at all viable there are three absolutes that must be achieved.

1. Focus on the issues of responsible governance.
2. Drop rhetoric/plank positions on social/personal issues.
3. Show the people you mean it.

Responsible Governance - What is fiscal responsibility?  Define it for the people, argue for it and point it out anytime a bill misses this mark.  And not in a nasty partisan way - treat the failings as mistakes that all humans make ... but here is how we can fix it and better move forward.  Same thing with national defense, etc.  DO NOT try to bring into the arena of governance those issues which do not fall within its purview.  Particularly do not pull into the Federal governmental arena those issues that do not belong there.  As part of that repeal laws that currently exist that go against these principles and enact legislative barriers to help prevent this sort of activity going forward.

Social/personal issues - every moment spent on these issues is a moment that cannot be spent furthering good governance.  It is also an opportunity to drive a wedge between the achievement of good governance objectives and the votes needed for those objectives by pulling the attention off of good governance and focusing it on emotional (as opposed to rational) issues.  These issues are solely *exclusionary*.  They offer no opportunity to further the business of a political party (which is governance) except in as much as they might be used to engender short term emotional reactions.  If the Republican Party wants to continue to do that rather than argue from a rational, objective basis then I am left without a party and embarrassed that I wasted as much time as I have.  We should be better than that. 

Yes - there are some 'social' issues that have some impact on governance - but limit addressing those issues to the absolute minimum necessary to address the *governance* issues.  In case anyone wants some specific recommendations - we should enact no legislation regarding who can marry whom, trying to limit under law sex education to abstinence only is about as intelligent (and effective) as the NYC law forbidding foods high in saturated fat and as for abortion argue against it and offer better options  ... but do not criminalize it.  All of those 'positions' in the Republican plank are emotion driven, divisive and outside the scope of governance - particularly the limited federal government we as a Party supposedly espouse.

Show the people you mean it - Frankly I am sick of the solicitations and I am not giving another dime until I see some change.  Not rhetoric - change.  The Republican party leadership, as even the new chairman is noting, did the party in.  Until that same leadership, and lets be honest - they are all still the same folks with just some minor shuffling around, *demonstrates* that they have focused on governance and the traditional Republican principles of governance (limited, fiscally responsible, strong on national defense, supportive of a reasonably regulated free market capitalism, and promoting individualism/individual responsibility) ... until that time they are just another set of Obamas/Democrats who happen to be competing against the originals.

For inspiration look to the Republican Leadership Council.  Look to the Libertarians - they may have a bunch of kooky ideologues but so do we.  The Libs also have some bedrock core values on what makes good governance that the Republican Party should be ashamed not to be pushing as well.