Ryan Streeter
Recent reports of infighting on the right over who should be briefing incoming freshmen GOPers is instructive. Since the tea party movement has had no official organization, several groups want to wear the mantle of leadership and prepare the class of 2010 for its move to Washington.
The infighting is more than a territorial spat, though. It reflects a deeper issue: a struggle to define the agenda not just for tea partiers but for the Republican party as a whole.
In many ways, the tea party’s strength is its weakness in this regard. Its agenda is simple, straightforward, easy to grasp. Reign in, and reduce, spending. Hold elected officials accountable for taxpayers’ money. Stop Obama from spending our children into a second-world – if not third-world – future. But once we get to the more complex question of which policies to pursue, the movement looks adolescent. That’s not a bad thing. It just means we all have a lot of work to do.
ConservativeHome exists to help along this public debate about ideas, policy, and the future of the party (the Republican party, that is). The party isn’t popular these days despite its historic gains on Nov. 2, and for good reason. Voters still think more of a party that’s gone native in Washington than one that has solutions that matter to people in Ohio or New Jersey or Texas or [insert your state].
Our goal isn’t to help the party’s popularity but to promote debate about a broad-based agenda. Looking to the newly energized Republican majority in the House and what will surely be a spirited group of 2012 contenders, ConservativeHome will regularly be pushing all of us to find the best ideas in the following areas.
Enterprise society. The new GOPers and contenders in 2012 should take a page out of AEI’s Arthur Brooks’ playbook (look for ConservativeHome’s in-depth interview with Arthur on Big Ideas later this week). More than two-thirds of Americans agree that enterprise supported by low taxes and limited government is the main organizing principle of our society, while only 30% believe wealth management by the federal government is best for society. An enterprising society is as much a moral as economic endeavor. It has to do with encouraging risk-taking, starting small businesses, exercising the virtues of thrift and hard work and innovation.
This argues for policies that free up more capital at the household and community level for productive work. Getting tax rates and incentives right is important for this reason, not just so that we all have more to spend. An energized GOP should begin framing policies and debate this way, not talking about “capitalism” while meaning protecting Wall Street or “free markets” as a way of protecting big business interests.
Home economics in healthcare reform. Students of Greek know the word “economy” comes from the word meaning home. Debate about healthcare reform should be about families and small enterprises, because that’s who gets hit the hardest by our deeply flawed healthcare systems. When it comes to reforming healthcare, American families need Obamacare repealed – but they need a lot more than that.
