Conservatives: Back to the Future?

By: Justin Lafferty

            Who can forget the movie trilogy starring Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly travels back and forth from the past to the future? The first movie released in 1985 was amid the glory years of the conservative movement. Ronald Reagan, fresh off his re-election with a historic 525 electoral votes to Walter Mondale’s 13, was sworn in that January to become the oldest president ever sworn in at the age of 73. Reagan, known as the Great Communicator, spoke so highly of America as “the shining city on a hill” and inspired many Americans while turning around the economy with tax cuts and less government.

            While attending the 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the beautiful Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC, I felt as if there was a reawakening of the Reagan spirit. While it is typical for CPAC speakers to quote Reagan or discuss Reagan, this conference felt like more than just talking about the former President. While many liberal and conservative media hosts have suggested the Republican Party and conservative movement would die if they did not change their principles, the conservatives including myself thought differently. The feeling that we have strayed away from the conservative principles and ideas that made Ronald Reagan and the conservative movement great was obvious at the event. Ronald Reagan wasn’t in attendance but I suspect he will have a lasting impact for years to come in the conservative movement.

            Ultimately, there are two ways conservatives could go: the conservative Reagan-esque approach that has brought abundant success in the past or something completely different in a more moderate, less conservative approach. The moderate approach seems to be attractive at first glance because it has the possibilities to attract minorities to the party. If the choice wasn’t clear for some at the beginning of the conference, the forceful speeches given over the three days along with the keynote by Rush Limbaugh made it obviously clear that going back to the principles that make us conservative was the right choice. The better way to attract minorities to the party is to explain how conservative principles can improve their lives and how lower taxes and less government will allow more freedom to move up the economic ladder.

            During the Back to the Future trilogy, Marty travels back to 1955 in the first movie and messes up some family events but finds a way to fix them and even make them better. Could the GOP and conservatives travel back in time and use the Reagan spirit and possibly even improve upon it? That’s exactly what may happen. Despite having no clear frontrunner for the 2012 presidential elections, there is a nearly unanimous decision to turn back to its roots. While it remains to be seen whether this change will work in the 2010 and 2012 elections, it is a bold move nevertheless. The Republican Party could be taking the Delorean back to the 1980s to rediscover just who they are and how they can improve to gain back not just the seats lost but the confidence of the American people. The trip will surely deliver setbacks and challenges, but conservatives are ready for the challenge to get “back to the future” of America.