Count the reasons to vote

With the countdown ticking toward the all-important November midterm elections, the Republicans can't seem to adopt a strategy that will guarantee election success.

Judging from the level of discontent and frustration in this country, you would think their strategy would be simple.

The array of missteps and scandals coming from this administration should provide ample ammunition for the GOP to hold the House and retire Harry Reid as Senate majority leader.

But adopting a unified approach in our crumbling political landscape is proving difficult.

The once-prevailing notion was the fiasco of Obamacare would provide the winning strategy.

But then this administration's blunders in the Mideast came roaring into the headlines.

Before the GOP could pivot in a new direction, a flood of immigrants pushed all of the other fiascoes under the political bus.

Yet, the weakened and sluggish economy still tops many lists as the prime reason to hand power to the GOP.

And just as a passing footnote, this past week more potentially damaging IRS emails have mysteriously gone missing.

So if you're the GOP, where do you start? In a target-rich political environment, one central theme seems inadequate to motivate the voting public.

Given the current leadership vacuum in Washington, it's even likely that additional reasons to oust Democrats will surface in the next three months.

It won't be enough to motivate voters simply by highlighting this administration's flaws.

The GOP must remind voters who got us in this ditch and, more importantly, how they will begin the process of real change for the better.

If the president makes his expected unilateral move on amnesty, I suspect all bets are off.

The national uproar will drown out the other concerns and the GOP -- only with an alternative plan -- will be handed victory on a silver platter.

President Obama said this past week that the problem in this country falls at the feet of conservatives.

But his glaring lack of real world experiences leaves him clueless when it comes to the history of America.

Liberals sure can dream with other people's money. But they certainly can't govern.

Michael Jensen is the publisher of the Sikeston Standard Democrat.