Sometimes losing is a good thing

Like many conservatives, I was upset with the loss of John McCain in the November 4th election. My disappointment however, had more to do with my concerns regarding Barack Obama moreso than John McCain.

Sure, there were things I liked about John McCain. He pledged to clean up government and was committed to keeping America on offense in the war on terror. He didn't have an ideological blindness to getting out of Iraq the way Obama does.

However, McCain was wishy washy on fiscal Conservatism. He even admitted that he knew little about economic policy. I felt to an extent that President Bush sacrificed fiscal Conservatism too and it was frustrating. I didn't think much would change on economics from Bush if McCain got in.

The silver lining to losing the November 4th election for Republicans is the opportunity to return to what worked in the 80s' and 90s'. Ronald Reagan and the congressional Republicans of the mid-to-late 90s' succeeded because they walked and talked fiscal conservatism. They never wavered. They were not conservative just on foreign policy. They were conservative on everything. And it worked. The country was better off for it.

Unfortunately, as Republicans began to take victories for granted, they let government get bloated. They sacrificed their values rather than seizing the opportunity to continue trimming down government and educating the public about the values that shape the party. It was hard to identify with this party.

I have seen some encouraging signs this week. House Republicans' decision not to put their name on the "stimulous bill" was shades of the good past. Another was the election of Michael Steele, a good conservative and someone who will lock horns with Obama.

Losing forces you to re-invent yourself. To return to what worked before. I was getting frustrated the past four years from what I saw from Republicans. Now I'm excited for the renewal process.