Those of you who have been alert enough to read our political vision, understand that we are taking a flexible approach to the role of government, summarized in this simple Cartesian model:

We're radical cultural Conservatives who care about family values, adventure, civilization and the environment. Unlike the Democrats, we don't believe in a gigantic welfare state where people lead individualist lifestyles, but unlike the Republicans, we don't think the free market can solve all of our problems, and we emphasize the collective good over classical liberal values. This means we defend a unique political position in this Cartesian spectrum; one that softly resonates with the spirit of the Republicans.

Anyone identifying him- or herself as Conservative Republican or Independent today would like to support the GOP, but feels they're losing their way. This is the hot topic of debate in the news this week: a fragmented Republican Party trying to rebuild its structure after losing the election to the Democrats. Unfortunately, the topic is typically clouded by drama. It all begins with Romney pulling what probably should be regarded as a misunderstood joke about Sarah Palin:

Hot Air fills in on this ridiculous circus:

I think he’s trying to be self-deprecating here too by deflecting John King’s question about why there aren’t more Republicans on Time’s “most influential” list with a joke about how ugly they all are, but it comes off like he’s calling her a lightweight whose influence derives from her “cuteness.” (Which wouldn’t be the first time a GOP candidate’s made insinuations along those lines.) If she’s the butt of the joke, though, rather than the rest of the GOP, how to explain the mention of Rush here too? Surely Romney isn’t suggesting he’s also on the list for creampuff reasons.

Rush Limbaugh immediately comes to rescue Palin, claiming she's feared by other Republicans because she dares to stand up for Conservative principles. Wait, what?

On his nationally syndicated radio show on Monday, Rush Limbaugh explained the method and the motive behind the GOP’s National Council for a New America town hall meeting. While talking about this meeting he stated, They hate, despise, and fear Sarah Palin.

Rush talks daily about the northeastern, country club blue blood republicans who are embarrassed by Christians, pro-lifers, southerners and other true conservatives that they feel do not fit in their mold. The establishment felt that way about Ronald Reagan; but Reagan had the true conservative message. Sarah Palin had and has the true conservative message; that is why they are still trying to destroy her and her reputation. The liberal establishment is not trying to tear down Mitt Romney, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, or even Jeb Bush; they are trying like crazy to demolish Sarah Palin.

My comment: this is pure over-dramatized nonsense. Romney tried to be hip/funny/whatever during the show, who cares? What's really important here is how to reform the GOP on ideology and appearance. Concerning ideology, this short news interview with Republican Representative Mike Pence spells out in clarity why people no longer trust Conservatives:

Listen to the guy, he sounds so flaky and vague that you're starting to wonder what he's trying to hide.

"Do you believe in evolution, sir?"

"Ehm, do I believe in evolution? I embrace the view that God created..."

You don't answer a question by shooting it back to the reporter. Pence continues to fall short on ideological stability by bloviating about the environment. "We're going to promote clean coal technologies..." How about ending the dependency on coal technology? "...but we're not gonna raise national energy tax on every household in America." Ok, you nailed a Conservative point on taxes, but what has this to do with improving the environment? Pence, like most politicians, can't really argue his point logically according to facts. He's just trying to save face.

The hilariously outraged Conservatives 4 Palin mark the deal well though:

Exit question: Do these people not realize that one of the reasons, if not the only reason, that Obama won was because he was a "personality"?

Bingo. Republicans are ideologically lost, fragmented and lack marketing skills. Here's a great debate from Fox yesterday, where Bernie Goldberg suggests that Republicans need to pay more attention to how they wish to appear in the news:

Some, like worked-up Limbaugh, will flame Goldberg for being a populist here and promote moderate Conservatism, but what this really comes down to is politics. Politics, in turn, is marketing - especially in a liberal democracy like America. If you want to win the election, you need to appeal to the crowd. That doesn't mean you necessarily need to become a moderate thinker, but you can't hit people directly with a bunch of radical ideas and then pretend you're going to become popular. McCain appeared as a stern warmonger during the elections, compared to the hip Obama-frenzy that pandered to pleasant illusions. No wonder the Republicans lost.

The GOP has got several fronts to fix. First, let's look at the societal problems we outline at Corrupt:

1. You have no culture that could keep you from being money-grubbing whores.

2. You're destroying your environment. If it was a person, you'd call it murder or genocide.

3. You are slowly dumbing yourselves down into glorified talking apes with car keys.

4. People have holes in the middle where meaning should go. Black holes, that suck up everything around them.

5. You're not going to face reality because you're too busy with your own drama.

http://www.corrupt.org/act/philosophy/

What the Republicans can do to fix these problems:

1. Less social Conservatism and more cultural Conservatism. That means we don't need the government to instill traditional values in people--we need culture to do that work, preferably on a level as local as possible.

2. Tax cuts and private property protection are good, but if we're going to continue expanding the government, at least make sure we conserve all unused land, stop building gigantic, overcrowded suburbs, roll back illegal immigration, and develop policies like the Endangered Species Act to make them more effective.

3. Conservatism is about learning from history. History tells us that promoting clueless, selfish people to power destroys the leadership fabric of a society. Let's dethrone the oligarchs and Hollywood-esque leaders who only work for profit. We need moral leadership, not control.

4. This is where culture comes into the picture. Without it, we become selfish consumers. The middle class needs to resurrect a sound lifestyle around family, community, sports and the environment. That is the only cure to the Sex and the City-syndrome infecting the West right now.

5. The GOP lost the election, so they need to start looking at domestic politics. Most people don't have their act together. Those who fail to take care of themselves should therefore largely be left to their own fate. Stop the welfare nannying. Limit the size of government, cut down on welfare programs, and decentralize as much as possible. Slim down, clean out and simplify.

Let's face it: Conservatives in America right now are trying to persuade voters with mostly sound ideas, but they're held back by silly single issue policies like evolution/creationism, abortion and stem cell research. Yeah, those are important issues, but they shouldn't be allowed to split up a whole party. These internal debates totally miss the point: you can talk about God and stem cells all day, but unless what you say interests the voters, you're not going to receive public backing.

The new Conservatism should be an interesting, intellectual and softly populist movement based on courage, tradition, joy, and scientific and historical facts. Corrupt represents the strain of Conservative brain paving the way for such a change.