In an interview on how the Republican Party can move forward after defeat in the November elections, up-and-coming U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said ideas must be put over partisan battling.
I think we had to defend a lot of bad ideas and policies of the Bush administration, we were defined by that [in 2008],"" Ryan said. ""And some people in the party got corrupt, and some just ended up looking for self-preservation politically, and we had atrophy, and that combined with a lot of other reasons is why we lost.""
Ryan, 38, is a Janesville native and the ranking republican member on the House Budget Committee. He was re-elected in 2008 to a fifth term and was considered to be a possible running mate for John McCain.
He said success for republicans would not be defined by their actions on the economic recovery package proposed by President Barack Obama, but how they answered the larger questions important to the public.
""What are we going to do to have a 21st century energy policy that is clean and American and independent?"" Ryan said, as an example of what to focus on.
Party identification and adherence to party ideology, according to Ryan, was much less important than presenting the solutions to such problems. He said the amount of partisan antagonism was as ""bad as I've ever seen it lately.""
He said he was hopeful that partisan struggles for dominance would be less important and less prevalent heading into the future, even if serious disagreements existed on policies.
""I find that some of the younger reform-minded members of Congress are more willing to talk to one another and get along,"" Ryan said. ""I'm hopeful the president can help settle down some of the partisanship that goes on around here.""
Republicans should support Democrats on issues of common ground and give the public tangible alternatives when they disagree, he said. Ryan has worked in the past on several fiscal issues with U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis.
Republicans must become a ""proposition party"", one that shows clear distinctions with democrats on items like the economy and health insurance, rather than an ""opposition party"" focusing solely on criticism, according to Ryan.
When parties are less concerned with ""attack politics"", Ryan said, and more on debating policies, it results in more effective government.
He said it is a positive thing that currently there is no designated head of the Republican Party, and republicans should hold an internal debate on how to define themselves on virtually every issue.
It is easier for republicans to define their priorities now that former President George Bush has left office, Ryan said.
Yet he also said the party was less important than the types of ideas it promotes.
""The party is not that important to me. It is really about whether our country is headed in the right direction, whether we are putting the right policies out there,"" he said. ""Some people come to Washington and think that the goal is to advance a political party '¦ I say how do we advance good ideas.""
Ryan said he would encourage young voters and students to decide for themselves what political leanings they agree with instead of only listening to their peers, though he acknowledged young people heavily favored the Obama campaign.
