The Republicans’ Way Home

Jennifer Rubin suggests a strategy for the Republicans to regain legitimacy following a couple of disastrous elections.  The strategy in a nutshell:  “Never let an overreaching president go to waste.”

California, Meet Minnesota

Gov. Schwarzenegger of California could learn a thing or two from Gov. Pawlenty of Minnesota. Both are Republicans, but only Pawlenty knows how to stand up to a spendthrift Democratic legislature and force the state to live within its means.

More importantly, the voters of Minnesota have noticed.

Mr. Pawlenty’s hardball has earned him glowing praise from the state’s job creators, in particular small businesses, who are relieved to be spared additional tax burdens in today’s economy. The governor’s message — that it is simply “inappropriate” for state legislators to keep spending like lunatics and raise taxes in a recession — has resonated with cash-strapped voters.

Jindal vs. Palin: A First Look

Peter Wehner compares governors Bobby Jindal and Sarah Palin as possible future Presidential candidates. His conclusion:

My sense is the GOP needs what Bobby Jindal and a few others possess: a first-rate mind, a command of the issues, and the capacity to present them in a confident and appealing manner. . . . .

If the Republican party is going to become politically dominant again, it needs to extend its reach to those who have left the fold. I’m not at all confident Sarah Palin can do that.