“All glory is fleeting.” — General George S. Patton

IN THE MOVIE “PATTON,” THE GENERAL RELATES A STORY: “For over a thousand years Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of triumph, a tumultuous parade. . . . A slave stood behind the conqueror holding a golden crown and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory is fleeting.”

The story, likely a bit of poetic license taken by screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola, cannot be attributed directly to the general. However, he was known to often use the above quote, likely derived from the Latin expression “Sic transit gloria mundi,” which translates as: “Thus passes the glory of the world.”

As the GOP basks in the glory of their recent historic victory, reinforced last month in Louisiana, they need to bear the above words in mind — because their victory may be short-lived.

Following are a few suggestions for the new majority:

“Dance with the one who brung ya” — Ronald Reagan is known to have used this Southern idiom to suggest that one should continue doing what has assured success. Sound advice in most cases, but not in this one. Republicans need to remember that this past victory was not based on their strength but on the weakness of the Democrats. Indeed, the election was a repudiation of President Obama and his policies, but Obama will not be on the ballot in 2016 (though arguably his policies may well be). Winning in 2016 will be dependent, to a large degree, on what the GOP does in the next two years, not what Obama did in the previous eight.

Approval of attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch should be contingent on her agreeing to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the IRS scandals. By most accounts Lynch seems to be a page out of the same book that brought us Eric Holder, a man more interested in “just us” than justice. If Lynch is not approved, Obama likely has another, just as radical, just as extreme ideologue waiting in the wings. But the IRS scandal is a disgraceful episode that cannot be swept under the rug: No one believes the lost emails story — and indeed, 30,000 “lost” emails were recently found, some of which have indicated that Lois Lerner’s lying to Congress goes far deeper than previously known. Cut the deal, quid pro quo, and make sure this debacle is addressed.

The “Party of NO” is a meme repeated by many, not only the ill-informed, as they beat the drum of Mitch McConnell’s 2010 statement that his party’s goal was to make Obama a “one-term president” (have the Democrats ever desired a two-term Republican president?). Rather than belabor the timing or context of McConnell’s statement, this meme has become ingrained in the culture of obfuscation. But it ignores one salient point: The House of Representatives passed 350 pieces of legislation since then that Harry Reid refused to bring to the Senate floor for a vote. These bills need to be a top priority; each one that is passed needs to be presented to the president for veto or signature. Given that option, we will see who is the real Party of NO.

“Our immigration laws are broken” is a second false meme drummed into our heads by members of both parties. The simple fact is this: There are laws on the books that need to be enforced. Is a car “broken” when the gas tank is empty? This administration, like previous ones, has ignored laws it does not like. The president’s recent executive action confirmed a lack of desire to enforce the laws. A top priority should be to pass a singular bill closing our border by building a fence to stop, as much as possible, illegal immigration. A second law needs to be passed clarifying U.S. citizenship and birth rights. Simply being born in this country while not “being subject to the laws thereof” should not automatically determine citizenship.

Fixing the Affordable Care Act, rather than outright repeal, has to be the majority’s priority, as repeal would be too divisive while being simplistically framed. This bill, more than any other single factor, cost the Democrats the Senate; 30 senators who did not read the bill before they voted in the affirmative are gone. Break the monstrosity up, keep what may be individually popular (no denial for pre-existing conditions) and remove those items that are most damaging. The GOP needs to pick this fight carefully — break the law down piece by piece to transform the unworkable into the workable. Returning to General Patton: “Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man.” The Affordable Care Act is now fixed in the law, and relying on a vote from John Roberts to overturn the law would be foolish. Heed the advice of the general — go around it to destroy it. But be sure to have a replacement plan in mind before doing so.

Accept the young lions into the GOP. The glory days of John McCain, Mitch McConnell, John Bohner and other elder statesmen is history. The GOP needs to accept the tea party as well as the new-age Republicans entering the fray — including people of color like Mia Love, Tim Scott, Bobby Jindal and Dr. Ben Carson, as well as many women (among them three new senators and three new governors). They also have solutions, as Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin has demonstrated. The old-school GOP needs to recognize that the opposition party is the Democrats and not the tea party. The Democrats have long worked with extremists within their party for the sake of party unity. Today the GOP fears the tea party more than they do Democrats (see the Senate race in Mississippi). As Robert Costa of the Washington Post wrote, McConnell is “pushing back the tea party and it starts now by making sure that all the passions and eagerness in the House don’t overtake the party.” But in doing so, McConnell is mistakenly dividing the party while appeasing the Democrats. And appeasement is a not a plan, it is capitulation.

Republicans have a rare opportunity to prove that they have solutions, that they welcome all people of common belief and that the many mischaracterizations made regarding them have been made with ill-intended, deceptive purposes (tip of the hat to John Gruber).

Here’s hoping they don’t blow it — but I for one am not holding my breath. When you expect little from our leaders, you are never disappointed.

Dennis Lund is a mechanical engineer who lived in Benicia for more than 20 years.

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