by Jack Serapiglia

Created on: November 16, 2008   Last Updated: December 02, 2008

Given the convincing way Barack Obama won the 2008 Presidential Election, many pundits believe the Republican Party needs a complete overhaul. Yet a closer look shows that until the market crisis, John McCain was actually leading Barack in the polls. If the Republicans are to retake the White House, changes will need to be made. Just not as big as everyone predicts. Ten simple steps for a Republican victory in 2012:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /

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1) Embrace the Internet. McCain's admission that he doesn't know how to work a computer was more then just a jabbing sound bite; it showed a fundamental difference in how Republicans and Democrats approach a new technology medium. That gap needs to be closed in 2012.

2) Drop the mantra that Democrats are un-American. It simply is a charge that is not sticking anymore

3) Ease the attacks. Most Americans felt that McCain ran a mostly negative campaign. Besides seeming spiteful, it gave the impression that Barack was in the lead (even when he was not).

4) Hammer your opponent on one point. Easing up on attack ads does not mean abandoning them. The problem with McCain's attacks was that he never was able to focus them on one flaw. Barack was at times a superstar, un-American, a socialist, and unprepared to be President. Because there were so many attacks, none of them stuck Learn the lesson from 2004, and stick to one attack.

5) Do more research before picking a running mate.

6) Show some concern for the environment. Republicans must start treating this as the threat most Americans are now realizing it to be.

7) Fix the economy now. The Republicans record with the economy has not been stellar for the past 25 years. In 2012 the economy still cannot be an issue. Fixing the economy quickly will take that issue off the table, since Americans have short attention spans. And that will allow Republicans to do the following:

8) Make foreign policy THE key issue. It is a scary world out there, and should still be in 2012. Republicans need to remind the American public that they are the ones who are needed when foreign threats arise.

9) Get back to the right. McCain was a centrist who had to move right to secure his base. Yet the right never embraced him and the center felt betrayed by his moves. The next Republican candidate needs to have strong conservative credentials to secure the Republican base, and then make moves to pick up undecided votes.

10) Let time heal old wounds. The last eight years have seemed as like a series of mistakes to most Americans. The next four should help erase the bad taste of the Bush administration. That should only help the next Republican candidate.

The 2008 loss should serve as a lesson for the next Republican candidate. Learn from McCain's mistakes, follow the lessons above and in 2012, retake the White House.

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