The “New” Language of the Massachusetts Special Senate Race

Edward Markey, the lumbering T-Rex of yesterday’s liberal politics, strode onto the stage of Boston’s Omni Parker House on Tuesday night to collect his prize.  As expected, Markey - the nearly 37-year congressman who has been in Washington since Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford roamed the Beltway’s concrete jungles - easily defeated Congressman Stephen Lynch for the Democratic nomination for United States Senate.

Markey accepted his prize the way old time pols always do, promising more free stuff from the government and branding his opponent as anti-choice, pro-assault weapon and wanting to take Massachusetts backwards.  He suggested that Republican nominee Gabriel Gomez, the fresh-faced son of Colombian immigrants would be a puppet of the extreme right and of the “Tea Party Republicans.” Blah, blah, blah…..

Markey’s acceptance speech was pretty standard stuff, it’s the same speech every old-time Democrat gives.  People need more from Washington: more federal programs, more government spending more of the “one size fits all” approach that the ruling class of old Democrats always spew. Markey, you see, is the quintessential “Old Democrat,” and I’m not simply referring to his age (although he is 66, and has spent well over a quarter century trapped in Washington).  No, I’m talking about his politics, his tone, even the language he uses to convey to voters that he and Washington know what’s best. That big government will save us from all things, and that the nanny state will take care of all of us in our time of need, in the midst of worldwide economic and political instability.  That healthcare and Social Security, terror policy and the minimum wage are best determined by a behemoth government centered in Washington.  That they will decide, they will dole out ,they will keep America going the way they always have - with more social programs and  more federal spending funded by hardworking taxpayers.  Markey is, in short, more of the same.

Markey is old. Markey is yesterday.  Markey is artificial-not natural or organic. Markey believes the seeds of economic opportunity best grow in the concrete canyons and marbled floors of Washington, the ground he has trod for so long. Contrast that with the compelling political narrative of his opponent, Gabriel Gomez. Gomez is the son of Colombian immigrants; a former Navy Seal, Harvard-educated and a self described “New Republican.” Gomez is all about tomorrow, while Markey is quintessential yesterday.

Gomez believes that the federal government has a role, but shouldn’t interfere with America’s ability to do a better job of making decisions closer to home in our own states, cities and towns.  Gomez is all about individual and equal opportunities for all.  His Harvard education and entrepreneurial success indicates that while Markey has been roaming Washington and growing the size, scope and reach of the federal government, Gomez has been out there living and working toward the quintessential American dream.  Gomez has made it clear that he is personally pro-life, but that he believes Roe v Wade was settled long ago and is the law of the land. He has pledged not to try and overturn it or hamper a women’s right to choose. On guns: Gomez supports the constitutional right for citizens to legally own guns, but says he would have supported the President’s bill for common sense background checks.  Once again, Gomez sees a role for government, but believes in individual responsibility.

The language of this race is fascinating.  The tone, the approaches, the philosophies mirror the candidates themselves.  Markey is old, Gomez is new.  Markey is big federal government; Gomez is states, towns and individuals.  Markey’s  approach: Washington knows best. Gomez: Washington needs to step back, provide support when and where we need it, but leave individuals with the space and opportunity to succeed.  Markey believes Washington should define our economy and grow jobs with artificial federal spending. Gomez has a more natural and organic approach, believing real jobs and economic opportunities come from private business both large and small.  Markey is all top down, Gomez is bottom up.

All of this is most interesting because this special Senate election in Massachusetts is the only one in the country right now.  The special interests will flock here, likely spending millions to affect the outcome of the race.  All eyes are on deep blue Massachusetts to see if there is any kind of “canary in a coal mine” precursor from the Obama fatigue that has set into the first one hundred days of the President’s second term. What will this race in Massachusetts mean for the nationwide elections in 2014?

The economy is still stumbling, consumer confidence is shaky, and this remains a largely jobless recovery - especially in the private sector where real jobs get created. Can Gomez, who labels himself a “New Republican,” give Markey who is clearly an “Old Democrat” a run for his money?  Is Massachusetts ready for a new tone in the political debate?

This race will tell us.  And while Gomez is very much his own man, with a group of very capable advisors, one need look no further for this change in the tone and language of this race than to my old pal Alex Castellanos. Alex, a partner in the Alexandria, Va. – based Purple Strategies, has started a new project which explores and contrasts a new branding and positioning for the GOP. It is typical Castellanos in its simple brilliance and practicality.  You can learn more about it by logging onto www.newrepublican.org, where the thinking and rationale are spelled out in clear and concise terms.  The premise: Republicans don’t need to change our values, we need to communicate our ideas in bold, new ways, that are more inclusive and attract more voters than we have of late.  The results of the GOP being perceived as the party of “NO” speak for themselves.  

Hence, New Republicans believe that top down from Washington is the old way, bottom up from the individual – and the communities, towns and states where they live – is a new and better way.  Old Democrats want a one size fits all solution for every challenge we face, manufactured and operated by the federal bureaucracy in Washington.  One size, one color, one model … take it or leave it, but you can be sure you will have to pay for it.  New Republicans are pro-business, whether it’s an international corporation or a small, family run enterprise. And they are against the rules, demands, regulations and outdated requirements of a federal government that only tolerates private sector success to the extent it can tax it.

Castellanos and a growing number of Republican candidates and strategists around the country are onto something.  Most Americans, no matter what their party, identify themselves as fiscally moderate to conservative in the way they manage their own households and businesses.  As long as we are a reasoned and reasonable group who respects the rights of individuals over the government, we are an attractive party.  As long as the GOP welcomes those who are different, accepting the power of the individual over the coercive and corrosive control of Washington, we win.  If we are viewed as the grumpy old man that sits on the front porch yelling at kids to “get off my lawn”, then we are perceived, and rightfully so as “Old Republicans” – the “party of no.”  And we all know how that turns out.

The New GOP needs to be the party of ideas, the party of tomorrow,and the party that is tolerant, accepting applications for successful Americans no matter what their ethnicity or color, no matter what their sexual orientation or view of the “moral choices” of others. That’s the party that can win.  This means there will be some soul searching inside the New GOP - but soul searching is far better than living in denial and eventually the exile of irrelevance and continued defeat.  In order to govern, the GOP must win; and in order to win, we have to speak to Americans in a new tone. We need a new way to defend and promote our principles of individual success and opportunity.  

 The language of the New Republican is the language of winning.  We all owe my friend Alex a debt of gratitude for his usual fine thinking and his big ideas.  As for Gabriel Gomez and Ed Markey, let’s keep an eye on that race.  In a place like Massachusetts, it will take a New Republican to beat an Old Democrat. Scott Brown did that once, Gabriel Gomez could do it again.