A strategy guide for Mitt Romney and Republicans

by Josh Bernstein | August 9, 2012 12:36 am

[1]This is our time. Americans of all backgrounds need to come together now. We need to unite for one common goal. To save this nation from its own fiscal suicide. We are endangering our very existence with every dollar we spend.

Here are the cold hard facts.

Our credit rating has been downgraded for the first time in our nation’s history. We are reportedly just shy of reaching 17 trillion dollars in debt. And if that wasn’t bad enough we have suffered an unemployment rate over 8% for a mind boggling 40 straight months.

As a country we get to choose our own demise but also our own success. If we don’t turn off the spigot in Washington, then the choice is pretty clear. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results. There is no bigger act of insanity I can think of more imminently dangerous to the survival of our nation then re-electing Barack Obama.

To be fair both parties have a spending problem, however the Democrats have an addiction. The good news is that most Americans, regardless of political affiliation can honestly recognize this fact.

I am very hopeful more voters know the numerous reasons why not to vote for Barack Obama. Most Americans can see that his policies are not working, and never will. They also know that he has broken most of his campaign promises; and his blaming others for our misfortunes is wearing thin. With that being said, we now have an opportunity to give the American people a reason to vote for Republicans and elect Mitt Romney instead.

According to a recent Rasmussen poll, 46% of voters feel that they are voting for the lesser of two evils. This is a direct result of Obama’s bad policies and the Republican Party’s inability to differentiate themselves from the Democrats. For Republicans this is a messaging problem, not a policy problem. The good news is like most problems it is fixable. It is also a golden opportunity to show some real leadership.

One of the ways to change the message is by changing the tone. As a party we should immediately start running more positive ads. Negative campaign ads do work which is why both parties use them, however eventually they can become counter productive.

By a 3 to1 ratio Republicans and Mitt Romney need to run ads showing what they are going to do for the country and how they will govern. They need to tell the American people what they stand for not just what they’re against. They should be running more positive uplifting ads that give specific details about policy and message. They should find a problem that the people are facing in each state, and provide a local private sector based solution. What is important to one state might not be important to another. It is for this reason that they say all politics are local.

The best types of ads are from the politicians speaking themselves. When a candidate looks directly into the camera and speaks slowly and intelligently to the American people it is typically a winning strategy. The people of this great nation are dying to be lead. Let’s show them how we will lead them.

There are so many things that Republicans can do to win this election that I could write an entire strategy guide. One that could be used to win future elections for years to come.

There are a lot of wedge issues that I could give examples of however I do not want to create more obstacles for Republicans to have to hurdle. Wedge issues are issues that could alienate certain voters which are why they are better left alone. I could talk about reforming social security or simplifying our complex tax code, but that would be too risky. So like Mitt Romney’s eventual vice presidential choice, I will be playing it safe.

There are three issues that Republicans can and should be running on that will resonate with most voters. These ideas are considered mainstream, and could be powerful vote swaying solutions.

Most voters are fed up with all the spending, especially earmarks. The first thing Republicans need to do is restrict any earmark over $100,000 from being voted on in Washington. Instead of politicians in Washington voting on this type of spending we should allow the states the right to choose whether or not they want to pay for it. We can allow each state to have their own independent voice by creating ballot initiatives. This will let the taxpayers of each respective state decide whether or not they feel the cost of the project is warranted. If the taxpayers in their state think it is vital to study bears in hibernation or save tree snakes in Guam then they will vote to fund it, not Washington.

If we are truly a representative type of government, then let’s put our money (no pun intended) where our mouth is. This will not only cut spending, but more importantly it returns the power and decision making ability back to the people.

I understand that there will always be certain types of earmarks that are necessary. For instance, building a school or a hospital strengthens a community and enhances its vitality and quality of life. These are examples of good earmarks. What I am referring to are some of the ridiculous ones like 500,000 for teapots, 250,000 for windowsills, and 3.4 million dollars for a turtle crossing. That is wasteful and unnecessary spending.

The second thing we can do is lower the capitol gains tax if not permanently then at least temporarily down to zero. There is roughly 13 trillion dollars in off shore accounts all over the world. These funds are being kept outside of our nation’s economy for tax reasons. If we suspended the capitol gains tax for at least 90 days; a lot of that money would be newly injected back into the struggling economy and spur a lot more economic investment and confidence. I’m not an economist, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out if you improve the environment for business and investment you should get a lot more of it.

In addition to this, we should also be talking about making the Bush era tax cuts permanent, abolishing the death tax, and funding the Key Stone Pipeline. These are all center right issues for a center right country.

The last thing we should run on is probably the least liked inside Washington, but the most liked outside of it. I am talking about term limits. I would not consider former presidential candidate John Huntsman a very strong conservative; however he was the only one that had the bravado to run on term limits.

This is a winning issue.

According to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 71% of Americans favor term limits for politicians. Mitt Romney and members of the House and Senate who are up for re-election should immediately start running on term limits. One suggestion could be to propose that house members can run and win a maximum of four two year terms and senators can run and win a maximum of only two six year terms. By implementing term limits it will force a more representative government and possibly a less corrupt one as well. This will force members of congress to do what they were hired to do, represent the people and not their own self interests. It also could take some of the influence peddling out of Washington and possibly make lobbyists less powerful.

The Framers knew that a government by the people, for the people, and of the people was the template to a free and prosperous nation. They understood that the balance of power should remain with the people and not the government. The government is not supposed to be the umbilical cord that nourishes a nation; instead it is to be used sparingly and as a last resort. It should be every politician’s ultimate goal to make government as inconsequential in our lives as possible. As the great Ronald Reagan once said, “One thing our founding fathers could not foresee was a nation governed by professional politicians with a vested interest in self preservation.”

Regardless of whether these ideas could ever actually be implemented; they are strategically speaking a formula for success. I am realistic that most politicians would never vote to limit their time in office; however there have been a handful of politicians who have. Removing the safety net that most politicians have by limiting their time to serve will only make the country better, stronger, and freer. A minority in congress and a majority in America can create a majority in congress. Being that politicians are servants and representatives of their constituents we should show them how we want to be governed; not allow them to dictate how they wish to govern us.

We are dangerously close to the fiscal cliff in this country and our car is hanging over the edge. The Democrats and Barack Obama are driving the car high on drugs and completely drunk. We need to take the keys away fast and revoke their license. Then, if we carefully and deliberately put the car in reverse we can avoid the cliff and eventually get off it entirely. Our fiscal mess was not started overnight and unfortunately can’t be solved that fast either. It is imperative that we change course as soon as possible to avoid financial ruin. As a country we need to make some tough choices that may not be popular but they will be necessary. We can start to fix the problem this November by eliminating the sources that have created it. This November we can implement real change for America. There is still some time to reverse our fate, but time is running out. As a nation we have the freedom and ability to speak out with a loud and unified voice.

That voice is our vote.