Is a 'pick your battles' strategy key to the GOP's future?

Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan has been the most explicit about this new tack and gave it a name, or perhaps a euphemism, in a speech in Washington on Saturday at a conference staged by the National Review Institute: "Prudence."

"He'll try to divide us with phony emergencies and bogus deals," Ryan warned of Obama. "He'll try to get us to fight with each other — to question each other's motives — so we don't challenge him. If we play into his hands, we will betray the voters who supported us — and the country we mean to serve. We can't let that happen. We have to be smart. We have to show prudence." [Politico]

There is unlikely to be complete agreement among conservatives on which battles to fight to the end and on which Republicans can simply register their objections and move on. But if Republicans utilize some of the criteria laid out above they will make wiser choices and have a batting average above .000. Fighting the wrong battles, and doing it a lot, are harmful to the credibility and survival of Republicans straining to convince Americans that they can govern responsibly. Failing to fight any battles is harmful to establishing a clear contrast between the parties and making the case for the GOP's vision. [The Washington Post]

[H]is post-election reserve and even-tempered manner reflect more than his sensibility; they also reflect his politics. He is deeply concerned about the GOP's future, and the theme of sagacity has been a mainstay of his speeches…

On Capitol Hill, examples of Ryan's own prudence are plentiful. Working with Speaker John Boehner, he engineered the GOP's debt-limit strategy, in which the House passed a short-term extension that also pressured Senate Democrats to craft a budget. During the fiscal-cliff negotiations, he was a stalwart Boehner supporter, and one of only 85 Republicans to stick by the speaker when the compromise came to the floor. "If you think a bill should pass, you should vote for it," Ryan says. "I had problems with that bill, but I wanted to prevent tax increases."

Ryan's approach has once again established him as influential player. Sources say Boehner and other House veterans have privately praised his commitment to governing, and his historical understanding of Republican risks during divided government. [National Review]

This is the real crisis facing the GOP: Articulating a set of stances on issues that majorities of voters agree with, in a way that convinces people they'd be able to govern if given the chance. [The Atlantic]