Dear American Electorate,

There are less than 700 days until the next election.

Yes, I know. I can't believe it either. It seems like just yesterday the partisan rancor died down so that we could officially begin sniping at each other using each others' legitimate positions rather than merely hypothetical ones, and here I am telling you that we're actually starting the election process late for the 2010 midterms. Frankly, I'd like to spend the next three months holed up on the couch with Ben & Jerrys watching reruns of Bridezillas, but reality dictates that I accept the endlessly repeating political cycle for what it is: endlessly repeating.

Republicans in even the most "red" of "red states," like Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma, are having a difficult time coming to grips with the Obama Presidency and the nearly incomprehensible loss that came along with it, and the soul of the party is the subject of a fierce civil war. Right now, it seems that the party is divided between social conservatives, who have been essential to past successes but seem to have suddenly become a liability, and fiscal conservatives, who see themselves as the ideological soul of the party. Although both are necessary to the future of the party itself, learning to work together, finding common ground and forming a cohesive movement maybe be out of the question, at least for the time being. The Republican party must rebuild itself from the grassroots up: find a coherent message that appeals to Americans on an intellectual level, while staying true to the limited-government principles and traditional values that define the conservative ideal.

But that's really for another day. Whether we're thinking about the heart, soul and mind of the Republican party seems inconsequential when there's another Presidential election looming on the horizon, and the race for who represents the Republican Party in 2012 is heating up.

You read that right.

The race for RNC chair, taking place right now, largely determines who will be the selected nominee, and the race itself is really about putting the right contender into position for the end of Obama's first term. There are a few obvious contenders: Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, etc., but both of those gentlemen may have signed their own dismissals with their actions over the last several months. Romney's staffers were rumored to be deliberately leaking faulty information on Sarah Palin to the press to ensure that her chances at the Presidency ended with an abortive Vice Presidential campaign, and Mike Huckabee is working hard at alienating the base of the Republican party that produced Ronald Reagan. There are a few that conservatives seem to favor, however.

Some Republicans are still reeling from the 1996 ouster of Newt Gingrich, who has made a name for himself recently representing the conservative line on energy. Some bloggers, like Conservative Belle are already on board with him for RNC...at least.

I have been reading some of his books, subscribe to his emails and think he knows exactly how to unify the party with a strong message. One of the strongest points in his book Real Change is that the GOP is not reaching out to people who are not in our "big tent" now by better explaining why our party is better. And we need to stop dodging issues that new voters want to address (climate change, education choices, Sudan, health care choice, etc...). It isn't about compromising party principles on issues which are controversial or previously 'off limits.' Instead it is understanding the concerns of a nation and addressing them using our long-held views and convincing people we can make it happen. But first we have to earn their trust.

And of course, she's already been mentioned, but Sarah Palin is being looked at for 2012 as well. There's already a blog devoted to recruiting her for a Presidential run in four years. It might be a bit too soon, but despite McCain's best efforts at laying the blame on her for the 2008 loss, a recent poll found that 67% of Americans would want to see her run for President in the future, and nearly 90% of Republicans were satisfied with her position on the ticket. It was McCain they were unhappy with.

And there's one more you've probably overlooked. Despite his relative inexperience, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana is largely viewed as exemplary of the future of the GOP. He was in Iowa this past week speaking to a conference of social conservatives. Back home in Louisiana, he's managed to square his social conservative beliefs with a strong limited-government outlook, and he's even managed to clean up one of the most corrupt states in the union.

Whatever the present looks like for the GOP, the future looks as though it could be bright. Yes, even in Iowa.