Republicans Forgot the Lessons of 1994

The Wall Street Journal editorializes today about the need for a new generation of leadership in the House GOP caucus, and tells us where things began to go wrong:

If we had to pick the precise moment when House Republicans lost their way, it would be three years ago during the floor vote over the Medicare prescription drug bill. So unpopular was the bill among conservatives, and rightly so, that House leaders kept the vote open for an unheard of three hours as they dragooned reluctant Members to vote aye.

The other great symbol of GOP failure is the proliferation of earmarked spending. In 1994 there were 1,500 such projects stuffed into Democratic spending bills, and Republicans called this a fiscal disgrace. This year Republicans approved closer to 15,000 earmarks at a cost of more than $10 billion. The current leadership defended this earmarking even after such embarrassments as the Alaska Bridge to Nowhere were exposed. When they finally agreed to minimal transparency, it was too late.

Here's one telling exit poll result: In battleground districts, only one in five voters said Republicans would do a better job to "keep government spending under control"; almost twice as many voters said Democrats would do a better job. Yet this week a separate poll found that 59% of Americans still favor fewer government services and lower taxes compared with 28% who favor more government services and higher taxes. "Big government conservatism" was a nice think-tank proposition; it merely lacks support from actual voters.

There is real concern among many in the conservative blogosphere that the House GOP did not get the message. Word is that the Republicans are rushing back to DC next week to choose their new leadership, which appears to me to be an attempt to stifle potential opposition by starving it of time to make its case.

There are some good new faces who could help bring the GOP back out of the electoral wilderness:

The good news is that a younger generation does seem to be stepping forward. Mike Pence, of Indiana, has already declared for minority leader, and John Shadegg of Arizona is seeking the number two job as whip. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, Jeb Hensarling of Texas and Jeff Flake of Arizona (see his essay nearby) are among the other Members who have tried to put ideas above mere incumbency. Republican Members will make up their own minds, but their willingness to consider new leadership will say a lot about the lessons they've learned from this week's drubbing.

Too many Republicans were corrupted and seduced by power and forgot why voters sent them to Washington. Winning back the majority requires new faces of leadership far removed from this year's debacle.

Some prominent members of the conservative blogosphere are demanding to be involved in the interview process for the new House leadership. That may sound a little out there, but that's what happened when Tom DeLay's replacement was chosen. N.Z. Bear is kind of leading the way in urging the GOP not to rush into a decision that will potentially mess up 2008 as well.