be honored and recognized.

Any attempts to revise give away programs that diminish an individual's desire to work will be met with strong resistance. We will do anything and everything possible to help those with additional life challenges. We also recognize life throws little hazards into the road from time to time. We will do what we need to do on a temporary basis to help people get back on their feet when knocked down.

I believe that free enterprise and the encouragement of the individual initiative and incentive

We are not the party of big business. We are the party of all businesses, big and small. But we are also for the people who work for them. We are not anti-union. The work we do does not favor one over the other, but serves the common interest of both simultaneously. In case of a tie, the people win.

I believe sound money management should be our goal

We will put a stop to earmarks that line the pockets of politicians and their friends. When those earmarks are presented on the floor of Congress, we will do everything in our power to stop them. Projects like the "Prairie Parkway" will no longer be tolerated. If these kinds of projects are presented by other members of congress, we will recuse ourselves from the debate and vote. We will not tolerate corruption in any form. We will clean our house first, where we can and must, but not in such a way to give the other political party the unchecked ability to force the people to endure policies that are fundamentally detrimental. We can call for the resignation of those such as Ted Stevens.  If they will not resign, we will not permit their soiled name to be associated with our movement.  We can start first where Republican Governors and Legislatures can protect the seat for the party.  When the next election cycle arrives, corrupt individuals will retire and we will place candidates with integrity on the ballot. As Harry Truman said, I will not allow as much as an adulterer to sit in my cabinet.  If he will lie to his family, he will lie to anyone.

I believe in equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, age, sex or national origin

We will do our best to help shatter the "glass ceiling" and other impediments both real and imagined. We will not allow our party to be affiliated with hate groups. This country's longest surviving hate group has it's roots in the other party, not ours and we will remind all the people of this at every opportunity. It may have been  John Adams who started the push for the abolishment of involuntary servitude, But it took Abraham Lincoln to make it happen. Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson were both Republicans and broke the color line for professional sports. Ironically, it was the Southern Democrats who started the most notorious hate group in this country's history, yet somehow it is tied to our political party and we despise that fraudulent affiliation. It was a Democrat, George Wallace, who denied equal access to the state university system in Mississippi.

I believe we must retain those principles of the past work retaining, yet always be receptive to new ideas with an outlook broad enough to accommodate thoughtful change and varying points of view.

The conservative principles of Ronald Reagan are what renewed and revitalized our political party. Maybe our new direction is to revisit those principles espoused by the great communicator, and renew our Contract for America. When we regained control of congress, we started to do great things. But the corruptibility of power got the best of us and we lost our way. We need to get back on track.

I believe that Americans value and should preserve the feeling of national strength and pride, and at the same time share with the people everywhere a desire for peace and freedom and extension of human rights throughout the world.

We will not allow any legislation to pass through Congress that encourages fascists such as Castro, Kim Jong Ill, Hugo Chavez, who trample human rights. We have and will continue to work to help those in peril such as the residents of Darfor and Israel who must endure the continued threats of violence and extinction. We will use our voice in the public arena to call for global assistance and pressure the executive branch to help these people when ever possible. A strong military will help defend our beliefs and our way of life.  We will support them at all costs.

If we really believe this is why we are Republicans, then we need to get back to the ideas that made the party of Lincoln, and Reagan.  Newt Gingrich gave us back the House of Representatives. But our leaders quit fighting for their principles and succumbed to the intoxication of power.  When President Bush was elected, Republicans refused to listen to Democrats, and refused to listen to their constituents.  What we ended up with was a party of the special interests just like the other guys.  With the spotlight on the majority, the minority was able to do the same thing and get a way with it.  

It’s time to clean house.  It’s time to get back to doing the people’s business.  Our constitution defines our government of being one of, by and for the people.  Our party must take the lead and return to that fundamental view.  


Dwight D. Eisenhower once said: “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both”. 


Our representatives should pledge the following:

As Republicans and Representatives of the people we serve, we will:
Stop all earmarks that do not benefit all the people.  Federal money spent to build roads across a legislator’s land cannot be tolerated.  Tax breaks for companies that manufacture wooden arrows for kids, NASCAR race tracks, and Starkist Tuna (American Samoa) should not be given.  Funds can and should be given to research projects that benefit legitimate medical research and other projects that directly help all or most of the American people.  

Quit accepting any travel gifts by lobbyists. Allow them to pitch their requests, see first hand the issues they raise, but if the cause is just and legitimate, then we the people will support your investigation into the issue. Budget official travel for these kinds of trips, and if you take the family along, that part of the travel expense should come out of your own pocket. Any possibility of the appearance of a Quid Pro Quo contribution or gift should be avoided. We do not allow this in business and should be the same for our people’s government.

Our founding fathers did not want this country to be one of serfs and kings (or queens).  We will quit acting like we are better than the people we serve.  There is a reason our country doesn’t have an aristocracy.  We are your representatives. We will try and live like those in our districts and states.  Our laws give you the right and ability to replace us, and if we abuse the trust, we expect you to

Police our own instead of turning a blind eye. If one of our colleagues in the party attempts to abuse the system for personal gain, we will stop them.  If they continue the practice, we will call them out. Harry Truman did not even permit adultery in his cabinet.  If a man is able and willing to lie to his family, he is just as willing to lie to the people he serves.  

Identify and nurture the next generation of Republican Leaders.  Sarah Palin was a breath of fresh air to so many in our party and helped energize the party loyalists, not just the conservative base. Our Primary responsibility is to work for the people.  The secondary responsibility is to train our replacements.  At any time we might need to call upon them to step up and take on the work of the nation.  

Spend time with the constituents.  We will visit local TV news programs and  talk about the events in Washington.  We will do radio interviews weekly not just when something goes tragically wrong. We will be more visible not just when we want your vote.

Remember we are public servants.  We work for you, not the other way around.

Make bills should be simple and transparent. If something is good enough to be passed into law, it is good enough to stand on its merit. It should be easy enough for the average citizen to understand without a law degree or the need to spend more than an hour to research. It should not be necessary to add even one sentence outside of the intent of the bill in order to get it passed. And Republicans should pledge to vote no out of hand for bills presented both in committee and in the house. This includes spending bills.  

Ronald Reagan said "No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women."

As members of the Republican Party, we need to take the time and demand our leaders adopt the Republican Representative’s Pledge.  As members of the party, We need to take the time to call, write, and visit our congressional and party leader’s offices.  Send an e-mail is quick and simple, sending a letter or making a phone call requires a little more effort.  If we want to change our party, we, all of us, need to invest a little time getting our people to listen to us, then together, get our message to the rest of the country.  We also need to stay on top of our elected officials.

We need to return to the values that made us the Grand Old Party and make us the New and Improved GOP.