Let me try backtracking a bit….

I’m not trying to equate Dems 2000 with Republicans 2009. What I’m saying is that asking the GOP to formulate an agenda now is moving too fast in my opinion. Maybe it appeals to policy wonks and intellectuals for the GOP to start reconstructing as a sort of shadow government that would offer an alternative vision. Politically speaking though, it is much easier to function as the loyal opposition and let Obama point out what direction to go when the inevitable stumbles happen.

This AIG thing is just the start. Chris Dodd is tangled up in this one but wait until Fannie and Freddie get ready to give bonuses shortly. So many Dems have their hands dirty with F&F that it could get very ugly, very fast. The point is, with these huge moves by the administration there is also HUGE potential for overreach and failure. Politically speaking, the GOP can just sit back and wait and they will have all their talking points laid out in front of them. That’s why I’m not convinced that they are as bad off as people make them out to be. Obama’s fast rise could be the precursor to a faster fall. And let’s not forget Rangel and Murtha under investigation. I will be very surprised if the GOP doesn’t start retaking seats next year.

Look, what I’m suggesting is not just that Republicans have lost power and require some time to regain a sense of coherence in the face of that loss, but that they have come to a point where their primary focus needs to be on taking a fundamental look at how they present themselves in political landscape that is increasingly disinclined to their favour. That Republicans are, depending on your view, rightly perceived as being the “party of no” currently is not so much the point as it is an indication that they are not engaging in the kind of reflection that is desperately needed and have instead chosen to double-down on a losing agenda.

That just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me because if there is any politician currently out there that I feel like would be hospitable to their needs, it’s Obama.

Fast-forward to ‘08: the Rs are down 44 districts in the House and 15 seats in the Senate. Bush left office with an approval rating in the mid-20s with (charitably) perhaps one major policy accomplishment in his second term.

There’s simply no comparison between the 50.1-49.9 state the country was in from 2000-2004 and where it is now. The Dems were backed into a corner by the GWOT but they didn’t get abused in anything resembling the way the Republicans have been since Nov. 2006.

Republicans have indeed just suffered a crushing defeat and their brand is very badly damaged in the public square. The task in front of them is much greater than what faced Democrats in 2000 and the sooner they get on with it the better, especially with a president like Obama in thew White House with all of his campaign rhetoric still hanging over his head.

Now if you could make the argument with a comparison to Democrats circa 1981 I think you’d have a much stronger case.

Eventually Republicans will do the same thing which is to start coalesce around specific ideas…most likely financially related. It just takes time.