If there was anything that the November 2008 election taught Republicans, it should be that Republicans need to re-consider how they are portraying themselves to the people. President-elect Obama won by a landslide in California. But in the same election, people voted to define marriage as between a man and a woman only. Republicans also held onto their seats, for the most part. There was not a massive turn-over, despite the long budget delay in California that Democrats said was because Republicans held out to not raise taxes. There was not a massive turn-over that would've shown Republicans that they are out of touch with the public. Instead they lost relatively competitive seats (as competitive as you can get in CA). The ballot proposition (Prop 8) that was seen as a "right-wing fanatical" measure passed.

But the Republican Party is slowly fading in California. So although California, as a whole, was schizophrenic in what it decided on Election Day, there is one main theme from the election: the demographic and ideological shifts that have delivered the state into the Democratic Party's hands have shown there is a tough road ahead for the minority Republican Party.

In the Central Valley, which has been a Republican strong-hold, the Democratic candidate for President was winning - even though he had been painted as a socialist and left-wing person by the Republicans. In 24 of California's 58 counties, Democrats held the registration advantage in 2004. Now they have bigger margins in 21 counties. In 31 counties where Republicans had the advantage in 2004, that advantage dropped in 2008 in 20 counties, and grew in only 4. In three counties, Republicans lost the registration advantage to Democrats.

The California GOP party says this is cyclical.

I think it is something more.

It shows that the GOP has a few fundamental problems. First, and probably foremost, is that in California, saying "conservative," and "Republican" is synonymous with saying "right-wing fascist," or " religious right." Second, Republicans are not packaging their message correctly. Lastly - the Republicans need to get back to their roots and derive a party platform that can communicate with the changing population of California.

Young voters are overwhelmingly Democrats. Why is this so? It is because the Democrats traditionally have a more inclusive view, and are a party that displays a message of hope. Republicans are traditionally seen as security focuses, religious people. There are not many young people who want to be part of that.

So the Republican Party in California needs a new road map. In a day of extreme fiscal irresponsibility, huge budget deficits, and massive spending, the Republican message of fiscal conservativism should resound with the people. When people are losing jobs, houses, and cannot fill their cars with gas, the Republican message of "no more taxes," should ring true.

Here is my suggestion for the California Republican Party to get back on track.

#1: Separate yourself from the Religious Right and Right-Wing Fanaticism.

This is a pretty important point. Republicans are not all members of the Religious Right or fanatics. Most are not. Most Republicans believe in the traditional principles of the Republican Party.

In order to separate, this means that they must not participate in anti-abortion measures. This means that they need to step back on the issue of prayer in schools. It means that they have to detach themselves from these types of issues.

It also means that they need to recast their position on traditional family values and morality. I am not saying change the position. But the Republican Party needs to make these not such a fore-front of the party. Traditional family values are a good thing. They promote responsibility in society. The Republican Party has to communicate these issues in a matter that people understand. Children from a home that has a mother and a father are more likely to graduate from high school and college, they are more likely to have a good job, own a home and participate as a productive member of society. Children from non-traditional homes are more likely to end up in jail, drop-out, become teenaged mothers, abandon their children, live below the poverty line, rely on government assistance for basic needs, and commit crimes. They need to start casting their views in this manner, instead of relying on the "religious" aspect to promote these values. In fact, the word "Bible," should be dropped from the Republican Party. I would challenge them to cast their views in terms of what is good for society, not what they believe the Bible says.

The public needs to see the republicans as separate from the Religious Right, which is synonymous for a lot of people with hatred and bigotry. This separation will be a good thing.

In order to do this, the Republicans have to stop fighting the stupid battles. Domestic partnerships are here to stay, and homosexuals need to feel like the Republican Party won't eliminate them. Homosexuals, while a minority, are a loud and vocal minority. The more they say they are being stepped on and discriminated by the Republicans, the less likely people are to see the Republicans as a viable option. So the Republicans have to stop their behavior. Remember - I said to disassociate yourself from the Religious Right, and this is a big step towards that.

#2: Be a party of hope and change.

One of the things that President-elect Obama did wonderfully was to deliver a message of hope and change. McCain was unable to deliver this message effectively. McCain lost, Obama won.

