This week I started writing for NextGenGOP.com, a site started by Aaron Marks. I think of it as the politicking counterpart to this blog. We both focus on young voters, but Real World Republicans--at least as I've tried to make it--has been more opinion pieces on policy issues whereas NextGenGOP promises to be more focused on the nitty gritty of turning thoughts into actions. As I've told Aaron several times, I think the blog's premise is great--and that's why I was so flattered to be added as a contributor.

For your, um, hopeful reading pleasure, my first post at NextGenGOP is reproduced below. I promise it's relevant.

Apologies to Ms. Austen aside, I’d like to use my first post to answer Aaron’s original question: how can the Republican Party get back on track?

The first step is to figure out why we derailed. I know better and brighter minds have done this throughout the blogosphere, but I like to identify problems before I solve them. That’s one of the reasons I’ll never work in government. So stick with me through a broad overview.

• We did not have any coherent message. Obama ran as a candidate who would cut taxes; end inefficient government programs; and give Americans more “choice” with their health care. McCain ran as the guy who wasn’t Obama. Obama was a centrist; McCain was, uh, a maverick. Candidates down the ticket clung to Obama’s hope, change, and more things for more people. The Republicans just sort of squirmed and then, at least in North Carolina, accused opponents of being atheists (see: Dole, Elizabeth).
• We did not have a solid resume. Most assume Republicans have somehow been in charge of the past eight years. (It’s scary: most don’t realize it’s been a Democratic Congress since 2006.) So, in that time, Republicans have increased the size of federal government; ballooned the size of the federal deficit; curtailed civil liberties (Patriot Act and FISA) and checks on the executive branch; presided over a terrorist attack, two unpopular wars, and a financial meltdown. At every gut check (cough, financial bailout), Republicans ran left. So it was a rocky two terms in which Republicans deserted the principles on which they tried to campaign.
• As a result, we did not have any excitement. I put this last because I think it’s the least important, but it did have an effect. It’s human nature: we do things with more zeal, effort, and care when we are genuinely excited. Just think of how much time you spent figuring out your fantasy football team.

I think the way forward for the GOP is simple: cents and sensibility. And this might be the idealism and naivety of youth, but I think if we enact good policy in honest ways then electoral victory will follow.

• Articulate our principles. Stick to them. The best advice I’ve received was to create a political matrix. Determine my ultimate goal–the “why I get up in the morning” vision–and then base every political decision on whether my action will achieve it. So Republicans should be the party of limited government and, as a natural result, of free markets and free people (to borrow from the Wall Street Journal). If a bill advances freedom, champion it. If it doesn’t, squash it. Simple.
• Be honest. Whether you manipulate the truth 1 percent or 100 percent of the time, people will believe you 0 percent of the time–as well they should. The Republican “image problem” is that the party is out of touch at best, corrupt at worst. Before Americans trust us with oh, say, national security, they need to trust us to keep our own house in order. That’s why everyone from the national chairman on down to the local dogcatcher should run a seven-count felon like Ted Stevens out of the party.
• Be generous. Stop the uselessly inflammatory personal attacks. I’m sick of hearing about elitism, intellectualism, and other-bad-isms. The right and the left very broadly want the same things (e.g. better schools, safer streets, and affordable health care), we just disagree on how to reach them. Let’s keep the debate to policy. Let’s work with those on the other side of the aisle when we have common ground. But let’s stop descending into pointless partisan bickering–for my sanity if nothing else.

But how do these ideals translate into action? I’d like to offer three admittedly broad initiatives that have not been mentioned on this blog yet. (Which means I’m either a creative thinker. Or a moron. Or both.)

• Find connections in local and state policy. Some of the most grievous assaults on personal freedom and private property rights take place in your city hall. Support for centralized planning and government control begins in your local planning department (thanks to smart growth). Fight these problems where they start and, as a plus, get people plugged in to where they will feel the full strength of their political muscle (and feel encouraged and take more action and so on). It only takes one citizen sniffing around to end an ill-conceived attempt to increase local government control. If only that were so in DC.
• Connect online and on-the-ground activists. Generations of older GOP leaders–primarily at the local and state level–aren’t connected online. As a result, a generation of new GOP activists can’t tap into their wisdom and figure out the best way to communicate it with modern media. If you’re a web guru, seek out a “traditional” activist, and vice versa. My 78-year-old grandmother is my model for Republican activism and, more importantly, conservative intellectualism. She’s spent years teaching me and now, just last night, she asked me for information to help get one of her Republican committees online.
• Encourage government accountability and transparency. Public oversight of government keeps it honest and, in many cases, limited. But more importantly, acting as a watchdog of the government helps reaffirm to people that the government works for them–and uses up their resources. It is not a giant slot machine to keep playing until it spits out some money for you; it’s all too often a money pit into which you deposit a nice chunk of your paycheck.

