Life Imitating Art

I have finally come up with the perfect analogy for the Republican Party's recent struggles at the polls. The Republican Party as the Goo Goo Dolls. Even the timeline works with this analogous comparison.

First came the origins phase. The Goo Goo Dolls were a punk band struggling to get noticed by the record executives, only to be picked up by Metal Blade Records, an independent recording company specializing in hard rock and metal bands like Slayer and GWAR. This version of the Goo Goo Dolls was the embodiment of their musical roots, culminating in their album Superstar Car Wash.

Then, in 1994 the band recorded A Boy Named Goo. The album was true to their metal sensibilities, but was put forth in a packaging that made it more appealing to the masses.

From there, things went in a different direction. The band lost more and more of its original sounds as it more and more moved towards something mainstream. Sure, the band was headlining large arenas and stadiums across the country. However, the more time progressed, the more and more the band lost the edge that had made them unique. They were turned into any other guitar driven band making commercial music to play on Mix stations, selling records more on their brand name than anything else. Their latest album, Let Love In, is almost unlistenable and sounds nothing like even A Boy Named Goo from 12 years ago.

Now, instead of selling out stadiums and arenas, the band recently struggled to sell out the Lyric Opera House.

Republicans prior to 1994 had a distinctive sound and message, appealing to the political sensibilities of its constituency. It had a little edge in it. In 1994, we had the Contract With America, which put forth a true Republican agenda packaged in a way that appealed to the sensibilities of an electorate that was looking for something different. And while Republicans went mainstream across the country on the backs of the Contract, along the way we kept losing more and more of our way. We kept compromising more and more on the principles that made Republicans Republican. We wound up with higher deficits, bigger government and a larger bureaucracy. We went from a Congress committed to eliminating the Department of Education to a Congress that passed No Child Left Behind. Sure, there was enough left that you could recognize that it was in fact a Republican Congress, through tax cuts and a commitment to national defense. But a lot of Republican principles were left behind in an effort to be more "mainstream."

Now, we find ourselves with Republicans in the minority in Congress, with fewer than half of the Governships, and staring the 2008 Presidential Cycle without a superstar who can guarantee victory.

I'm not really sure where the Goo Goo Dolls go from here. But I know it is time for Republicans to regain their edge, and return to the principles of limited government and fiscal responsibility. In 2006 Republican candidates at all levels, from Governor on down to Delegate, won elections by campaigning on their Republican principles. A Republican cannot win by being a Democrat. It's time for Republicans across the nation to get the message and starting appealing to the voters who share their beliefs. Only by being true to the first principles of conservatism can the party find electoral success.