Creating the New G.O.P.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

Amid growing turmoil and uncertainity, G.O.P. leaders met behind closed doors recently to craft an agenda to allow Republicans to sell themselves to the American people after the "surprise" loss in the 2012 presidential election. The plan is simple and begins with a mandate for every Republican to give a floor speech on the same topic with the same message, in a bid to grab the headlines.  The second stage of the plan calls for all Republicans to follow three "Rules":

RULE #1-Abandon budgetary talk that spreads gloom and doom around the clock. The party must find a way to make being fiscally conservative "cool" by stop the screaming about red ink and spending.

RULE #2-Stop repealing regulations that no one has ever heard of.

House Speaker John Boehner

RULE #3-Sand down the party's rough edges. Pass education bills and immigration legislation.

Republicans are clear that they do not want to increase the minimum wage and they are cool to tax reform. They aren't looking to spend money to create manufacturing hubs. They aren't looking to curb gun laws. They don't approve of a "pathway to citizenship" for illegal immigrants. In other words, they are opposed to President Obama's proposals and deaf to the voice of the American people.

Rep. Eric Cantor

The results from their planning session and Eric Cantor's American Enterprise Institute speech and media tour clearly say that lawmakers seem to think the party has a messaging problem, not a policy problem. Expect no change in policy and principles, just cosmetic changes to do better with broadening the party's appeal. Meanwhile Republicans push anti-abortion and voter suppression legislation. The G.O.P. is even working on changes to state voting rules that would effect the Electoral College.

Push a few diverse faces forward, i.e. Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Tim Scott, and pretend that the party has a place for Latinos and African Americans. You can see the drill, but it appears to be the same old stuff...different day. "Better watch out, better not cry, better not pout, I'm telling you why." Republicans have a new plan to take their country back!