The overarching path to a GOP “resurgence” or “victory” or simply “not-losing-so-much-in-the-polls” should be simple. Return to our roots, stay true to our principles, and offer the American people what they always like: cents and sensibility.

Today is National Grouch Day (do not ask me why I know this). It is also the day of the last presidential debate. Coincidence? Foreshadowing? I cannot wait to find out, and I bet I'll be the only one persuing the angle. What a bold trend-setter I am.

To be more serious, it's clear that domestic issues are king. It's equally clear that this is not John McCain's forte. Pity for the Republican Party.

Tonight McCain has one last chance to take a thumbtack and pop Barack Obama's balloon. Obama has been offering lots of nebulous good things--better healthcare, more jobs, higher wages, and puppies for everyone. But no one, including McCain, has made him explain just how this will be paid for.

Additionally, no one--and most especially McCain--has made Obama explain his
philosophy of government. In one town hall, Obama likened his plan to "spreading the wealth around." I'd like to think I still live in a country proud and aware and mindful of its anti-centralized-government roots for all the very compelling reasons there are to feel this way. I'd like to think McCain could channel those feelings to get Obama to explain just what he means and just what he envisions for the future of America. I have a feeling it'll be an interesting sight for many Americans to see.

And, as always, I'll be live-"tweeting." So follow me if you so wish. 

If you don't get the reference, please get out. Just kidding. Sort of. 

The debate will begin in less than an hour.Some informal polling (read: asking people near me) indicates a good chunk of otherwise politically apathetic people will be watching the debate. Nothing like some good ol' peer pressure to make you feel like it's  the thing to do.

If you're looking for good coverage, C-SPAN's debate hub is amazing (and of course I'll be pontificating in 140-character increments on Twitter). If you're looking for something good to review beforehand, RedState has a handy blog post--"What McCain Needs to Do Tonight".

The debate is supposed to be about foreign policy, but with the $700 billion bailout still in the works, who knows what could come up? I just hope John McCain realizes this is his first--and last--chance to connect with young voters (especially college-age voters) on the issues and to woo their votes away from Obama. This is a tremendous opportunity he will only get once. I really, really hope he doesn't blow it.

If you didn't understand the title reference, you haven't lived. And, with that important message said, I want to share an illustrative and hopefully entertaining anecdote about living openly as a Republican in a sea of apathetic liberals.

A non-political student group I'm part of has its email listserve frequently spammed (by group members) with vapid emails about Obama. For the most part, I have ignored them. After all, the emails amuse me.They talk about inspirations and feelings, rather than facts and policy proposals, so I can at least raise an eyebrow before clicking delete.

But last night around 1am, in the midst of Latin composition (fascinating, I know), I received the email that broke this camel's tact.I'm including it in whole here for "your reading pleasure", since that was the subject of the email. However, I did take the liberty of underlining my favorite parts.

Someone emailed this to me and I thought it was pretty interesting:

If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents you're 'exotic, different.'
If you grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, the quintessential American story.

If your name is Barack, you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
Name your kids Willow, Trig, and Track, you're a maverick.

Graduate from Harvard Law? Sorry, you're unstable.
Attend five different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

If you spend three years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers one hundred and fifty thousand new voters, spend twelve years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend eight years as a State Senator representing a district with over seventy five thousand people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend four years in the US Senate representing a state of thirteen million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
If your total resume is: local weather girl, four years on city council and six years as the mayor of a town with less than 7000 people, 20 months as governor of a state with only 650000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

If you've been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising two beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

OK, much clearer now.

Since the email had (1) no joke; (2) no defensible call to action, like registering to vote and BTW vote for Obama!!11!!; and (3) actively decreased the political knowledge and collective level of discussion of the group, I fired off a reply. Also, I was bored. And did not want to do Latin anymore.

I wrote this and I thought it was interesting.

OK, much clearer now.

The responses have been slowly rolling in:
(1) a long email about white privilege preceeded by "In the same line of all this stuff... Yes We Can! O'Biden '08!!!!!";
(2) a shorter email reproduced below that I do not really get (should I be laughing or be offended?); and

I wrote this, and I thought it was the most interesting thing that had ever been written, ever. I'm suuuuuuper-confused. Let me see if I have this straight. If, for example, you're happy and you know it, you... clap your hands. And if, as a sampler, you're happy and you know it, your face... will truly show it. Ok. Much clearer now.

