The masses of the GOP are not working from the ground up because they do not have a leader. It goes a little deeper.

AOL recently reported findings from polling leader Rasmussen, which found that 68 percent of Republicans do not feel that the GOP has a "clear leader."

Among the people actually named in the poll, RNC Chairman Michael Steele received five percent of the vote, John McCain received five percent of the vote and Sarah Palin received one percent of the vote.

Ironically, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh received two percent of the vote, less than half of the percentage that Steele received, but clearly more than other prominent Republican leaders such as Tim Pawlenty, Bobby Jindal and Mitt Romney. ...



The Republican Party does have leadership, however. Its chairman is Mr. Michael Steele, elected in January.

The GOP's problem is not lack of a leader; its problem is that it is looking for a leader instead of looking to its past.

Republicans have been pretty successful. They have occupied the White House for most of the last three decades, while also holding power in Congress for a significant period of time. Surely, having a Republican president and several tenured Republican members as a majority in Congress would provide leaders for the party, even if the level of effectiveness would be up for debate by some.

The Republican Party lost its way when it lost its discipline -- namely, when it failed to live up to its credos in political and personal endeavors. Even strong leadership can be lost on a group that refuses to adhere to a common goal in the face of a changing environment.

After all, the chosen ones of the Old Testament wandered for years in the desert because they were a stiff-necked people.

Sound familiar, fellow Republicans?

Once the Republican Party reclaims its principles, the mythical need for a clear leader of the party will subside. For a party with a name rooted in the value of the republic of this country, it always has been about principles, not persona, and the GOP must turn back to this focus as it moves toward increasing its relevancy and affluence in American politics.





The Republican Party is the party that more closely follows the approach enacted by the founding fathers of this nation. It is the party unafraid of involving God in legislative documentation as well as rudimentary structures, just as our founders did in documents that we still honor (such as the Declaration of Independence). It is the party that understands that smaller government translates into a more efficient, more responsive government that allows the people of our communities to be represented in Washington by elected officials (such as the House of Representatives) in a truer and fuller fashion. This stands in contrast to the empty "pimping for votes" that we see every election cycle, which leads to status quo politics. It is the party that understands that free market principles and practices encourage more participation from a boarder portion of America, thus leading to higher qualities of life in a fashion that one leader or a one-structure system (such as the path taken by the former Soviet Union) never has.

And it has been the party that understands that a party of one strong leader will never be as strong as a party with an effective network of accountable leaders that embraces a common discipline and focus that binds it together.

Republicans are not currently lost because they do not have a clear leader. We are recovering because we do not have a clear message and a clear focus. Republicans are recovering because they failed to follow the mantra of conservative government -- namely, equality (and equal opportunity for access) for all citizens, smaller government, encouragement of private solutions to uplift America's efforts, and a well-directed militia to defend the homeland, among other principles. And the Republican Party is recovering because we allowed our party to be defined more by people (such as President G.W. Bush and his hiccups in office, President Ronald Reagan and the Reagan worship within sections of the current Republican base, and Rush Limbaugh and his on-air persona and subsequent controversies) than by principles.

All people fall short at some point. That is our nature as humans. Some principles, however, endure, particularly those that the crafters of this republic created. If Republicans want to lead again, they must focus less of finding a leader and more on finding their way back to the guiding principles for effective leadership.

Without this change back to principles, the GOP will continue wandering around the political desert. Even Moses couldn't do much good with this current group of stiff-necked, undisciplined people.

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Lenny McAllister is a Republican political commentator and guest co-host for Fox News - Charlotte's morning show "Fox News Rising." His book, 'Diary of a Mad Black PYC (Proud Young Conservative,' is due to be released in spring 2009. Visit lennymcallister.com