'Party of No' Works on Getting Voters to Say 'Yes'

RICHMOND Tired of being referred to as the "Party of No," Virginia Republicans are trying to transform their image into, as GOP officials say, the "Party of Ideas."

The concept is hardly new, in Virginia or in other states. Politicians want to be seen as having fresh, innovative ideas that will inspire voters and solve problems.

In the past couple of years, however, Virginia Republicans have been battling a perception that they don't like a lot of things.

No taxes. No same-sex marriage. No abortions. No gun control. No new spending, to name a few.

But after saying "no," Republicans appeared to struggle to come up with solutions for some of the state's most pressing problems, including traffic congestion, sprawl and the 1 million residents who lack health insurance.

That, some GOP strategists fear, may have contributed to Democratic success in keeping the governor's mansion and picking up seats in the General Assembly.

In an effort to reverse those trends, Republicans see the word "ideas" as the key to future success. You can hardly talk to a GOP strategist or elected official without the word coming up.

House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford), for example, predicted this month that Republicans will pick up two seats in the House of Delegates in the Nov. 6 election because they are "the party of ideas."

Howell is also pledging to increase the focus on his Virginia Reform Initiative, a think tank he created in 2003 to develop ideas to address problems without expanding the government. House Republicans also have yearly "ideas retreats."

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a likely GOP candidate for governor in 2009, is taking the theme even further.

Last week, Bolling announced he will spend the next year traveling across the state and soliciting ideas from the public to develop a blueprint for addressing the state's challenges.

Bolling will host more than 100 town hall meetings, which he calls "idearaisers," and then spend 2008 analyzing the suggestions.