(3) an email with instructions on how to make donations to Planned Parenthood in Sarah Palin's name, and to ensure a thank-you note for the donations will be sent to the campaign offices.

Like I was saying: it's a good thing campus political discussion is based on substantive policy debate, rather than passive-aggressive peer pressure peppered with even more passive-aggressive cries of racism/sexism/bad-ism.

Things are just so much clearer now.

I think the very broad, very basic message of the Republican Party works: less government interference. After all, we don't like our parents telling us not to road trip to Mardi Gras, not to date the kid who got suspended from school even though it totally wasn't his fault, and not to live on microwave dinners and Twix bars. Okay, maybe the last one is just me.

But to be serious, that's why I think it's important to highlight the completely irrational behavior that excessive bureaucracy produces. Bureaucracy is a by-product of "big government"; after all, you need someone (or usually many someones) to create, interpret, enforce, and update all those laws and regulations created. Think about that next time you listen to a politician (cough, Barack Obama) promise you lots and lots of nice things.

Here's a simple example, courtesy of The Downsizer Dispatch. The Downsizer Dispatch, by the way, is an interesting read if nothing else, so I'd encourage you to check it out.

Eighteen years ago, the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetery had its marble begin to crack. Ten years ago, retired car deal John Haines of Glenwood Springs, CO purchased marble for the tomb. Five years ago, a perfect replacement for the tomb was cut. For Haines even went to the trouble of getting the marble from the same quarry used for the current Tomb of the Unknowns. And, for fun historical trivia, the same quarry used for the outside of the Lincoln Memorial.

Haines wants to donate the marble--for which he paid $31,000--to the government. He wants to pay to have it transported on a truck decorated with American flags.
The government response can be summarized as "uhh, uhh, IDK my bff Jill?".

A report delivered to Congress last week from the Department of the Army didn't mention it. The response of the deputy superintendent of Arlington Cemetery, Thurman Higginbotham, was equally eyebrow-raising. "It's not doable. A citizen can't just give us any piece of marble and say, 'This is what we'll use to replace the tomb.'"

So instead of taking marble that is (1) cut to be an exact replica and (2) free and (3) free in case I didn't mention that already, the government would rather spend $2.2 million: $80,000 to get bids to do the job; $90,000 to buy and transport the marble; and $2.03 million to sculpt it.

Only in government would people actually pay $90,000 for a $31,000 hunk of rock when they could be getting it for free. Please think about this next time you hear of a nifty new government program. Obama may be able to part the seas and stuff, but there's no way even his administration could tackle government idiocy.

The solution is simple: less is more.

Returning to school reminded me how much in the minority I actually am. It's returning to a sea of apathetic liberalism--half-ventured claims about how Republicans hate poor people and/or minorities and/or [insert historically down-trodden group here] that are met with half-murmured assents from surrounding students. In simple words: ugh.

The problem is that we've had it beaten into our heads that we have to solve all the world's problems and that the proper solution is more government, not less. Although we (the Gen Next we) are at the age of rebelling from parental authority, we're surprisingly passive in handing over the reins to the government. Eager even. It's odd. The government can, y'know, put you in jail rather than ground you and impound your car rather than just taking the keys. These are bad things.

That vague sense of government-must-fix-it defines the liberal apathy of our generation and it was the underlying argument in Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Among my favorite quotes: "These challenges [home values plummeting, high gas prices, high credit card bills] are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush."

Why is it the government's job to fix every problem? Oh, wait, it's because most government solutions turn into new government problems which in turn require more helpful government solutions. Ad nauseam.

And: "Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves - protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology."

There are many things I cannot do alone, but I think of this in terms of national security, law enforcement, and public services rather than giving the government a slush fund to play with new scientific research. No thanks.

But the best, most illuminating, and most fundamental is really this: "That's the promise of America - the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper."

Really? Really? I do not reject the idea on its face. It's good to care about others, to show compassion, to give and share with those who are less fortunate, to remember that your needs are not the only ones in the world. I laud those who give time, money, and support to causes in which they believe and to which they are devoted.

