History tells us that the majority party splinters under its own weight, while the minority party, by virtue of its underdog status is more nimble and focused. Looking back through past elections, we see the cyclical pattern of the political parties rising and falling along predictable historical time frames. For the past 8 years the Republicans espoused their big tent philosophy, which came crashing down in record levels this past Tuesday. Those identifying themselves as Republicans voted in such low numbers, that one has to go back 28 years to find comparable statistics. Sure the mismanagement of the economy and the ‘war on terror’ had much to do with McCain’s dismal presidential run, as did the magnetism and the desire for change that Obama embodied.
Republicans will endure the necessary ‘wandering through the wilderness’ speeches and editorials, all attempting to illuminate the path back to victory. If you were to do a postmortem on the Republican failures in this election, where would you begin? Let me offer a suggestion:
· Handling of Post 9/11 America. Bush faced a united country where patriotism and nationalism were at all time highs. Instead of trading in this currency of good-will, President Bush quickly called for a war on Iraq. By allowing Cheney, Wolfowitz, and Rice to steer him towards Saddam Hussein, Bush replaced the need for justice, with the desire for revenge. It is in many ways sad now to look back at the furor over Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, their nuclear capability and the fact that the country was a training ground for terrorist groups.