BY WILLIAM F. GAVIN

In baseball, a scout looks for the “five tools” while recruiting a prospect: can he hit, hit with power, run, field, and throw?

Now, as the second Obama administration shows signs of unraveling (in the Obama administration, the letters IRS now stand for Intimidate Republican Suspects), the GOP should remember the five tools of a successful political party: it has to have personalities, principles, policies, propaganda, and opportunity.

Allow me for a  moment to briefly discuss the importance of attractive political personalities. This is not original stuff, but as G. K. Chesterton once said, on most important matters, people have to be reminded rather than instructed.

The soundest principles and the  best propaganda will be ignored unless they are brought to life by the politician. Successful politics has a human heart and a human face (see the career of Ronald Reagan for specifics).

In regard to this, let me say there are certain words and phrases in other languages that do not translate easily into English because there is no exact equivalent. One of them is the Yiddish “mensch.” Another is the French “l’ homme serieux.” I have to use them here to make my point.

Mensch, literally translated, simply means “man.” L’homme serieux means “the serious man.” Each is, as we say today, gender-specific, but each can be applied to men and women alike.

Being a mensch means having integrity and a sense of responsibility. It means being someone you can always depend on, someone you can trust, someone loyal, someone who takes care of himself and those he is responsible for. A mensch is comfortable with himself without being satisfied with himself. No hidden agendas, no game-playing, no manipulation (that leaves Obama out). If you are lucky enough in life to come across someone, male or female, with the character and the virtues of a mensch, consider yourself fortunate.

L’homme serieux has certain similarities to a mensch but on a deeper intellectual level.

This kind of person is not easily swayed by intellectual fashions or the latest ideological fads. The word “solid” comes to mind when describing the unique quality of his or her mind. In political matters he does not leap on whatever new ideological or philosophical bandwagon that happens to come blaring its way down the street to cheering crowds. Among the virtues of l’homme serieux are firmness without rigidity, principles without dogmatism, seriousness without solemnity, humor without frivolity, and the ability to make necessary distinctions in dealing with complicated ideas. You don’t have to agree with the ideas and premises of l’homme serieux, but you have to admire the care and preparation that led up to those ideas and premises. He not only gives you his opinion, he gives you the reasoned argument that led to the opinion. No matter how intelligent a person may be, he or she will never be “serious” in this sense, if enslaved to some fashionable economic or social or academic dogma, no matter how popular and powerful it might be for a time. Intelligence as the servant of ideology always leads to disaster; ideology as the servant of intelligence is always open to the promptings of common sense and closed to dogmatism.

My point is this: if you combine a true mensch with l’homme serieux you have my ideal candidate. Like any ideal, it cannot wholly be achieved in a world of fallible human beings, but every Republican politician, in office or seeking office, should try to come as close to the ideal as possible. I believe these qualities constitute the best that can be hoped for in dealing with the infinite complexities and compromises of an imperfect world–which is exactly what a realistic political party has to do.

I’ll discuss principles, policies and propaganda and opportunity in other pieces. But in the meantime, can you think of any current Republican, in or out of office, who comes closest to the ideal outlined above?

Editor’s Note: William F. Gavin was a speech writer for President Richard Nixon and long-time aide to former House Republican Leader Bob Michel. Among his books is his latest, Speechwright, published by Michigan State University Press.