Republican strategist John Feehery thinks he has a solution to the electoral woes of the Illinois Republican Party. In an op-ed for the Tribune today, Feehery lays out a strategy for how the party of Lincoln and Reagan can revive itself in the Prairie State:

They need an agenda that unifies the disparate parts of the state, an agenda that appeals to all classes, races, creeds and both sexes. It has to appeal to hard-core conservatives, suburban moms and independents. The Illinois GOP seems hopelessly divided between its conservative and moderate wings, yet the issues that divide them are not the issues that are at the top of the agenda of most voters.

If Illinois Republicans can come up with a new strategy that puts a greater emphasis on talent, competence, reform and accountability, they can build a more competitive party for the future.

That Feehery focuses on corruption isn't surprising. The governor’s alleged shenanigans have only made that issue more salient for Illinois voters. But there’s something funny about Feehery’s list. Competence, talent, reform, and accountability aren’t issues! Not once in the entire op-ed does he mention policy, much less an agenda that would unite the distinct wings of the party. The reason is simple: the GOP has run out of ideas.

Take the state party’s “Agenda For Action.” This little document, unveiled this summer, contains little more than antiquated calls for restrictions on tax hikes, some budget deficit hawkery, and support for the bi-partisan favored capital plan. It’s like they pulled it out of a 25-year-old filing cabinet.

Other proposals for fixing the party are similarly laughable. Former party leader Jim Edgar thinks bringing Latinos into the Big Tent is key, but the only two candidates expressing interest in the vacant Senate seat -- Reps. Mark Kirk and Peter Roskam -- have terrible records on immigration reform. GOP congressmen and women express interest in solving the nation’s energy crisis, but they spent all their own energy this year touting a drilling expansion proposal that wouldn’t dramatically increase the supply of oil, but, in turn, would exacerbate the climate crisis. And the list goes on.

Certainly, demographic shifts and the fall-out from the party’s own corruption problems have significantly impacted the GOP’s standing in the state. But the inability of conservative lawmakers to craft solutions to the state’s and nation’s problems has been just as critical. There are clean Democratic leaders in the state, too. Until Republicans present an agenda that’s serious about confronting the issues of the 21st century, promising not to steal from the taxpayer won’t be enough.