A Call to Conservatives

It is official: the votes have been cast, the ballots have been counted, and Barack Obama will be the president of the United States for the next four years. The future looks bleak for those who hold true to conservative values. In the weeks following the election, many disheartened Republicans have been forced to come to the reality that the most radical, liberal member of the U.S. Senate has been elected to the highest office in the land. Republicans must now evaluate where they stand as a party, what principles they truly value, and how to proceed in the coming years. We must return to the basic, grassroots values that have been essential to true conservatism for generations.Conservative values are by no means outdated, but the average citizen needs to know how these values relate to them individually. The Republican Party has moved away from its defining beliefs and has failed to address current-day issues such as big government spending, rising health care costs, and immigration reform. The United States remains a center-right country, but the GOP now needs to focus on implementing innovative ways to reach out to a new generation of voters, including young adults and a growing, socially conservative minority population.

While the economy was the key issue influencing the majority of voters, Republicans neglected the opportunity to educate the citizenry as to why liberal ideals will not work. Do all Americans fully realize Obama's standing on taxes? Do Americans really feel that the government knows how to spend their hard-earned money better then they do themselves? Taking money from the wealthier citizens who have earned it and giving handouts to those who have not is textbook socialism. We do not live in an era anymore where it is sufficient to simply vote for a candidate for superficial reasons without examining the implications of his or her policies.

Although it is important for Republicans to begin working on solutions for current problems, they must not abandon the key moral issues that liberalism cannot address. During the recent election there was a concentrated effort to sweep moral issues, including abortion and the definition of marriage, under the rug. Many supporters of President-elect Obama attempted to paint him as favoring a reduction in the number of abortions in the U.S., but they could not reconcile his history of supporting infanticide-friendly legislation. Republicans must continue striving to ensure that the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" applies to both the born and the unborn.

Republicans need to identify and support new leadership that is rising up within the party. Stand-out governors Bobby Jindal, Charlie Crist, and Tim Pawlenty are among the several individuals who are touted as being ready to carry conservatism in the years to come. In addition, Paul Ryan, a rising star in the House of Representatives, is pushing for big ideas that reflect the fiscally conservative tenets of Reagan economics. These men have been thrust into the limelight and have demonstrated their willingness to promote traditional conservative values.

There needs to be a clear message of reform stemming from the Republican Party. Barack Obama ran on a message that permeated every aspect of his campaign, pushing the need for the ambiguous notion of "change" in America. Likewise, Republicans need to effectively communicate ideals of fiscal and social conservatism and run with them in the years to come.

This past election needs to serve as a wake-up call to Republicans. The Democrats' victory needs to strengthen our resolve to fight for moral values, to lessen government intrusion on our lives, and to secure our country from foreign invaders. There are times for bipartisanship and compromise, but we must guard against being forced to compromise our conservative beliefs in return for the liberal agenda. The Republican Party has traditionally been a party of reform, working for the good of the people and fighting for individual liberty. It is time to strengthen our foundation and start planning for 2012.