Republicans need their own constitutional convention

Assembly minority leader — one might almost call him the “passingly small minority” leader — Brian Kolb has been barnstorming New York state raising interest in a constitutional convention.

The mantra: New York state is broken.

Fair enough. There’s plenty of evidence to support his argument. But physician, please. Heal thyself already!

With news this week that Rudy Giuliani is out of the 2010 race (ANY race) and former governor George Pataki apparently sitting comfy on the sidelines, the statewide GOP is officially flatline.

The party doesn’t have a single serious contender for statewide office. (Rick Lazio has a ways to go before he’s a serious contender.

Republicans are losing big races in the North Country, for goodness sake.

And the line-up to face freshman Democrat (and relative unknown) Senator Kirsten Gillibrand consists of this stellar cast (from the NY Times):

Michael Balboni, a former state senator from Long Island; Bruce A. Blakeman, a former Nassau County legislator who ran for comptroller in 1998 but was defeated 2 to 1 by H. Carl McCall; and Elizabeth N. Feld, the mayor of the village of Larchmont (population 6,567), who was trounced in a State Senate race in 2008.

The good news in this week’s decision by Giuliani is that it effectively wipes the slate clean. There’s never been a better opportunity for a fresh start.

But Ed Cox, head of New York’s Republican committee, will have to think big.

He will have to redefine exactly what the GOP wants to stand for in this Northeastern, urban-dominated state.

Will it still be the party of “upstate vs. downstate”? Will it be a party with almost no minority representation?

Will it be a party that embraces the social conservatism that defines the national Republican Party?

Will it tap into the “tea party” vitality visible in some parts of the state? Or hone the message to small-government fiscal conservatism?

What does the GOP do about abortion and same-sex marriage?

Will the new GOP maintain the kind of cozy insider-Albany relationships revealed by the Joe Bruno corruption trial, or embrace serious ethics reform?

Two things are clear:

First, we need a strong Republican Party in New York state, one to balance and challenge the Democrats.

And second, this ain’t it. It’s time for NY GOP 2.0.

Fortunately, there are plenty of signs of life at the grassroots. In last year’s elections, Republicans fared surprisingly well in local races, from Nassau County to Syracuse.

The GOP also has a valuable resources in Michael Bloomberg.

The New York City mayor distanced himself from the Republican Party during the Bush years, but he’s developed a centrist, technocrat’s agenda that seems to work.

A lot of Republicans distrust Bloomberg — in part because of his anti-gun stance — but he’s winning and governing and getting things done.

And they’re not.

It’s time for Mr. Kolb and Mr. Cox to gather all these folks together in one room, say goodbye to the past, and forge a new direction.