Column by Tim Riley

There are many different levels of losing. Sometimes your opponent barely pulls out the victory at the last moment. Other times, the defeat is so complete it requires a re-evaluation of the entire game plan.

When Barack Obama was elected to the presidency, the Republican Party not only lost an election, it was also sent a message by the voters that its leadership has completely failed. In the last four years, it seems Republican leadership has only effectively used its power to quickly prove that they should never have been given it.

Not long ago, things were looking bright for the Republicans. George W. Bush had been elected to a second term as president, and the House of Representatives and the Senate were in Republican control. Unfortunately, it did not even take a year of this leadership before discontent began to swell. The Iraq War seemingly had no end. Social Security reform went nowhere. An opportunity to make real, necessary changes in our country had been squandered by a group of officials who seemed unqualified to do their jobs.

The recent coronation of Obama is just the end result of the Republican Party proving to the American people that its candidates will not be able to do the job they were elected for. Since there is no chance the party will simply cease to exist, the question must be asked: what can the Republicans do to regain the confidence of a populous that has justly turned away from them?

The first step already seems to have been embraced by the party. During this year’s presidential election, the John McCain campaign preferred to pretend that Bush did not even exist. As long as the Republicans are associated with the numerous failings and citizenship disapprovals of Bush, it will never be possible for them to regain power. However, simply ignoring the individual man and his policies is not enough to remove his influence from the party.

McCain’s loss in the general election coupled with the current administration’s problems has created a large leadership vacuum within the party. If the party wishes to improve upon its situation, it is extremely important that the hole is not filled by those who can easily be linked to Bush. Until the American people can look at the faces of the Republicans and not instantly recall our outgoing president, it will be impossible for them to claim victory in any large-scale election.

The party cannot sit around and hope people grow unhappy with its new Democratic leadership. For far too long, the Republicans have lacked a clear overarching message. Instead of developing a clear vision of how they want the country to move forward, as Obama and the Democratic Party did this election, Republican leadership is too often content to pander to whatever audience is present. As the electorate becomes more and more in-tune with modern technology, one cannot run about the country changing his or her message, because any deviations from previous statements will be recorded and seen by the voters.

Continuing to constantly adjust the party line to target various groups of single-issue voters is a recipe for the Republicans to stay out of power for a very long time. When everything outside of that single issue becomes poorly managed, even the most stubborn voter has to begin considering changing their party of choice. In a time when our country has an ongoing war and an economy unable to stand on its own, offering a series of singular beliefs with no real connection will only lead to more defeats.

This recent election has to be a wake-up call for the Republican Party, or else the party will stay asleep forever. Over the last eight years, the party proved to the American people that it was not prepared to lead, so unless it is prepared to make changes, this opinion will remain static. It not only has to distance itself from the people and ideas of its recent past, but it needs to change its core methods of operation. If the Republicans are not willing to create and communicate a real message, then they should become very comfortable in the loser’s circle. While it may seem out of character for the party, it is time for them to embrace change.