As often happens when a political party receives a thumping like the Republicans did last Tuesday, they strive to redefine themselves. Toward that end, the Republican National Commitee has started a new web site soliciting suggestions from the public. I posted a version of the comments below there.

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I am a political independent who voted Democratic this year. I have voted for Republican candidates in the past, but the Republican party as it stands right now is unrecognizable to me. The effort underway to redefine the party is a great thing… both for your members and the country. I can offer two suggestions which, if followed, would make an independent like me consider voting Republican again.

1. Relocate your true conservative principles. I vote for Republicans when I want fiscal conservatives who care about protecting my constitutional rights and defending our nation. That’s not what we’ve had lately.

The current administration has pursued a borrow-and-spend economic plan under the false premise that “deficits don’t matter.” As a voter, if I have a choice between a tax-and-spend Democrat and a borrow-and-spend Republican, I’m going to choose the Democrat. At least he’s got a way to pay for his profligacy.

The Bush administration seems to think the Constitution is not particularly relevant if you can get a group of smart lawyers to find enough loopholes. I’m accustomed to the liberals taking the “living document” viewpoint to push changes that fit their agenda, but I want Republicans to counter that with a stricter interpretation, so we don’t get too far from the founders’ vision.

Our current president ran promoting a platform of strong national defense rather than nation-building abroad. That’s the opposite of what we ended up with. You can say “9/11 changed everything” until the cows come home, but after seven years, it won’t fly any more. Nobody in the country has a taste for perpetual war. Furthermore, a lot of our citizens, including some in our military, believe that the nation’s security is better served by having our forces at home.

2. Disavow the hateful and intolerant commentary that permeates right-wing news outlets, especially talk radio.

Hannity and Limbaugh and Savage don’t have to go away. Protecting their freedom to speak is a sound conservative principle. But some of the outlandish comments made by these folks are doing serious damage to the Republican brand. If prominent conservative commentators make false or hateful statements about the opposing party (which the majority of Americans voted for), I will look to elected Republicans for assurances that those statements do not represent the views of the party.

The extreme partisans cannot be your base. They’re a shrinking demographic and they tarnish the party’s image. Commentary designed to polarize the people is no longer useful, nor will it be an effective election strategy. The culture wars, name-calling and fear-mongering are all beneath you. Conservatives have a proud intellectual tradition which needs to be revived as a replacement to these “lowest common denominator” tactics.

I look forward to a new, refocused Republican party that I can once again respect.