There's been a lot of talk since the November elections on the question of what Republicans will need to do if they want to win elections again. We had the same conversations two years ago  and didn't learn a thing- hopefully we will this time. Just in case though, here's a few thoughts from a young Republican (ok, 39 isn't too young) in Texas on the issue.

First, if the Republican Party wants to be competitive again, it HAS to get young. Our party has become like a professional sports league in that we simply keep recycling the same tired, old, out-of-touch re-retreads and then we wonder why things don't change! Getting young will bring fresh, new ideas to our party and will provide us many years, hopefully, of good, well-serving representatives. In Denton County, Texas, where I live, our County Chairman- Dianne Edmondson- has seen the benefit of developing a "farm team" of young, future leaders. She sees this as a necessity in order to preserve our position, which it should be noted is position of extreme strength. In the 2008 elections, our closest election was decided by about four points and it was the closest by far! In spite of our dominance, Chairman Edmondson senses the winds of change and sees the need to be ahead of those winds. She's being proactive in protecting conservative values.

Second, Republican voters have to become more engaged in the legislative process. In both 2006 and 2008, Republican voters chose to express their anger at the ballot box. While that anger was absolutely justified, expressing it at the ballot box is too late. There are opportunities throughout the year to express outrage over the very issues that we care about whether we're talking about national issues or issues making their way through the legislature. One positive example of voters flexing their muscles can be seen during the summer of 2008.

Congress was debating an Immigration Reform bill that most conservatives found to be a horrible piece of legislation- one that threatened our economy as well as our national security. Voters shut down the switchboards at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. expressing their outrage and as a result, the bill died.

A negative example can be found right here in Texas. Our legislature is currently considering legislation that will raise the gas tax a whopping 20 cents a gallon then tie future increases to the rate of inflation. Additionally, legislation is being considered that would allow municipalities to duplicate a statewide increase. The justification for this is that A.) the tax hasn't seen an increase in at least 20 years, B.) if there's a time to raise it, that time is now while gas prices are low again, and C.) the state is desperate for transportation funds. Unfortunately, if the legislation passed AND municipalities follow suit, it would represent, as one policy analyst described it, the largest tax increase in Texas history....during a recession! Currently, it is sailing through the legislature with broad support throughout the Republican membership and narry a peep from voters. Mark my words though, when it passes and taxpayers are forced to pay for it at the pump, they'll express their anger at the ballot box by handing the legislative majority to the Democrats and we only need to look at the examples of California's legislature and the Congress of Pelosi and Reid to see what that will give us here in Texas. The time to be mad is now while the legislature is debating the bill!

Finally, Republicans need to stop listening to the talking heads on CNN, MSNBC, and the other so-called "news" outlets about what we need to do and who we need to nominate if we want to win. We only need to search our values to see how and who we should be supporting. When we listen to the media, we end up with candidates who are "mavericks" instead of conservatives.

There's the three-step rehab program for Republicans. Let me hear how you, the reader feel about it.