GOP Needs More Leaders, not Managers

Posted by Selena Owens on November 26, 2013 at 12:42pm

View Blog


Why Ted Cruz, and Not Mitch McConnell, Represents the Future of the GOP

The Republican Party is suffering from a leadership vacuum.
In terms of a leader, we should look at transformational figures that have gone beyond their own personal self-interest, defied conventional wisdom, and risked mockery and derision as necessary pitfalls in pursuit of the greater good.
Mount Rushmore features the faces of individuals who define leadership. High school civics classes used to teach our children about our best and brightest leaders, before liberals turned our schools into dormitories of political indoctrination and social re-engineering.
Individuals such as Congressman John Boehner and Senator Mitch McConnell are rather effective managers, corralling their GOP caucuses to keep the wheels of government churning all too effectively, but neither of them is a leader. On their watch, instead of risking mockery for the greater good, the greater good has been severely risked and mocked.
Some of our Republican governors have, over the years, shown promise to emerge as national leaders, but in almost every case their full potential has never been realized.
Texas Governor Rick Perry has done an outstanding job leading Texas, but his foray into the 2012 presidential elections reduced his national stature. Governor Sarah Palin scored some of the highest approval ratings for a governor of any state in history, but then was smeared and defamed by the liberal media and knifed in the back by the Republican establishment. Years ago, the political pundits told us Governor Bobby Jindal would emerge as the savior of the Republican Party at the national level, but an underwhelming State of the Union rebuttal and political challenges in his home state of Louisiana have limited his impact on the national GOP.
Governor Chris Christie (who has been anointed the 2016 Republican nominee for president by the people who are rooting for Republicans to lose) hasn’t provided much in the way of leadership, but rather has focused on managing his “brand.” Instead of actually leading on conservative ideals, he has tried to lure the GOP to mimic the policies and postures of Democrats. Hugging on Barack Obama might do well to endear Gov. Christie to left-leaning independents in the blue bastion of New Jersey, but it is hardly a formula to persuade Americans to the virtues of Conservatism.
Republicans seem to have forgotten a critical point: their job isn’t just to win elections and hold power. The responsibility of leadership includes leading the people to greener pastures, to inspire them to pursue great ideals and to help them better themselves and their society as a whole.
Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln clearly were leaders of their era. But who’s leading today?
The good news is that there are signs of a conservative revival.
Governor Scott Walker tread new ground in his fight to return Wisconsin to fiscal sanity, and took on the corrupt and powerful union bosses who were bleeding the state (read: the taxpayers) dry. Barack Obama’s political machine in Chicago tried to intimidate Gov. Walker into surrender, as buses loaded up tens of thousands of protesters to lay siege to the State Capitol in Madison, WI.
But Gov. Walker did not buckle. He withstood threats, media bias and criticism, and constant heckling and harassment from mobs of left-wing political activists – including a recall against the legislators who had supported Walker’s agenda. And then they tried to recall Gov. Walker himself!
They failed, and Walker prevailed.
Suddenly, other states took on the union bosses in their own states. They followed Gov. Walker’s road map, and this entire saga has highlighted Walker’s leadership abilities.
This renaissance of the Right has expanded to the U.S. Senate where Senators Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Rand Paul have demonstrated real leadership over the past several months.
Senator Ted Cruz, in particular, has emerged as a leading force for Conservatism. In his freshman term, Cruz has challenged the rules of the stodgy U.S. Senate which are stacked more in the interests of protecting the power structure of the Senators themselves than the best interests of the American people.
Cruz, like Reagan, speaks straight to the American people, not seeking the blessings of the political and media elites in Washington, D.C. and New York – a stark contrast to the likes of Sens. Mitch McConnell, John McCain and Lindsey Graham.
Cruz, like Lincoln, challenges the accepted political norms when he sees injustice. He doesn’t tolerate détente when evil is present; he instead evokes the spirit of resistance and calls on his countrymen to join him. Whether it be fighting ObamaCare, pushing for an end to our massive deficit spending, or calling for accountability from the Executive Branch, Cruz is willing to endure criticism and resistance if he knows that the causes he is fighting for are right and just. A leader does these things.
Cruz’s passion has energized millions of Americans to support him. This Thanksgiving holiday, a TV ad campaign, paid for by legions of his adoring fans, will “thank” Senator Cruz for serving as an advocate of We The People, instead of the lobbyists, the journalists and those politicians who work out whispered deals in the dark recesses of the Senate cloakroom.
You can view the “Thank You Ted Cruz” ad here: http://bit.ly/1aOKxrB
Leaders are usually not apparent when they first emerge. Reagan was derided as a simpleton and an extremist by critics during his administration. Lincoln’s leadership for real change was hardly met with universal acceptance at the time.
To the chagrin of his critics, history will place the efforts of Ted Cruz in the category of leaders like Reagan and Lincoln. Senator McConnell? He’ll probably have a lovely bronze bust of himself on display somewhere in the Senate gallery.
--
Selena Owens is the Vice Chair of The Conservative Campaign Committee, PAC and the author of The Power Within a Conservative Woman: Engaging America for God Family, and Country.

Selena@campaigntodefeatobama.com


http://patriotaction.net/profiles/bl...msg_share_post