Sam's Club Republicans

Good intro piece on (Rep.)Gov. of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty by Matthew Continetti in the WeeklyStandard. [Continetti is the only WeeklyStandard writer I consistently find intelligent and I actually learn something from reading].

Pawlenty is one of the growing Sam's Club Republicans. Pawlenty in fact coined the term. Sam's Club Republicans are looking to cut taxes, find an affordable private-sector (but probably governmentally helped) health care fix, raise carbon emission standards, in a way "compassionate conservatism" (which Bush never tried).

The other options for Republicans is to stay hardline on the War on Terror (Giuliani, Romney, and McCain all doing this). Go for broke on hard core Reaganite libertarianism, state rights, and small government philosophy (Fred Thompson).

Or the way of a Pawlenty and perhaps more successfully Schwarzenegger.

The Upper Midwest (Minn., Wisconsin, Iowa), and the New West (Montana, Colorado) are heading Democrat. Ohio and Pennsylvania are. The whole country is shifting Democrat, even if the Republicans do manage to hold the Presidency in 08.

I would really like the Republicans to move towards #3 because with say a Democrat president and a close Senate, something like this Republican compromise on Health care seems much more better to me than an Edwards or left wing government command and control model.

tags technorati : sam's club republicans