On the elections in November 2010

Looking towards a victory for the conservative movement

Conservative Republicans in the US will remember that day in November 2008 when the Democratic Party consolidated their control of the US Congress by winning the White House.

To many in the media, President Obama's historic victory marked the ultimate rejection by the American people of conservative political philosophy and signalled the imminent death of the Republican Party. And I'm sure that many within the Republican Party were left scratching their heads, wondering what the implications of these changes were for the future of conservatism in America.

Over time, however, it became clear that what the American people were rejecting was not conservatism, but big government over-reach. Whilst the majority of people who voted for Obama would be unlikely to describe themselves as conservative, it would be true to say that people were tired of President Bush's expansionist government - the invention of another huge welfare entitlement, un-costed foreign wars, pork-barrel spending, and the general curtailment of civil liberties. Too many notable Republicans seemed to forget that championing first principles was more important than being an apologist for a nominally-conservative administration. All in all, it was understable why people voted the Republicans out of office in 2006 and 2008.

But the recognition of fault, together with the loss of political power, can only be a good thing for conservative Republicanism in the long run. Beholding the radical Democratic administration in Washington, and the rise of the fiscally conservative Tea Party movement, the Republican Party as a whole has been forced into seeing the wood for the trees, its own historical mistakes, and ultimately the re-discovery of the limited-government principles of Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan and other conservative pioneers.

The external pressures foisted upon the GOP have also led to the emergence of Republicans with personal integrity and sound conservative credentials - candidates who are viewed as being outside the Republican establishment - Marco Rubio and Rep. Nikki Haley are just two of them, who will be running for political office in Florida and South Carolina respectively.

As conservatives, we are all hoping for major changes in November. A new generation of Republican Congressmen and women will hold the President to account, challenge some of his administration's worst ideas, and ultimately propose positive policy solutions that rely on individuals, families and communities, more than the government, to solve the complex challenges of our day.

Let the spirit of 1994 emerge once again!