Despite all its flaws - and there are many - conservatives would be wise to recognize that the Republican Party remains the most effective vehicle to advance their values.  That is not to say that conservatives should abandon more principled third party candidates in blind allegiance to the Republicans regardless of the positions they espouse.  When the Democrats offer an anti-human rights socialist, and Republicans counter with a moderately anti-human rights quasi-socialist, conservatives should oppose both.  But it would be the height of foolishness for conservatives to give up their attempts to saddle the Republican horse and ride it to power.  And further, it would be the very definition of stupidity for the Republican Party to resist conservative leadership.

I was amused by a recent email exchange I had with a self-professing "moderate Republican" (meaning left-leaning, of course).  It was his earnest opinion that conservatives had ruined the Republican brand over the last few decades and would lead the Party to its grave if more moderate voices didn't emerge.  I acknowledged how right he was...how Reagan and Gingrich had been abject failures, but Ford, Bush, Dole, and McCain had certainly brought glory to the cause.  I never heard back from him.

Remarkably, even as polls are showing that by a 2 to 1 margin Americans are identifying themselves conservative as opposed to liberal, even as the masses once enamored with Obamania are now rejecting his Marxist ideals and rebelling against his socialist designs, even as Tea Parties are sprouting up across the country full of formerly disengaged citizens who are now rallying to recover their dwindling freedoms, pundits and talking heads are bemoaning the death of the Republican Party brought on by conservatism.

Pollster John Zogby recently wrote an op-ed for Campaign and Election Politics magazine that declared the Republicans were on the verge of going extinct.  "Let's face it, it could be teetering on the brink," Zogby professed, seemingly unaware of virtually every cultural indicator occurring around him.  And what was his solution to their ills?  Becoming like liberals, of course!  Proclaiming that Republicans were "swimming against the tide of demography," Zogby suggested that Republicans needed to appeal to African-Americans, young people, and the creative class by going left. 

Now, far be it from me to question the wisdom of a man who on Election Day 2004 predicted a John Kerry landslide.  Insight and pinpoint accuracy like that demands we quiet ourselves and take heed.  But here's a radical idea: instead of insulting these groups by assuming that they all think like liberals, why not appeal to them by explaining how conservative principles would best bring them happiness?

First, demonstrating to African-Americans that the Democrats have been the Party of slavery, segregation, and now socialism, would be a good start.  The tactics have changed, but the left's objective has remained consistent: hold blacks down in a state of dependence, thereby perpetuating white liberal power.  Meanwhile, Republicans - the same Party that opposed slavery, fought segregation, secured the 13^th, 14^th, and 15^th amendments - now believes in empowering African-Americans with the only resource they need to excel...freedom.  No government program, no social welfare, no affirmative action.  Just personal responsibility and a level playing field.

Secondly, young people are by their very nature more idealistic and as a result typically more liberal.  Remember that quote attributed to Winston Churchill that "if you're not a liberal by age 20, you have no heart; if you're not a conservative by age 30, you have no brain."  What drives their idealism is a yearning for liberation and autonomy, and a nearly unquenchable desire to change the world.

So rather than feed the misconception that conservatism is old, boring stuffiness, Republicans should point out that one of the major differences between right and left is the fierce support conservatives offer for personal liberty.  It is liberalism that has brought seat belts, motorcycle helmets, bicycle helmets, smoking bans, gun purchase restrictions, mandatory vaccines, car emissions inspections, campaign contribution restrictions, prayer limitations, trash separation laws, gas tax, telephone tax, income tax, FICA withholding, and countless other infringements on personal freedom.

Conservatives believe that individuals should be bound by obedience to the principles of natural law, but then set free to pursue their own happiness.  Tip to Republicans: that will sell with young people.

It will also sell with the "creative class."  Is there anything more demoralizing to would-be entrepreneurs than the promise of being punished for your success?  And yet, with their soak-the-rich, redistribution of wealth policies, that's exactly what the liberal Democrats advocate.  Couple that with the energy tax, capital gains tax, luxury tax, and others supported by the left, and those seeking the freedom to create, innovate, and live the American Dream will find a conservative tent quite hospitable.

This is the direction the Republicans should go if they truly desire to reemerge as a majority party...despite the proposals of John Zogby who, as a self-described liberal, undoubtedly has the best interest of his political adversaries in mind.