[Home]  [Headlines]  [Latest Articles]  [Latest Comments]  [Post]  [Sign-in]  [Mail]  [Setup]  [Help] 

Status: Not Logged In; Sign In

Jimmy Dore: CHINA & 20 Nations To Intervene & End Israel’s Genocide!

20,000 Women. 350 Kilometers. Zero Pay. In One Week. How Did Ibrahim Traore Pull This Off?

Spain is in CHAOS! Revolution is in the air

Joe Rogan Ambushes Gavin Newsom Via Text With A COVID Question He Never Saw Coming

Batman Vs The Joker: Democrats Will Double Down On Chaos To Save Their Party

US Vows To Quit IEA If The Agency Keeps Pushing Green Transition

Tucker Carlson: People Are Frustrated That Certain Commit Crimes With Impunity

No news again, but the battle of the machines marches on...

Cash Jordan: Rioters ATTACK ICE HQ… Troops FLATTEN Uprising With ‘Zero Mercy’

Doctor Reveals What COVID Vaccines Do to the Lungs in Just One Week

Sorry paid off influencers, MAGA bot accounts, and Satan....but I'm not going to just "move on"

Marjorie Taylor Greene Bombshell Interview

Welcome To The Land Of The Free... Until You Express An Opinion

Putin ‘tells Iran to accept nuclear deal with no enrichment’

76% of Honey at Stores is Fake

"225,000 Ukrainians have now DESERTED the war" Ukraine is in a death spiral Col. Dan Davis

The New York Times Finally Stops Avoiding The G-Word

The Gaza Water Massacre: What Israel Just Confessed About Shooting Children

Powerful ERUPTION spit out volcanic mud and debris - Army Personnel ran for their lives

Another 'Conspiracy Theory' Comes True: California Bill Passes To Buy Fire-Ravaged Palisades For Low-Income Apartments

A 1,600-year-old church in the Holy Land has been torched. But not by ISIS.

More civilians have been killed while seeking aid in Gaza than were killed on 7 October.

MORE TRANS VIOLENCE

WAYNE ROOT: Here’s How Trump Turns the Epstein List Fiasco into Home Run

Maxwell Says Epstein Client List Implicates Top Democrats

Medical Record Review Of the Twins Who Died After Vaccination

New federal secrets exposed as Republican unravels Lee Harvey Oswald's hidden ties to CIA

Protest outside migrant hotel in Essex erupts into violence

Congressman Faces Eviction Over $85k Back-Rent For Luxury DC Penthouse

This Is Not Normal! We Just Had Four “1-In-1,000-Year Storms” In A Single Week!


(s)Elections
See other (s)Elections Articles

Title: Bob McDonnell: New Face for the GOP?
Source: townhall.com
URL Source: http://townhall.com/columnists/CalT ... mcdonnell_new_face_for_the_gop
Published: Dec 4, 2009
Author: Cal Thomas
Post Date: 2009-12-04 10:37:42 by Eric Stratton
Keywords: None
Views: 349
Comments: 28

Bob McDonnell: New Face for the GOP?
Cal Thomas
Friday, December 04, 2009

Richmond, VA -- Virginia's governor-elect, Bob McDonnell, may be the future of the Republican Party, if he can translate his substantial electoral victory into policy victories following his Jan. 16, 2010 inauguration as the state's first GOP governor in eight years. McDonnell's quiet demeanor is the polar opposite of the tub-thumping, angry conservative that has characterized much of Republican politics for more than 30 years, but he possesses solid convictions on matters of policy.

In a recent interview at his transition office, McDonnell, who crushed his opponent Creigh Deeds by a 59 percent to 41 percent majority, attracting sought-after independents by a 2-1 margin, said that while he emphasized bread-and-butter issues like jobs, transportation and taxes during the campaign he hasn't forgotten social issues that are near and dear to the Republican base: "I am a social and economic conservative and have made no bones about it. I have an 18-year record as attorney general and as a legislator of not only supporting, but leading on a lot of those issues ... but what I understood people were most concerned about ... were quality of life and pocketbook issues: jobs, economic development, taxes and federal intrusion into the free enterprise system."

