John McCain and Sarah Palin have stolen Barack Obama’s mantra, “Change You Can Count On.” Their combined track records disclose disdain for the “good old boy” network and a willingness to put principle above political party. If this leads them to the White House the GOP is in for a change all right, but a change from what?

The post-Reagan Republican Party dates back to the Contract With America. In 1994 Republican congressmen and candidates were led by GOP Congressmen Newt Gingrich, Richard Armey and John Boehner to run on a united platform promising government reforms, tax cuts, safe streets, welfare reform, support of the military and term limits for Congress members. The “Contract” resonated with voters, and the GOP took control of both the House of Representatives and Senate.



During the next six years the GOP Congress passed welfare reform, NAFTA, tax relief and incentives for private long term care insurance. Regrettably both houses became enmeshed in the impeachment process after President Clinton was caught lying under oath in the Monica Lewinsky dust up. George W. Bush was elected President in 2000, and the GOP Congress passed legislation instituting tax cuts and accountability in education before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 sucked all the oxygen out of the room.

Then came the successful invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq followed by interminable news of service members’ deaths and injuries in the long, long mop up. An atmosphere of malaise settled in. GOP congressmen and senators took advantage of power and passed spending bills with large earmarks to be spent in their states or congressional districts. Like the Democrats in power before them, too many Republicans succumbed to greed and lost sight of who elected them, the resulting scandals shifting congressional power back to Democrats in the 2006 election.

Credit Barack Obama for sensing that voters ache for anything except what we have. If McCain and Palin have indeed intercepted the Obama “change” football and are now thundering down field for the winning touchdown, here’s what Republicans can expect in the future:

Reckless spending will be curtailed. McCain did not support the original Bush tax cuts because there were no related spending restraint and there will be a reining in of profligate spending in McCain’s administration. Earmarks will be a thing of the past. McCain never sought an earmark for his home state and believes they are the very essence of waste and corruption. Power coalitions will form across party lines based on McCain’s close relations with Sens. Lieberman, Feingold, Kennedy and others with whom he co-authored legislation.

Roe vs. Wade will not be overturned. McCain has kept support from the Christian right by voting for pro-life bills within the constraints of Wade, but the abortion issue is not high on his agenda and will not be a priority. As a firm advocate of states’ rights McCain is not likely to permit the federal government to again meddle into personal matters such as the Terry Schiavo case.

There will be a compromise permitting immigrants some sort of lawful status short of citizenship but instituting border security.

Global warming, social challenges, the uninsured, special needs folks and similar challenges will not be ignored but will be dealt with as problems that have been diagnosed; free market solutions will be sought.

Former GOP Chair and current Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said: “This is still a firmly center-right nation, but we need to take Republican values and principles and apply them to different issues facing the country.”

McCain will do that.

Jim Clark is president of Republican Advocates and a vice chair of the Washoe County GOP. He can be reached for comment at tahoesbjc@aol.com.