It’s Your Delivery, Stupid…

Chairman of the GOP Michael Steele gave a speech yesterday afternoon on the future of the Republican Party.  Steele semi-outlined an approach for the party’s future, both short and long-term.  Peppered in the speech, unsurprisingly, were the usual accusations of “spending the country into bankruptcy” and leading it into an “economic abyss.”

So much of politics is simple delivery.  President Obama’s popularity is a testament to this principle.  The Republicans, without a doubt, have a powerful fiscal message that can potentially resonate with a majority of Americans, including many who voted for President Obama.  But, as of now, this message is muffled by the usual partisan rhetoric that turns more people away than it captivates.

For me, the crux of the Republican problem is evinced by a single thing: the most convincing arguments that I’ve heard about the merits of fiscal conservativism/libertarianism have come from personal, right-leaning acquaintances, and not from Republican leaders.  While having ordinary Americans convince one another is certainly a hallmark of democracy and free speech, a major political party cannot afford to rely on this alone.

Instead of sound-bite accusations of spending the country into bankruptcy, why not thoughtfully explain why debt spending does not work?  Why not explain to Americans how this is problematic even if it in fact saves their jobs?  Why not teach the country how fiscal conservativism by the federal government affects the lives of ordinary Americans?

The Republicans seem to have an argument that they’re simply not making.  But the longer they go without making it, the less I believe it actually exists.