The GOP and Market Forces

While everyone rejoices in the way that the president solved the puzzle of the Gulf Oil Leak and congressional committeemen have great sound bites from their grilling of Tony Hayward for their election ads, Republicans need to take a careful look at their strategy for 2012.

To a great extent, they have already blown the November elections and will fail to make the turnaround they could have had. The reason for this is they have singularly failed to listen to their own mantras.

Things are governed by market forces.

Now this is a bit more sophisticated than "It's the economy, stupid" but it's still not rocket science.

I'll explain in short words and sentences.

1. Choose candidates that are electable. This means not choosing your favorite GOP writer, commentator, journalist, lawyer, local party leader, congressman or other glamor girl (or boy), but choosing someone who has appeal beyond right-of-center voters. It's a funny thing, the American system: the person who gets the most votes (or has the Supreme Court behind him) wins.

As of yet, there is no one who meets this criteria being talked about by GOP leaders. Yes, there are some interesting, intelligent, dedicated, hard-working people out there, but the country isn't going to suddenly love someone they rejected in in 2008, or before. This also applies to people the Republican Party itself rejected at earlier conventions.

2. Look again at immigration. Why do most Republican think that market forces should work in all sectors except immigration? Get the the illegal immigrants registered, get them on the tax register, and put together an economic program that will bring jobs back to the US so these people can earn a living. If there is no legal mechanism at work, there is no control.

By all means, seize on the Obama adminstration's total lack of action on the matter and turn it to good advantage that has a popular, just-cause feel about it. Find a solution that even Arizona residents will like, for there is the potential to swell the state treasury. Stop looking at people as a liability and start looking at them as an asset.

Above all, remember that the point of nominations is to put up people who can WIN. It's not about massaging the egos of people or interest groups, it's about winning the center ground.

The last two years has seen a floundering by the party with mixed messages, vulnerability to opposition attacks, an inability to damage the government effectively (fortunately, they've been doing a pretty good job of that themselves - but the GOP needs to turn that into votes for themselves), and total lack of a coherent message.