Win Some, Lose Some, Work Even Harder Next Time!

A Bad Night Just Means Better Nights Ahead!

We gathered in the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Columbus as the headquarters for the Ohio Republican Party election night celebration. Every candidate had a suite stocked with food and refreshments as we awaited the returns. It turned out to be a bad night. Every statewide candidate lost. The parties were more like wakes.

That was 1982.

Two years later I welcomed President Reagan to my hometown (for the first time) and the GOP in Ohio was on it's way to recovery. By the time I brought the President back in 1988 we were on the verge of recapturing the last of the statewide offices which we lost in the bloodbath of 1982.

For anyone who puts their heart and soul into a campaign, the loss of your candidate is tough. Tougher still when the goals of your party are shattered across the board. But the experienced hands will tell you that it's only temporary. Setbacks, as painful as they are, merely set the stage for greater victory later.

To all those who put so much of themselves into the races where your candidate failed to win, take heart. You're efforts were not wasted. That experience is the kernel of victory which is now germinating amid the disappointment of this day.

Moving Ahead

For now, we may permit the opposition a brief moment of rejoicing. After all, it must SUCK to lose in 2000,2002 and 2004. Their campaign of hate, fueled by a willing media which ignored the good news and only reported the bad ,won. This time!

Democrats will have to come up with real ideas now. They can't govern with one word: "NO" and they're already boxed in by the leftwing crazies who will claim this as THEIR victory and demand absolute obedience to their agenda, or else!

On our side, this defeat affords the opportunity for fresh leadership as we regroup. This is what some conservatives said they wanted, claiming it would be good for us. Now, they have their chance. Will they pitch in and help or simply continue to snipe from the sidelines?

My hope is that we move ahead with leadership and an agenda that is more bold, not less. Let's take the GOP ideas that are left on the table after this election and make them stronger. And let's not be afraid to shove them right in the face of the new House majority. The last thing we need is a return to the "go along to get along" mode of thinking that kept us a minority party for decades.

Being in the minority also means we no longer have the slightest obligation to be fair to the other side. Of course that was only a standard of behavior when the GOP was in charge. Just watch the raw partisanship on display from Democrats in the coming weeks. It will make Tom Delay "The Hammer" seem more like a fly swatter by comparison.

We have two years to pull things together, recruit new candidates and continue building the organization that was so essential in past victories. It will be a presidential contest in 2008 and we will have the advantage of a clear contrast with Democrat mismanagement to run on.

Meanwhile, when your Ox gets gored, there's no better time to throw a party and invite all your friends in for BBQ.

Take heart. All is not lost. Victory lies ahead!