As Obama fills out his Cabinet, those on the progressive left become more aggravated. It seems that more and more hires are from the Clinton administration, or of a 'centrist' mindset. Why hasn't Obama stocked his cabinet with more left-leaning appointees?
Most likely, this is because Obama is planning on governing from a center-left perspective, as he has said consistently throughout the campaign. The problem for the left is that, on key issues progressives hold, he is looking to install people that cut against the grain of what progressives want.
Republican could take advantage of divisions between moderate/conservative Democrats and liberal/progressives, but only if they develop CLEAR objectives and DEFINED policies to explain how to get there.
Looking at the Democrats, what clear policies do they have? The clearest as of this moment is Obama's plan for universal health care. His policy, specific during the campaign, has gotten a little fuzzy, but the goal is still clear.
Other clear policies that the Democrats have successfully been able to install are progressive taxation, and pro-choice, and withdrawal from Iraq.
However, the Democratic coalition is far less clear on other issues. What of FISA and the Patriot Act? What about coercive interrogation? Should they be hawkish against Iran/Afghanistan, or diplomatic? Are they for the bailout, or against it? In each case, conservative and progressive Democrats do not necessarily share the same views.
How can Republicans win these voters over? It is by laying out policies with clear and defined goals. Republicans themselves do not have many policies right now though: they have views on issues. There is a significant difference.
Ont he economic crisis, what specific actions do Republicans think should be taken instead of a bailout? What actions should be taken towards illegal immigration? What about abortion, and the consequences of outlawing it?
On moral/social issues, Republicans should be consistent with the idea of 'less government intervention'. This does not mean that Republicans need to support gay marriage. It does mean that the GOP should stop legislating bedroom affairs. It should mean that they tone down rhetoric about 'good Christian values'. (Why not refer to it as "American" values? In most cases, the two are the same, except the latter is much less likely to offend.) It should mean calling for a cease to the War on Drugs, which has been shown to be not worth the cost. It should mean policies that would examine expensive entitlement programs, and eliminate any that were not producing significant effects.
On national defense issues, the GOP needs to CLEARLY spell out why it would be essential to stay in Iraq. They need to do this with SOBER analysis, not fear mongering or threats. What is the justification for the billions we have spent in Iraq already? Where is the tangible progress, the metrics that we can measure by? How will we get there? No project will ever be finished without a timeline or goals attached to it.
Finally, the GOP should be committed to greater transparency. The past few years have been dreadful for the GOP, as the Bush Administration has been portrayed as secretive and full of loyalists. To counter that, Republicans should introduce bills that will allow greater interaction with the citizenry. For instance, create a user-friendly website that would track expenditures by category, including simple but effective graphics, that would allow citizens to vote for what they feel is the best course of action. Mandate that you will only bring in a percentage of so much pork for your representatives. Explain publicly your reasons for voting against a bill if it runs counter to your beliefs.
Is this an all-inclusive list? By no means. These are just some (relatively) clear, defined policies that could go a long way towards improving the electability of Republicans. The most important point is to take a clear, strong position, then lay out specific actions/policies to show how you would accomplish your vision.
(Disclosure: There are certainly some Republicans doing this today. This post does not refer to every Republican; merely, the party as a whole. And before one argues that they do have clear, definable policies, if they do, they are not being promoted nearly well enough in general. Additionally, this is the view of THIS author, and of course, is subjective.)
