Six months ago, most political pundits, pollsters, and campaign staffers wouldn’t have predicted the presidential election to be shaping up as it is. Today, candidates like Donald Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) are riding high on populism and firebrand rhetoric, yet have little in the way of sound policy to back up their grandiose promises.
On the Republican side, the core of the GOP is battle worn and fatigued from years of fighting against Democrats while facing attacks from within their own party. The result of this division has been a weaker party structure — one that isn’t in a position to solve the problem, only mitigate the damage.
{mosads}But the wildly unrealistic promises didn’t start at 725 5th Ave. The 2010 election was a banner year for Republican victories, but we also saw an increase in members getting primaried from the right. The political playbook included running against our own members instead of focusing on defeating Democratic candidates. The result has been the election of a small but powerful cluster of members who have made quixotic promises about reform, yet have little to no experience actually governing. That shows today in the halls of Congress.
For years, hard-right Republicans told voters that Washington isn’t working, but what they failed to mention is their role in the dysfunction. Fringe third party groups have perpetuated an unsustainable system of promises that candidates can’t keep, in order to further their own interest. Some groups have such an aversion to big government that they end up railing against all government. Washington certainly has its problems, but throwing more monkey wrenches in the gears of government won’t fix them.
When Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) laid out his vision for the GOP to be a party of ideas, it was never a suggestion that the right abandon its principles. Rather, it was a call to translate those conservative ideas into workable policies. Before Republicans get to that point, they need to prove that they can govern.
Not every play makes the highlight reel. More often than not, you just need to get on first base. And we’re never going to win if we only swing for the fence. A series of small victories is better than a string of certain defeats. Unfortunately, some members operate under constant threat of taking their ball and going home and would rather settle as the “party of no.” Ryan can’t negotiate from a place of strength if he’s worried about members of his own caucus undermining him. Politics is still a team sport.
As chairman of Ways and Means, Ryan put forth a bold plan for tax reform and worked with leadership in the House and Senate to advance economic growth ideas. He worked with members of his own party as well as his colleagues across the aisle. His success in making tax reform a prominent issue was based on a mutual respect between Ryan and his colleagues, and a shared vision of reform — even if not everyone agreed on how to get there.
House Republicans asked Ryan to lead as a forward thinking conservative, and now they need to let him. It’s going to take a lot of teamwork to reign in government and undo many of the disastrous policies put into place over the last 7 years. Reforming government starts with fresh, bold ideas — not just principles, but workable policies that lead to solutions.
Belcher is managing director at Steptoe & Johnson LLP.