Fred Barnes: He gets it right

Fred Barnes, in his latest piece, highlights five things the Republican Party needs to do.  Here is number five:

Republican Weakness. Where is it? In the Northeast, across the upper Midwest, and in cities and upscale suburbs. To gain a majority in Congress, Republicans will have to win House and Senate seats in those places. To win the presidency, they’ll have to appeal to voters in those locations.

Republicans in Washington must keep these voters–they’re more moderate than conservative–in mind and avoid alienating them. Republicans don’t need to jettison conservative principles. Ryan, the party’s most innovative thinker, says Republicans need only apply these principles to the new political era, and moderates will be comfortable with the result.

One more thing is essential, according to Ryan. “We’ve got to be happy warriors,” he says. “We’ve got to stop being the angry white guy party.” Otherwise, Republicans will play right into Obama’s hands.

More than anything, we need to stick our principles.  But we cannot be overbearing social and neo conservatives.  We are going to do well in the South.  But what are we doing to win votes in the Northeast and the Northern Plains?  Why haven’t we been competitive in the Pacific Northwest?

These are all valid questions and we, as Republicans, need to start digging deep to find the answers.