Sorry Liberals, but being more like you is not the GOP key to winning elections

Gallop has a poll out showing "Conservatives" as the single largest ideological block with 40% willing to label themselves as conservative or very conservative. 35 % claim to be moderates and only 21% own up to being liberal or very liberal.

I have been sickened since the election by disingenuous members of the media and liberal bloggers claiming that GOP's only hope of survival is to become more liberal. I have difficulty telling whether they really believe this tripe or if they are merely making it up as a talking point to convince people to believe it. I lean toward the latter.

This poll shows that this is still a very conservative country. I also believe the number to actually be higher. Many people might espouse an ideology, but do not want to be labeled with either brand. Each brand has been successfully stigmatized to some degree. I talk to people all the time that claim to lean left and vote Democrat. Yet when you discuss things issue by issue almost always you walk away thinking the person is not only a conservative, but a strong one. Usually there is one issue they lean left on but the rest they are strongly to the right. I've said to more than one person "Dude, you don't realize it but you are a conservative." Their initial response is horror and often the conversation is over.

The biggest shortcoming of the Bush Administration is that they did not take the opportunity in political battles to educate the people. They could be very slick and cunning at times and somehow get their agenda through, but they did not use the process to draw the distinction between conservative and liberal principals. The key to winning elections in the future is not becoming more liberal. The key to winning elections in the future is educating the people and getting them to realize that they are actually conservatives. I think that the biggest voting block that is very, very conservative but votes Democrat are Hispanics. Karl Rove and the Bush Administration courted Hispanics, but they did it in a way where they acted like Democrats instead of making the conservative case.

Of course the education strategy is dependent on one key factor: Republicans as a whole must, must begin to act like conservatives. The "big tent" strategy has destroyed this party. That does not mean we exclude people. We make it clear that in certain groups many agree with 80% of conservative principals. They should be welcome in the GOP but don't expect the GOP to cater to your 20% liberal views.

The Obama Administration has handed us a case study where we can clearly draw the distinction between conservatism and liberalism. We must take this opportunity to educate. We cannot wobble. We cannot muddy the waters with "bipartisanship" and "reaching across the aisle". I have always maintained that when there is an opportunity to clearly debate the two sides without spin and without heavy handed tactics that conservatism wins the debate every time. We must win the debate.