Steele: “The Start of a Republican Renaissance” Part 1

Yesterday Tom had a post concerning RNC Chairman Steele’s Op Ed from Politico.  In that piece Chairman Steele laid out 3 ways that the GOP had turned the corner and were looking forward and no longer backwards.

This Op Ed also coincided with a speech he made this afternoon before the Party state chairs.  Click here to view his speech in its entirety, or if you wish the remarks as prepared for delivery. It takes a large  number of cues from the Politico Op Ed but also outlines a blueprint of how the Republican Party can be the party of loyal opposition as well as offer new ideas to timeless principles, which can resonate with all Americans, especially those from my generation.

A few highlights from the speech which are of note to the Party future and how we can apply these here in the Granite State:

We are at a crucial juncture for our party, and more importantly for our country. Simply put, America needs us now more than ever before. It’s time to rise to the occasion. It’s time to make our voices heard. It’s time to serve our country as the loyal opposition.

We all realize that the Democrats want us to be silent. They want to diminish our voice, and they even want to try to suggest that by being the loyal opposition we are in some way being less than patriotic. You’ve heard the suggestion that if we oppose the president’s policies we are in some crazy way rooting against American success.

But we also know nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is, we would be abandoning our responsibility if we were to be silent while they spend our country into the abyss, while they borrow money we don’t have, and while they usher in the most massive expansion of federal government control in the history of our Republic.

Steele is right, Americans want there to be a check on the majority party.  It is only healthy in our system of government.  The idea that when being against the Democrats is un-American is simply crazy, its just them trying to keep the opposition down when someone disagrees with them.  We have seen this to some degree when it comes to the gay marriage debate here in NH, disagree with their view point and you’re some how compared to the KKK and other outlandish comments.

Well, I’ve got news for them. We aren’t going to be silent. We are going to speak up, and we are going to show that we have the courage of our convictions. We will not be afraid to agree with the president when we believe he is doing what is best for America, but neither will we be afraid to disagree with the president when we believe his actions are hurting our country.

It is only healthy to give credit when credit is due and to offer ideas and solutions to where we think that the Democrats are leading us down the wrong path.

The Republican Party is again going to emerge as the party of new ideas. It will take some time, for sure, but it is beginning now. Our governors are emerging with fresh answers to old problems. Some of our brightest stars in Congress are emerging with new approaches. New groups and new entities are being formed. Republicans are rising once again with the energy, the focus, and the determination to turn our timeless principles into new solutions for the future.

We must be able to offer solutions to the problems facing our state and the country.  We should also be able to take these directly from what Republicans have believed in for years.  Now we just to apply them to the future and look forward to putting them to good use.

In the end we are all about ideals, principles, policies, and ideas. We have only one goal, and it’s not power. It’s not majorities. It’s success for America.

We must be focused on today and not what campaign is right around the corner.  In the end, we want America and New Hampshire to be successful.  Its time for politians, on both sides of the aisle to remembers this and put it to practice.  A prime example is Gov. Lynch and his failure to stand up for principle and giving into what his party and the polls say is popular.

The honeymoon is over. We are going to challenge those policies that we believe are wrong, and we are going to do so without apology and without a second thought.

But there is a very important distinction I want to make here.

We are going to take this president on with class. We are going to take this president on with dignity. This will be a very sharp and marked contrast to the shabby and classless way that the Democrats and the far left spoke of President Bush.

For many of us here on Red Hampshire, we were disgusted by the way that some Democrat activists, bloggers over at sites like Blue Hampshire and Daily Kos treated President Bush, Sen. Sununu, and even rank and file Republican activists.  We’re better then them and can have a debate and conversation witout the name calling and outlandish auccusations that the left has used in the past.  This is something that I hope that the users on this site would take note of and follow when adding the conversation here on Red Hampshire.  We already try to follow Reagan’s 11th Commandmment on this site, while I’m not saying we should apply that same standard to our Democrat friends.  We should back our arguements with reason and act in a civil manner when we disagree with our friends to the left.  We can disagree without being disagreeable.  We should be the adults in the room and not allow their petty name calling influence how we carry on  our debate.

Check back later today for part 2 of coverage of Chairman Steele’s address.