What Are We For?

2010 presents republicans with an opportunity not seen since 1994. Independents who voted for “change” in 2006 and 2008 are figuring out they got suckered and moderate Democrats are starting to realize just how extreme and corrupt the Obama administration and Pelosi’s congress are.

It’s not going to be enough to simply rely on voter disaffection to get congress back. What most people don’t remember about 1994 is that in spite of very high voter dissatisfaction with congress and the Clinton administration, Republicans were nowhere close to winning congress until they came out with the Contract for America and told the voters what they were for and what they would do. The current strategy of running against Nancy Pelosi is a loser; half the country doesn’t even know who she is.

I once asked a man who had escaped the communist invasion of Hungary in 1956 with nothing but the clothes on his back and who, after making a fortune on patents on everything from furniture polish to metals refining, went on to make a second fortune in business services, what his secret was. “I do what works, I do not do what does not work.” We know what works. Let’s do it. Tell the people what we’re for and what we’ll do.