What does the Republican Party believe? What does it mean to be a Republican?  During the Reagan years and through Gingrich’s revolution, one would most certainly say that being a Republican meant being a Conservative.  Yet, during recent years the answer to this question has been divorced from the Conservative movement in many ways.  During the previous election cycle the American people proved the point that just because a person is a Republican, it does not imply that a person is a Conservative.  Yet this ideological shift was not caused by any outside force, but by the Republican Party itself.  The Republican Party betrayed itself especial on the fiscal issue.  The Republican Party gave itself to bad spending habits, and gave in, continually, to compromising its political views under the guise of being bipartisan.  One example of the Republican Party compromising its views for political gain occurred last year during the $700 billion bailout.  John Boehner spoke, in support of the $700 billion bailout saying that,

“These are the votes that separate the men from the boys and the girls from the women.”

This, the American people knew, were not the kind of votes that America needed to have their “men” and “women” stand up for.  Yet, though it was voted down the first time, when a revised, and more pork filled version of the bill came back before the House, the Republicans helped pass it.  The Republican Party did not stand up for its base principles here; instead it camouflaged the compromising of its principles under the guise of bipartisanship.  Quite frankly, these were the votes that ruined the Republican Party, and these where also the votes that brought the Republican Party to the state that it is in today.  Such compromising of the Conservative message contributed heavily against the Republican Party in this election cycle, and helped them to take heavy losses.  Yet today I am proud to say that I am not only a Conservative but also a Republican.  Wednesday, the Republican Party began to return to its base, as every single voting Republican said NO to the more than $800 billion Obama stimulus package.  On top of this, a new chairman, Michael Steele, was elected to head the Republican Party; he too will be a driving force for the future of Conservatism.  And yet, one must beg the question, what do all these things mean for the Republican Party?  Well they mean one thing and one thing alone; the Republican Party is returning to its Conservative base.

            The unanimity of the Party’s decision is nothing short of remarkable considering that all but one of the members of the Republican Party that have a seat in Congress were voting that day.  By the official tally all 177 Republicans present cast their vote in opposition to the strongly big government stimulus package.  This united view is not a sheer accident, no it was purposeful; the Republican Party had every intention of being united.  The Republicans knew that they had messed up in the past.  They know that they have, at times, compromised their political philosophy for political points in the past, and they know that now that they need to embrace their base philosophy.  Republicans know that they cannot successfully address the future of their party without referencing its past.  Without looking back at what Reagan, Gingrich, and others did using Conservatism; the entire political ideology means nothing.  Only in the context of its success, and its continual ability to succeed, does Conservatism find its proper meaning.  The leaders of the Republican Party know this, and they have chosen to uphold the banner towed by so many previous leaders of their party.  Conservatism, they know, is what the American people want.  If it was not clear before the election it was certainly clear during it.  Governor Sarah Palin ran on the Conservative message.  Because she ran on the Conservative message the American people came to her in droves.  The Republican base was energized by Governor Sarah Palin and that same base eagerly supported her.   Alas, the Republican Party, on the whole, had lost the faith of many members of the American people.  Many Republicans elected under the Conservative banner went to Washington and failed their constituents by compromising their principles.  The American people saw the Republican Party failing its principles, and turned to whomever would seemingly help them.  The Democrat Party eagerly embraced these people.  In other words, the Republican Party lost the election because of, not in spite of, the American people’s belief in Conservatism.  The Republican Party recognized their faults, and decided to change.  Wednesday was a step in the right direction for the Republican Party.  The Republican Party standing together on Conservative fiscal principle is a comfort and proves, in the mind of this humble fellow, that the Republican Party is embracing its base.

            Michael Steele, the new Chairman of the Republican Party, is also a comfort for Conservatives in the Republican Party.  Michael Steele is a hard core Conservative.  He believes strongly in the four basic principles of Conservatism:

            Respect for the Constitution

            Respect for Life

            Less Government

            And Personal Responsibility

These principles mean something to Michael Steele.  As he wrote in his plan for the Republican Party’s future, called the “Blueprint for Tomorrow”:

“In this first installment of my suggested Blueprint for Tomorrow, I hope you’ll

notice something missing. I am trying to avoid the use of any words that start

with “re” … words like renewal, rebuild, recharge, re-this and re-that. I’m

convinced we should not re-anything. Instead, we must stand proudly for the

timeless principles our Party has always stood for when we stood at our best.”

It is clear, from this quote, that Michael Steele believes in Conservatism, and believes that it should be the base of the Republican Party.  He believes in the principles of the founders, and he believes that these are the principles for the future.  Michael Steele will bring charisma and good leadership to the Republican Party as well.  Michael Steele will certainly be a key in the future of Conservatism.

            I entitled this writing, “The New Republican Party.”  Yet, I think that saying this is the New Republican Party is actually quite a fallacy; the current state of the Republican Party could more specifically be called the “Old Republican Party,” for all the Party is doing is returning to the Conservative base the Party has embraced in the past.  The Republican Party has woke up and smelled the coffee, and now it is ready to drink the coffee.  The Republicans are ready to stand up for the principles that have their party great, and they are going to make the party even greater.  The future of the Republican Party, if it continues on this new pattern, is going to be a bright one.