The Republican Party Searches for a Hero

Four months after the final defeat of the Republicans in the American presidential election, the Republican Party, shattered, now searches for a hero that can reunify conservatives in 2016, preferably without changing policies. Currently taking place is the “CPAC,” a large annual conference of the conservative American right that lasts three days and takes place near Washington, D.C.

All of the “formers” are there, including Sarah Palin, former vice presidential candidate from 2008, and Mitt Romney, the unfortunate presidential candidate of 2012 (both of whom were likely invited as a kind gesture more than anything). The conference attracts huge crowds into the immense ballroom of the Gaylord Hotel, where the main stage is set up.

A “Winning” Type of Conservatism

On Thursday, two unofficial contenders for the White House proposed their own versions of the “winning” type of conservatism. Marco Rubio, a senator who would be 45 years old in 2016 (two years older than John F. Kennedy during his election in 1960), has the advantage of being of Cuban descent; Rand Paul, 50, is a passionate defender of individual rights.

“The GOP of old has grown stale and moss-covered,” said Rand Paul, son of Ron Paul, a candidate in the primary elections in 2012. “We must have a message that is broad” in order to attract “millions of Americans, young and old, native and immigrant, black, white and brown.”

Nobody knows exactly what this “brown” category refers to, but one thing is certain: Rand Paul’s notoriety has soared after standing for 12 hours and 52 minutes in the Senate chamber in order to protest against the Obama administration’s drone program.

Another favorite of the moment is Paul Ryan, 43. On Friday, Mitt Romney’s running mate from November was welcomed with a standing ovation. His feat? Presenting a budget to the House of Representatives that is 100 percent conservative, which cuts tens of millions of dollars from social programs — such as hunger programs and health insurance that millions of low-income people are dependent on, many of which are Hispanic, a demographic in which 71 percent voted for Barack Obama.

Marco Rubio has recently become even more popular. As a Spanish speaker, the directors of the party have been counting on him to attract Hispanic voters to the right. But do not tell him to refocus. “We don’t need a new idea. The idea’s America, and it still works,” he assured. This message of opportunities for all has been present throughout his political career, from the Florida House of Representatives to the U.S. Senate.

A Problem of Representation

Most believe that the party suffers from a representation problem (no black Republican serving in the House of Representatives, versus 42 Democrats) and a communication problem. These two problems were evident in the selection process of Mitt Romney, a white millionaire with a moderate past, when he tried to represent his nation in November of 2012.

The “elephants” of the party, uninterested in eight more years of opposition, are also convinced that the problem is a pure and difficult conservatism that does not attract minorities. Mitch McConnell, first elected to the Senate in 1984 and the current minority leader of the Senate, welcomed Rand Paul (who is decidedly anti-establishment and fought through primaries in 2010) on Friday by insisting that “we [do not] need to dilute our principles.”