God grant us Republicans the serenity to accept those things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

The 2012 General Election wasn't the election that the Republicans originally intended it to be. Emotions within the Party held strong that Governor Mitt Romney would be victorious and become the 45th President of the United States; unfortunately for 48% of the country, those emotions took a 180° turn at about 9:30 PM CST on Tuesday, November 6, 2012.

Governor Romney was beaten considerably in the infamous Electoral College vote 332-206. This defeat plummeted the high hopes to put "America's Comeback Team" of Governor Romney and Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan into the White House. Republicans all over the country have begun to question the future of their Party. Will it become more conservative like the Tea Party? More liberal? More diverse? Younger? All of these questions will be answered at some point in the future whether it be in the short term or the long term.

The Republican Party's biggest issue at the moment is the imminent sequestration, which was passed as part of the Budget Control Act of 2011. The sequestration, also known as the "fiscal cliff," will occur on January 1, 2013 if no deal regarding the federal budget is made between political leaders on Capitol Hill. The effects of sequestration include an across the board spending cut, which would heavily damage the economy into a near point of no return, and a tax hike on every single American. As an example, an average American family with an annual income of $40,000 would pay 3% or $1200 more in individual income taxes each year if the sequestration is allowed to take effect. During a time of recession/recovery, the raising of tax rates on low and middle income families is unacceptable; this issue is so important that Republicans need to consider the sacrifice of extending the Bush era tax cuts for millionaires. This would be different than an expiration of the Bush era cuts under the Democrat plan because Democrats want the cuts to expire for families earning more than $250,000 per year. It is a reasonable compromise for the cuts to expire for millionaires, and this will provide a good hearted compromise.

It is time for the Republican Party to move forward. Even though it hurts to lose an election of such importance, we need to use our own philosophy of pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps and help get the American economy back on its feet as soon as possible. There isn't much time until the sequestration takes effect, and it will certainly destroy the American economy as we know it if nothing is done to stop it.

In the distant future, the Grand Old Party needs to appeal to minority voters including single women. In the past, minority voting trends have skewed heavily into the Democratic column even though many of these groups agree with the traditional ideals of the Republican Party. The votes are out there for the taking, but if the Republican Party continues to present itself as the WASP male party, then it will certainly cease to be a factor in the American political system.