What's the Best Way Forward?

I was just reading a couple of articles this morning that got me thinking.  The first was an article (actually, a collection of articles) in Time magazine by various conservative writers on the topic of where conservatism stands right now with regard to American politics generally and the Republican primary this year specifically.  The second was an opinion piece by Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post with her ideas on what Romney might do to make a stronger, better connection with voters as he looks for ways to get back on the winning track.

I believe anyone paying close attention to the Romney campaign should recognize that he is very aware of the issues brought up in these various articles, and has worked to build and bind the Republican/conservative coalition together and establish a clear reason for his running, which is, in a phrase to get government under control, limit it to constitutional bounds, and establish policies that allow our economy to boom out of the morass it has been in.

That said, campaigns are about getting people to understand your purpose and plan, and buy into it with enthusiasm.  With no illusions about the complex, fractured, roller coaster nature of this Republican primary season, I believe Romney and his team can do this more effectively.

I actually am impressed with the themes/focus suggested in the Jennifer Rubin article referenced above.  Let me restate them in my own words:

BRING BACK FREE MARKET PROSPERITY AND FREEDOMS

LIMIT GOVERNMENT (TO AVOID FINANCIAL COLLAPSE AND TO ALLOW PROSPERITY AND INDIVIDUAL FREEDOMS)

AMERICAN NEEDS TO LEAD THE WORLD FROM THE FRONT (WITH INTEGRITY AND STRENGTH)

RESPECT AMERICAN CITIZENS, OUR CONSTITUTION, RULE OF LAW, AND CIVIL SOCIETY IN AMERICA

AMERICAN OPPORTUNITY IS THE RALLY CRY; GIVE INDIVIDUALS MORE FREEDOM OF CHOICE TO SEEK SELF IMPROVEMENT THROUGH EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, AND ACTIVITIES DICTATED BY THEIR CONSCIENCE

I will add one more:

RECOGNIZING THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE TO OUR SOCIETY OF STRONG FAMILIES AND HEALTHY, VIBRANT RELIGIOUS AND OTHER PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS, ROMNEY POLICY WILL SUPPORT THEM WITHOUT CONTROLLING OR HARASSING THEM.

Each of these six themes can easily be fleshed out by the positions and policies Romney has already put out there and spoken about, but this can give a simple focus while still providing endless variations of ways to communicate with and connect with voters so it never becomes stale and can be enthusiastically understood and bought into by the many people who will be needed to bring Obama down in November.