Generally, most day-after analysis from the various corners of the GOP says: the Republicans had a tough year, but this is still a center-right country. Obama ran an extraordinary campaign, was a once-in-a-generation candidate, McCain sucked, and the base was dispirited. (There's evidence in some states for this latter contention, not others.)
The four potential schools of thought are easy to separate:
1. The party is too conservative, too Southern
2. The party wasn't really conservative enough; what conservatism, though, is widely debated
3. Bush ruined it; conservatism is healthy
4. Conservatism as an approach is fine; the GOP has no ideas though and can't cope with the realities of the 21st century.
Here's a sampling of reaction from conservatives as sent along by GOP strategist Keith Appell:
First, L. Brent Bozell III, President, Conservative Victory Committee:
"The liberal wing of the GOP has caused the collapse of the Republican Party. It is no longer a viable player in the political conversation, and deservedly so: For a decade it has spat on the values of Ronald Reagan. Conservatives let it be known on Tuesday in races all over the country that it has had enough with the betrayal.
More after the jump.
Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform
"The Republican party and the conservative movement had bad election nights in 1964, 1976, and 1992. We came back from each of those defeats. What's required now is a great deal of work on the part of those who want to promote liberty."Kellyanne Conway, President, The Polling Company
"Last night was a decisive victory for Barack Obama, but also a decisive victory for conservatism.
"Our post-election polling reveals no embrace of liberalism in this country. Fundamentally, Americans continue to prefer a limited government, a restrained judiciary, fiscal discipline, and traditional values. Actual voters are indicating that they prefer judges who apply the law equally over those who take into account the personal circumstances and life experiences of individuals who find themselves in a courtroom. They are as pro-life as they were in 2004 and believe that the Second Amendment is a crucial part of the Constitution. In California and Florida, they voted decisively to preserve traditional marriage.
Al Regnery, Publisher, The American Spectator
"Democrats developed a superb strategy which they executed well. We did not. The political landscape has probably changed dramatically, at least for a couple of years. But opportunities are there for us, if we can take advantage of them. The tired out, old GOP leadership offers little, but the conservative movement has the resources and the people to regroup, which it will, but we must re-establish the importance of first principles. The idea of big-government conservatism was always viewed with skepticism by true conservatives, and few now doubt that it has been completely rejected. The country is far to the right of Obama, although many people will want to see him succeed, if not ideologically, at least as President, and an intelligent and well thought out strategy will be able to bear much fruit. This was not a rejection of true conservatism, it was a rejection of the Bush Administration and inadequate leadership."
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