Jennifer Rubin advises new GOP chairman Michael Steele on what he needs to do to get the GOP back on track. Some of the suggestions include, having a debate with DNC chairman Tim Kaine on the bailout and deepening economic crisis. He needs to make a clear, clear distinction between the differences of approach and goals of the left (growing big government) and the right (growing the private sector again).
Steele needs to publicly enlist the support and expertise of men like Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Fred Smith (of FedEx) to help clean up and streamline the organization's day-to-day functioning. He needs to get much more new blood and minorities involved.
Weekly YouTube updates is another winning idea. Steele should make it short and sweet, giving his people talking points and an education on the differences not just in personalities but in principles between the right and left. Brief and poignant teaching is a job the GOP has failed to do for years. President Bush fell down in this regard. Steele is charismatic and articulate. He needs to use these attributes to good advantage or lose them.
And he needs to do it over and over again and keep it brief and salient.
Interesting blog. Relevantly, Michael Steele, born 1958, is a member of Generation Jones---the generation between the Boomers and Gen X'ers. The Boomers have passed the leadership torch to the Jonesers. Which matters quite a bit in understanding the nature of the new chapter in politics we’ve just begun.
ReplyDeleteIn this short video, Steele embraces his own Generation Jones identity, and discusses his fellow GenJones leaders: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbbVe_Twui0
Obama, and many of his Administration's top players, are Jonesers. The GOP is also now led by Jonesers, including Steele, Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty and Mark Sanford.
I’m a Joneser and totally relate to it, and am enjoying all the recent media buzz about Generation Jones. We’re not Boomers or X'ers!
There is a brilliant op-ed about exactly this topic in USA TODAY this week: http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20090127/column27_st.art.htm .
I’m very curious to see what Steele’s early weeks at this new job will look like.