An interesting request from the Next Right:

An open question to readers and other bloggers: What policy should Republicans be advocating and pursuing to limit government and regain popular support?

Bear in mind, I'm not asking what pie-in-the-sky policies you would like to see, or what "principle" you would love to see enacted.  I am asking for policy proposals that would be...

• Electorally viable (i.e., it would help win elections)
• Relevant to current issues (i.e., the electorate and public officials would prioritize it)
• Focused on fixing the structural problems that create bigger and more costly government

Suggestions right now are all over the map, ranging from the semi-comical ("Revive the Brilliant Pebbles program to defend against an Iranian electromagnetic pulse attack!") to the usual warmed-over red meat ("Drill here, drill now, pay less") to honest-to-god thoughtful self criticism ("Taking about fiscal restraint, balanced budgets, or lower spending will not affect a single election after the incomptence of the Bush Admnistraiton and the Republicans in Congress.")  Overall it's an interesting read, and I'm glad that Henke wants to engage in that conversation, even if I hope he doesn't get anything useful from it.

UPDATE: On the other hand, I can see Yglesias' point although I think he overstates it a little.

Via Steve Benen, Politico is reporting that the RNC will launch an in-house think tank to get its policy groove back:

The think tank will be called the Center for Republican Renewal, and it has been mentioned as part of RNC Chairman Mike Duncan's platform for reelection, but was begun shortly after the election as a new RNC office, separate from the campaign, a Republican official said.

Though Washington has many conservative think tanks, many inside the party and the conservative movement viewed November's failures as, in part, a product of stale ideas, and like the Democrats after 2000, some in the GOP have called for a revival of the conservative intellectual infrastructure.

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