NOVEMBER 11, 2008 --

It is time, now for. Republicans to circle the wagons. President-elect Obama did not get a landslide, but he has won a solid victory.

Or is it more accurate to say that Republicans lost, as they have every congressional election since 1994?

Beginning with the 1996 election, Republicans progressively lost House and Senate seats until, in 2006, the majority gained in 1994 was gone. Republicans have, LPR thinks, no reason to be proud of their political performance since 1994.

It is likely that the Democrats (LPR wonders that they are now Zealocrats), with their larger majorities in Congress, will --- to use a phrase of the late Alexander Bickel --"kick over the traces" in governing us. Thus far, the GOP seems to have lacked the will (or is it the abillity?) to engage the Democrats, much less prevail in political combat.

LPR believes, that Republicans would do well to base their political positions on common sense as well as fidelity to the legacy of liberty given us by the Foiunding Fathers.

Republicans, in LPR's view,should be fearless in responding to Democratic arguments, calling them "illiberal", "contrary to the common good," "destructive of liberty," and even "bizarre", among other terms, when warranted. And, of course, Republicans should use Federalist 57 as working guide.

Republicans, however, have shown no interest in the terms "common good," "common sense," no interest in going back to the fundamentals -- using the counsel of our Founders as working guide to restoring government, of, by and for the people.

LPR noted with interest that President-elect Obama, in his victory speech, cited this Lincolnian observation as to our legacy from the Framers of the Constitution.

A Rasmussen poll suggests, however, that the president-elect's congressional Democratic colleagues prefer government of, by and for the insiders. The poll reported that nearly 70 percent of voters believe members of Congress place personal ambition over public service.

LPR feels a sense of vindication in referring so often to Federalist No. 57 and its call on our leaders to serve "the common good of the society" and to stay close to the people if we are to avoid tyranny.

And LPR feels vindication in having called attention to the harm to the common good caused by oppressive credit card interest rates, and gas spikes wounded our economy, grievously.

LPR is not confident that the Republicans have learned the lesson of the 2008 political campaign: that voters prefer the candidate who openly identifies as a Democrat, rather than a Repubican who echoes the Democrats. (Those citizens, that is to say, who are not disgusted and stay home on election day.)

Indeed, in seeking election by pandering, and not on principle, Republicans, in LPR's view, offer proof enough that they emulate the Democrats, placing private ambition above public service.

The future of the American commitment to liberty depends, LPR believes, with the defeat of the neo-aristocratic mindset that takes our leaders ever further from the people. If the Republicans are not up to this task, a new political party must be formed to keep liberty alive in America.

LPR is also curious that apparently no one in the media, much less in Washington, has questions about the millions of dollars received by Franklin Raines as his stewardship of Fannie Mae turned into a disaster, but that is another matter.

LPR will not besurprised, however, if, in the weeks and months ahead, a blizzard of Democratic congressional subpoenas will fall on the former members of the Bush administration.