When you consider the words of Heritage Foundation president Jim DeMint, it’s easier to understand why Republicans are now demanding that we implement their 2012 platform in exchange for raising the debt ceiling.
DeMint thinks the election results don’t accurately reflect national sentiment and therefore can’t be used to argue against his desire to move the party to the right. True conservatism never got a hearing—particularly not in regard to Obamacare, which was, after all, modeled after a Massachusetts law signed by Romney. “Because of Romney and Romneycare, we did not litigate the Obamacare issue,” he says. Essentially, DeMint is declaring a mistrial. His side can still prevail, he says, but only by awakening the angry, alienated masses who were put off by Romney’s tepid impersonation of a conservative.
From their point of view conservatism didn’t fail. Romney failed conservatism. It’s a running joke to say conservatism can’t fail, but that’s exactly what they believe.
If you were anticipating that the Republican party would self-examine and reevaluate it’s ways at some point in time, I believe you’re going to have to keep waiting for at least another presidential election cycle or two.
The good news is their 2016 platform will more than likely be identical to their 2012 platform and we can defeat it just the same.
We shouldn’t count our chickens just yet, but it’s possible George W. Bush will be counted as the last Republican president for a generation or at least until the party is willing to entertain the idea that they may be wrong.