Other Republicans have used social issues to win elections only to discard them once in office. Will McDonnell remain committed to these issues? "Absolutely," he says, mentioning his leadership, as a member of the General Assembly, on pro-life issues, including parental consent, informed consent and bans on partial-birth abortion, "which means no funding of Planned Parenthood when it comes to those kinds of services." He praises President Obama for emphasizing the responsibilities of fatherhood and in this he is "Reaganesque," preferring to focus on accomplishing goals that benefit the most people rather than indulge in ideological high-fiving that might make fellow conservatives feel good, but does little to advance a conservative agenda.

"The last thing (people) need is politicians butting heads and saying how bad the other guy is." Now if Democrats would only adopt that attitude. The Washington Post, which McDonnell calls "my friend," had 44 stories and blogs attacking him in a two-week period. It is now publishing articles casting doubt on whether he can achieve his economic aspirations. What does he make of that newspaper's inability to influence the outcome of the election?

"It shows that Virginia is still a right-of-center state," he says. McDonnell notes he won substantially in large pockets of Northern Virginia, the Post's backyard, which had been trending Democratic. He maintains the newspaper actually did him a favor: "The Post, along with my opponent, created such a misplaced focus on my position on social issues that they ceded the entire playing field to me on economic issues, which is what people were voting on."

Message: If you have a good platform that can improve the economy and promote job creation, Independents will give you a pass on your social agenda. That is a reversal of traditional Republican thinking of putting social issues front and center. "I try to (attract Independents) by reaching out and embracing people, not having a covenant of limitations that excludes people."

So is McDonnell a "big tent Republican"? It is a phrase that has come to mean the acceptance of anyone, even if they have positions that do not fit the Republican mold. "I do believe it is absolutely critical for the Republican Party to have a core set of principles that everyone can embrace ... to create public policy. What I am concerned about are these acid tests where if you fail on one or two, you are ostracized from the party. That leads to infighting, destruction and losses at the polls." He seems uncomfortable with a "purity pledge" that proponents plan to submit at the Republican National Committee's meeting in Hawaii next month.

A practicing Catholic, McDonnell reads his Bible, several newspapers and Websites daily for "inspiration and information." "Where my faith helps me immensely is that there is a style of governing that, for me as a Christian, means dialogue, civility, politeness, a spirit of cooperation and goodwill and trying to find ways to work together, while never capitulating on my principles."

That is an extreme makeover from the angry Republican and it might be a winning model for the GOP in 2010 and beyond.

Click for Full Text!

Post Comment   Private Reply   Ignore Thread  


TopPage UpFull ThreadPage DownBottom/Latest

Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 23.

#2. To: All (#0)

deleted

Eric Stratton  posted on  2009-12-04   10:41:15 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


#23. To: Eric Stratton (#2)

"I do believe it is absolutely critical for the Republican Party to have a core set of principles that everyone can embrace ... to create public policy."

On a serious note, the Republican Party is going to have a core set of principles that reflects the morals of the people in the party.

This statement by McDonnell should concern conservatives.

I guess he thinks we have had a lack of "public policies" in the past.

He's just auditioning for the job of the new Republican Messiah, they will grasp at anyone to take over the baton from the old one... Reagan.

mininggold  posted on  2009-12-04   14:04:19 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


Replies to Comment # 23.

#26. To: mininggold (#23)

deleted

Eric Stratton  posted on  2009-12-04 16:33:29 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


End Trace Mode for Comment # 23.

TopPage UpFull ThreadPage DownBottom/Latest


[Home]  [Headlines]  [Latest Articles]  [Latest Comments]  [Post]  [Sign-in]  [Mail]  [Setup]  [Help]