Do Republicans Deserve Victory?

Certainly the Democrats deserve defeat for their execrable management of their first year of full control of both Houses of Congress and the Presidency. As Peggy Noonan points out in the WSJ today, the focus on health care and global warming is causing the public to believe they don't care about jobs, the deficit or national security. The last failing on full display with two terrorist attacks. (BTW, it's not so much the attacks themselves but the curiously slow and lackluster response by senior officials and the President himself that makes you wonder. HotAir tips that Panetta didn't even break vacation, and apparently this is partly a CIA cock-up.)

But the question is really about Republicans. I have stated repeatedly that McCain's failure to break without bailout nation cost him any chance at the Presidency. Further, it was spending like drunken sailors and becoming identified as the party of big government that lost control of the Congress in 2006. Peggy Noonan phrases the question as:

The question is whether the party will be worthy of victory, whether it learned from its losses in 2006 and '08, whether it deserves leadership. Whether Republicans are a worthy alternative. Whether, in short, they are serious.
They do not see that 2010 could be a catastrophic victory for them. If they seize back power without clear purpose, if they are not serious, if they do the lazy and cynical thing by just sitting back and letting the Democrats lose, three bad things will happen. They will contribute to the air of cynicism in which our citizens marinate. Their lack of seriousness will be discerned by the Republican base, whose enthusiasm and generosity will be blunted. And the Republicans themselves will be left unable to lead when their time comes, because operating cynically will allow the public to view them cynically, which will lessen the chance they will be able to do anything constructive.

Interestingly, Michael Steele, chair of the RNC, seems to think this might be a problem as well. Despite being pilloried in some corners, I think Steele makes a valid point in this report from a Hannity interview:

In fact, when Hannity followed up on the point, Steele said he doesn't know if the GOP is ready to take back the reins of power.

"I don't know. And that's what I'm assessing and evaluating right now. Those candidates who are looking to run have to be anchored in these principles," he said, referring to 5 conservative ideals he lays out in his new tome. "If they don't [anchor themselves], then they'll get to Washington, and they'll start drinking that Potomac River water, and they'll get drunk with power and throw the steps out the window."

Notice how politicians get in the most trouble for telling the truth?