But I do not think it is the government's job to do it on my behalf--or to force me to do the same. Obama's brand of Democratic policy does not just ask you to think of others or encourage you to play nice. Instead, his policies force you to surrender resources to the government so that the government can distribute those resources in whatever way it sees fit. Stripped down to its bare components, that's the simple truth. It isn't about sharing; it's about giving more--more power, more money, and more resources--to the government.

It's a troublesome perspective, but one that has done a good job in gripping this generation. So try this simple test. Replace "my parents" everywhere it says "government" in a policy and gauge your reaction to the feeling. My parents...will provide my health care, my retirement, my gas money, and guarantee my mortgage. Does anyone else see something wrong here?

Dear John McCain,

Your current campaign strategy makes me think of a guy trying to pick up a girl by explaining to her why the other guys at the bar are bad. The downside: even if you convince her to avoid them, it still doesn't mean she's coming home with you.

Let me explain.

I like your new ad. It embraces pop culture: Britney before she went bald, Paris before she went to prison, and Barack being, well, treated like the Messiah. I get the message. Barack is cool and a celebrity, but if I don't want Britney or Paris at the helm of the nation, I might not want Barack there either--especially since he's part of the reason I pay more at the pump.

I kind of like BarackBook, put out yesterday by the Republican National Committee. It shows Barack's shady ties to really shady people, which is important to know as he paints himself as the savior of corrupt American politics. Plus it does it in a way that young people get. And it's fun.

But dang, John. Could you throw a girl a bone?

Tell me why your committment to finishing the job in Iraq will prevent a wartorn nation from becoming a giant power vacuum in the Middle East. Tell me why Iraq failing as a state means it will become a safe harbor for terrorists, a pawn for Iran to use, and why those developments will jeopardize American--and international--security for decades.

Tell me why your policy to support offshore drilling and to expand use of nuclear power is good for American energy independence and American pocketbooks. Tell me why your reforms to the health care market will bring more choice and lower prices to consumers; tell me why this is preferable to a government-controlled rationing system, as universal health care offers. Tell me why school vouchers and a competitive pay system for teachers will help fix a deeply flawed public education system.

Tell me why you believe in freedom, personal responsibility, and public service. Articulate a vision of government. Ask me to do more as a citizen. Tell me I should expect more. Make me believe it.

American voters have been around the block (cough, if you know what I'm saying). So stop campaigning as the "least worst" option on election night. We just won't fall for it.

I've just got to be straight here because I know that's your thing. The choice is yours, man: step up your game or get ready to go home alone.

In eighth grade I thought nuclear power was the coolest thing ever. (I was obviously a popular kid.) Now, three years into college and staring down an energy crisis with the rest of my generation, I still think it's the coolest thing ever. Thankfully, now I'm not quite as alone. Or tragically unhip.

The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed from William Tucker entitled "Let's Have Some Love for Nuclear Power" today. Before highlight my favorite bits, let me go through some other information.

Nuclear energy is clean. It is renewable. It emits no greenhouse gase.

But still, the United States is not a hospitable to it. After initial support of nuclear power the 1970s, the 1980s saw regulatory delays of 10+ years due to political pressure. Since 1974, one company has filed to build a new nuclear power plant--and that was done last year. You won't find it on most Democratic or environmentalist agendas. Barack Obama opposed more nuclear power plant construction in June (and is now tepidly supporting it); John McCain wants 45 new reactors by 2030.

Here's my favorite four-letter word: TGIF. With that, I leave you with some of my favorite tidbits of the day so far and a promise to have more up here next week. Crazy week y'all. TGIF.

• POLITICS + OBAMA -- I absolutely love this Wall Street Journal piece from Matt Miller. It offers a great overview of issues that should sell as "common sense" ideas: competitive pay for teachers; lower corporate taxes; and health savings accounts. Check it out. It's worth the read.
• ELECTION 2008 -- I love cool new toys and Map the Candidates is just that. I'll just let them explain it: "Use the timeline and checkboxes to change your date range and candidates. Click on a map marker or news item to watch media from that stop." Funny, this also reminds me of Where is the Red, the College Republicans' national summer road trip.
• ENERGY + OIL -- Oil prices reached an even higher record today: $147 a barrel. So expect your gas prices to keep rising. And if that makes you mad? Check out Newt Gingrich's Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less campaign. The title should be self-explanatory.

This new feature was shamelessly lifted from TechRepublican's "Second Cup", in which Joe compiles the top politics+tech stories of the day. On Real World Republicans, it's a lunchtime update of stories worth reading about politics, technology, and a smattering of other amusing things. Hey, I'm just trying to stay true to the target demographic: who among us is really a morning person?