The Republican Party sees a lot of things as "bad." But they don't do a lot of talking about the hope they can bring and the change they can bring.

In California, they could bring a lot of change. They could be fiscally responsible. They could make the state agencies and departments be accountable for the programs they run. This means eliminating programs that don't work, and funding programs that do work. Republicans aren't even approaching this. Non-profits do so much, with so much less, than the state government does. Why is this true? Because they want to help people become self-sufficient and off assistance. The Republicans need to take this message of hope that non-profits have, and bring it to state government.

They need to say, we aren't eliminate programs to help people who truly need help. We are re-working them to help you become more self-sufficient. We are providing a means for you to live while you learn skills to get a job. A Correctional Officer job only takes a high school degree - and they have huge vacancies. Why don't the Republicans put forward a program that would pay people to get their HS degree and become CO's afterwards? Why not create specialized programs that work? This would be a huge message of hope - instead of just saying that state programs are bad and need to be improved. Come forward with something that will help.

The same holds true for the budget. CA Republicans just say it is bad and they don't want new taxes. What they should do is agree to a small tax hike for a year, and require all the departments to justify each and every dollar and position they have in the next year. They should agree that the standards they are going to hold government programs to are effective standards. They need a plan.

Republicans have to put out a hope-filled plan. This would be a step in the right direction.

#3: Preach small government and the right to individual choice.

Democrats are all about the choices of an individual - so long as your choice matches their preferences. Republicans need to promote their values of individual choice. Acknowledge that our school are failing, and provide alternatives (charter schools, vouchers etc) that are shown to work. Hammer home the point that this provides choices to people.

Show that you have alternatives to Democratic plans. A universal health care plan will not only bankrupt California, but will eliminate choices. Show that this is not a good thing. But be knowledgeable enough to recognize that health care is a big issue, and have an alternative plan that will provide viable choices for people.

The Republicans have to show they are the party of individual choices. Not the party of Religious Right choices, or big business choices.

The Republicans also has to preach small government. People, for the most part, want to be free of government. They would rather have a government that does less, than more. They want less taxes not more. This is what the Republican party needs to preach - and stick to. The Republicans need to acknowledge that government has to play a role, but should limit the role it plays. Government needs to provide a safety net, but have a way to get you off government assistance. This will involve a plan, and a carefully crafted message.

The Republicans also need to show that non-profits - including churches - do good things. And base this on things churches do regardless of faith: soup kitchen, training programs etc. These things should be brought to the attention of people, and shown to be good. This will help the message that we should fund these programs, already in existence, rather than create new ones from the government that don't work. Small government. That's the message.

#4: Be fiscally conservative and responsible.

Republicans also need to go back to being fiscally conservative and responsible. This means no more tax breaks for business just because they fund your campaign. This means that you have to acknowledge that businesses need to pay their fair share - they use their fair share of services. This means NO NEW SPENDING - of any sort. Not simply no new spending for Democratic programs, but no new spending. Period. In a time when the budget is in such deficit, there should be no new spending, and there should be responsible cuts.

But the Republicans need to have a plan, and a plan that will be shown to work. Not just simply a claim that they want no new taxes. They need a plan.

#5: Package your message appropriately.

One of the biggest problems that Republicans have is that they cannot get their message across. They give in to Democratic rants, and respond to them. They need to craft a message, and stick to it. When they craft fiscally sound policies and the Democrats say you are cutting education and health services, the response needs to be, we are not cutting services. We are providing the same, if not better services, with a different type of funding - and here is how we are doing it.

They need to craft a message of inclusion. Republican has become a dirty word in California. This is because the message of the Republican Party is so off. There is nothing in the message of hope for the future, planning for the future, change, are caring about the average Joe's problems. If the Republican Party can re-shape its message to be these things, they will have better success.

Unless some changes are made, the Republican Party will be crushed in California. We will be a state of a single party - The Left.

Republicans need to change their message, and get back to the roots of the party which made it successful. Stop fighting the losing battles - abortion is here to stay, as a gay people (no matter what you think, morally, of that choice). People who you trample on yell loudly and get others to not like the Republicans. Make a change in the way that Republicans are portrayed.

If the Republican Party can make these changes, then I believe that it will, eventually, come to be considered viable once again.