Michael Gerson Channels Rodney King

Former Bush speechwriter turned Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson was on CNN today talking about his recent column on the state of the GOP, in which he laments,

... Republicans are now clearly distinguished by their driving desire to lose. Every faction seems determined to rule the kingdom of irrelevance.

Gerson, of course, worked for George W. Bush, the man largely to blame for the GOP's current mess and general lack of direction. But I digress ...

While there is no doubt that Republicans are currently engaged in some much-needed soul searching (rather than hand-wringing), they should also apply the same free-market philosophy towards political parties that we do toward the U.S. economy. In short, just as markets have ups and downs (and the downs are often course corrections), political parties go through cyclical ups and downs -- and the downs are often instructive (and necessary) for future growth. Efforts to intervene and avoid fights can even compound the problems. Competition is good -- not bad.

Consider, for example, the NRSC's intervention in the Floria Senate race. The theory is that by intervening, the GOP will avoid a bloody primary fight. Of course, the opposite has happened. The NRSC has only increased the odds that the U.S. Senate primary will become a bloody spectacle. Charlie Crist, of course, is free to run for governor, but the GOP should stay out of it and let the campaign serve as a test that will ultimately provide us with the best candidate as the nominee.

Those who dislike internecine battles ought to consider the alternative. Dictatorships do not tolerate dissent. The very fact that we are having this discussion is proof-positive that the GOP is not some top-down organization where members are given marching orders. Clearly, there is no "vast right wing" conspiracy. Eventually, a leader will emerge organically. Leadership is not about a title -- it is about influence. You cannot mandate or appoint leaders. They emerge.

Besides, one man's "desire to lose," as Gerson describes the GOP's soul searching, is another man's vigorous debate over the future of the party.

Of course, the same who decry these battles often cite Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment, "Though shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican."

These same folks conveniently fail to mention that it was Ronald Reagan who challenged sitting Republican President Gerald Ford in 1976 -- not to mention his running as a "favorite son" candidate against Richard Nixon. To be sure, Reagan's challenge in '76 angered the Republican establishment, but it ultimately led to the Regan Revolution. 1976 was ultimately a fight for the soul of the Republican Party, where conservatives like Reagan were wresting control from the "country clubbers" who were supporting Ford.

Today, Republicans find themselves at a similar crossroads, minus the transformational leader. While liberals assume the party has gotten "too conservative" and must "moderate," the truth is that moderates and insiders (like the folks running the NRSC) are the ones who have been pulling the strings -- and spending money like drunken sailors -- for years. These fights are not trivial -- they are essentially about whether the GOP becomes Democrat Lite -- or remains a conservative alternative. In my mind, that's worth the fighting for.

On another note, it does also occur to me that the subtext of the "why can't we all get along" faction is always insisting that conservatives should be the ones to back down. The proscription for peace is never for the moderate Republican to step aside or give up his or her positions.

Consider this; In Florida it was former House Speaker Marco Rubio who was in the race first. Charlie Crist is the one abandoning his post as governor, in an effort to run against Rubio. He is the aggressor.

What if Crist were to run for re-election, thus keeping the governor's seat in GOP hands, and then campaign hard for Rubio? A similar situation is shaping up in Texas, where Kay Bailey Hutchison is abandoning her senate seat in order to challenge sitting Texas Governor Rick Perry. In both instances, it is the more moderate candidate who is abandoning their post to challenge a conservative who was there first.

Those who wish Republicans would start acting like a team -- and to avoid losing seats -- might want to consider asking Crist and Hutchison to simply run for re-election.