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Is the Reagan era over? NewsRadio WORD’s Bob McLain asked Greenville County Republican Women at the Poinsett Club, Feb. 28.
McLain was quoting former House Speaker Newt Gingrich who said, “It’s time to redefine the nature of the Republican Party in response to what the country needs.”
McLain asked: “Is Newt Gingrich right, and is the Reagan era over?” He said that conservative philosophy itself is not antiquated and that Reagan brought a sunny optimism to conservatism, the bright, shining city on a hill that exemplified all that is good about America.
He spoke about how Democrat Lyndon Johnson defeated conservative Republican Barry Goldwater in 1964, taking 61 percent of the votes, and asked: “Might it be an even worse defeat for the GOP in 2008? Frankly I think the possibility exists.”
McLain noted that voter preferences are shifting with 50 percent of Americans identifying themselves as Democrats, 36 percent as Republicans. Independents favored Democrats by 18 percent in the 2006 elections.
McLain asked: Does choosing an electable candidate mean sacrificing conservative principles on the altar of realpolitik, exchanging Reagan conservatism for populism that has broader appeal in the 21st century?
Gingrich, conservative writer George Will and others seem to be saying that the GOP cannot avoid redefining itself. “I think they are missing an element to this,” McLain said, comparing this strategy to the New Coke of the 1980s or the Edsel of the 1950s, which failed because consumers rejected the products.
McLain contended that conservatism is still strong, but the product is suffering from lack of a strong brand advocate.
“The idea that the Reagan era is dead stems from a poor job of selling the ideas that Ronald Reagan stood for. Unless and until the GOP can find someone who can express those ideas with the passion and conviction of Reagan, his era will be over. It will have died in the name of practicality and so-called electability,” adding that “if the GOP is selling a watered-down populism as an alternative to what the Democrats are selling, they may meet the same fate as New Coke.”
McLain noted that Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic frontrun-ner, is not running as a politician, but as the leader of a messianic movement with flowery prose and speeches that inspire audiences. Obama, like Reagan, is a visionary, passionate about his ideals. “We just don’t know what ideals specifically Barack Obama favors at this point,” McLain said. “He hasn’t had to talk specifics on issues.”
When asked whether he thought presumed GOP candidate John McCain would be helped by naming South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford as his running mate, McLain said that though he likes Gov. Sanford, he doesn’t think Sanford would influence national voters that much. He suggested that the country is heading toward another 51 to 49 percent election, which means that independent votes are going to decide the winner. He said the ticket needs someone who could help carry Florida and Ohio.
He noted that this election is going to be crucial in a number of aspects, the war on terror and nominations to the Supreme Court, and also that if a Democrat wins the White House, attempts may be made to restrict talk radio.
In response to a question, he said Condoleezza Rice would make a terrific vice presidential candidate bringing a lot to the table—conservative values, being a woman, the right age, and that she is African-American.
McLain’s talk radio program airs in the afternoon on WORD 1330 from 3 to 6, Monday through Friday.
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