Rhetorical Lesson for the Republicans

I woke up this morning and began perusing the news, as I do most every morning, and the Daily Telegraph www.telegraph.co.uk is always one of my first stops, along with the Drudge Report.  I am increasingly finding that the British press is simply more insightful and well-rounded than the filth that passes for journalism in the United States these days.  Indeed, one can still distinguish between the News and Opinion sections of even the more partisan British papers--something that can hardly be said of the New York Times or Washington Post.  But I won't explore that issue today.  Today I wanted to make an important rhetorical observation that the Republicans would be wise to heed.  Here is the quote from the Telegraph article:

In Friday's Financial Times, Alistair Darling, who saw off Brown's attempt to replace him with Ed Balls, sounded a quite different note to the PM on Labour's spending plans. Gordon clings to the tired old formula that the Tories will "cut", while Labour will "invest". Mr Darling's position is altogether more nuanced. "I have always been clear," the still-Chancellor told the FT, "that, just as we support the economy now, in the medium term we have got to live within our means and I set out a clear commitment to halve the deficit over a five-year period."

The Socialist Left loves to use the word "invest" to describe their own hair-brained political constituency-appeasing largesse that they are permitted to pass off as "economic policy."  And they are equally apt to enjoy hurling the "cut" accusation across the aisle.  The Republicans need to turn the tables.  They need to say "every time you hear a Democrat say they are going to 'invest in education' or 'invest in healthcare' or 'invest in the economy' what they are saying is that they want to raise your taxes, take bonds out in the names of your children, and destroy America's standard of living.  What they really want you to invest in is a government-run version of Enron."  

This will be far more politically effective than "spending is out of control."  I don't think the current Republican leadership in Congress or at the RNC is smart enough to pull this off, but there's a new generation of Republicans brewing out there.  They are Ron Paul-supporting, little "L" libertarians who see America's promise of "the land of the free" as a lie, and who see the Republican and Democrat establishment as virtually one and the same.  If this new generation of Republicans will rise up, kick the Establishment out, and put together their own manifesto for decentralizing power, non-interventionist foreign policy, and a less intrusive, less paternalistic police state, they will win allies on the Left, the Right, and in the Center.  

This is what the Republican Party needs--not a bunch of wishy washy moderates--not a crowd of gay-hating evangelicals--but firmly committed, principled advocates of freedom and of a government that does not wreck our economy in pursuit of its ivory tower social agenda.  Not only does the Republican Party need this, but America needs this, badly.

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