If you've read many posts on these pages you've had the opportunity to catch a rant about the lip service paid to conservatism by the Republican Party. The GOP has made a habit of playing the field when it comes to constituents. In Pennsylvania the Party was happy to back Arlen Specter, a candidate that was so indistinguishable from a liberal democrat that he now is one. In Florida the Republican Senatorial Committee couldn't get to the microphone fast enough to endorse the RINO Crist after pledging not to take sides when the conservative Marco Rubio announced his bid for the senate a short time before. On Friday three liberal Republicans endorsed Sonia Sotomayor for confirmation to the Supreme Court, without a peep from the RNC. These escapades follow on the heels of the 2008 John McCain debacle.
John McCain did not win the majority of registered Republican votes in a single primary leading up to Super Tuesday. Independents and Democrats voting for McCain in the primary made him the front runner for the Republican Presidential nomination. This travesty resulted in a visceral response from the GOP's conservative base, but somehow the GOP continues to back conservatives into a corner while offering a smarmy reassurance that it is the party for conservatives. It is time for the GOP to make a decision and pick an identity.
There is no Goldwater or Reagan on the Republican stage today. The fundamental tenets of conservatism lie forgotten in a dim corner of the RNC headquarters gathering dust. Michael Steele trots out a superficial shell of some fading memory of a conservative principle that he doesn't fully comprehend when it serves his need for placating testy conservatives. When Michael Steele talks about the "Big Tent" of the Republican Party he is expressing a willingness to compromise conservative values and entertain positions on issues that appeal to a broad spectrum of voters. This represents an evolution away from the original meaning of "Big Tent"; welcoming into the Party people from all walks of life who share Republican values.
Conservatives in America today are frustrated. Many are furious and feel that they have been betrayed by the Republican Party. It is unacceptable for the GOP to continue to count conservatives among the base of its constituency while simultaneously implementing policies and taking actions that are in fact hostile to conservatism. There are still some true conservatives in the Republican Party and many Republican voters are still staunchly conservative. It is an unfortunate fact that the commitment that many conservative voters and elected officials feel towards the Republican Party reflects the commitment that the GOP is demonstrating towards conservatism. It is another unfortunate fact that conservatives need a conservative Republican Party.
Many conservatives are calling for the formation of a conservative third Party. There are two reasons that I oppose this idea. The first reason is simply that there is not time. The great majority of conservatives still identify with the Republican Party and it would take many years to form a viable third Party. In the intervening time, conservatives would be fragmented and ineffective and irreparable harm would almost certainly have been done to our country before a third Party would be in a position to stop it. The second reason is less practical, but more compelling for me personally. The injustice of a Republican Party co-opted by globalist cosmopolitan moderates that sneer at conservatives one moment and pretend to be allies of conservatism the next is unacceptable. I want my Party back and I'm not willing to give it away without a fight.
One of the reasons that the blog updates have been sparse in the last few weeks is that I have been working on a new project with the aim of increasing the influence of conservatives on the Republican party. On Friday July 17th I launched a 527 non-profit political advocacy campaign titled "Conservatives for Republican Reform". The purpose of this activity is to reform Republican Party policies and activities that work against conservatism. While it is undoubtedly critical that conservatives continue to resist the actions of the Obama administration and the liberals holding office across our land, it is equally vital that the disadvantages conservatives face in the GOP be addressed. The Republican Party platform has a lot of compelling points for conservatives, but it needs teeth. When the RNC backs a candidate that ignores the Party platform over a candidate that adheres to the platform, they need to hear loud and clear that it is unacceptable. The platform has to count for something if the GOP is going to have a meaningful identity.
The website for the campaign can be viewed at; http://www.gopreformpac.com/. Please stop by and leave suggestions or support. The site is pretty rough. If there are any ace web-site developers out there that would like to contribute their talent to the cause, I would love to hear from them.
Does Michael Steele + Bilingual Ballots = New Republican Majority?
ReplyDeleteSo says this writer who is ecstatic about the "New Republican Party" that he says Steele is creating.
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/fwm/opinion/51530632.html
I on the other hand doubt Republicans can out pander the Democrats on the issue of "Identity Politics"(Racial Politics). As long as Republicans choose to fight the Democrats on battlefields of the Democrat's own choosing they will lose. It's simple Sun Tzu.
The Republican party continues to go further and further away from the direction we need it to go for a vehicle of positive change. I feel that the only option left to us is a new party because even if the Republicans win next time I don't see them as significantly enough different from what we have now.
Could Palin win as a Republican? I believe she could. But to do so she will first have to go through Michael Steele. He will continue to throw roadblocks in her way as long as he remains chair of the RNC. In fact unless Michael Steele is first defeated, I don't think Palin could indeed win the party nomination.
Does Michael Steele + Bilingual Ballots = New Republican Majority?
ReplyDeleteSo says this writer who is ecstatic about the "New Republican Party" that he says Steele is creating.
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/fwm/opinion/51530632.html
I on the other hand doubt Republicans can out pander the Democrats on the issue of "Identity Politics"(Racial Politics). As long as Republicans choose to fight the Democrats on battlefields of the Democrat's own choosing they will lose. It's simple Sun Tzu.
The Republican party continues to go further and further away from the direction we need it to go for a vehicle of positive change. I feel that the only option left to us is a new party because even if the Republicans win next time I don't see them as significantly enough different from what we have now.
The points you are making are exactly why the Republican Reform campaign was started.
ReplyDeleteAll of the historical data on third party efforts indicate that forcing a third party will be a disaster for conservatism. It will take much more time than we have to solve the problem. If conservatives continue to abandon the GOP in search of a third party, the cause will be lost before before a viable response can be mustered.
The GOP is a viable, established Party that conservatives need to get under control. This task is both more simple and the fastest way to improve the situation when compared to a third party effort. There is no reason to believe that conservatives can form a competitive third party if they can't even force meaningful reforms in an existing one.
My opinion on the third Party approach was also discussed in a previous post;
http://oligogracy.blogspot.com/2008/11/circular-firing-squad.html
The essence of the post is captured in the summary paragraph;
"If we conservatives can not unite within the republican party, how can we hold out hope that we will find a way to unite within another? We can blame others all we like, but it is our division that is defeating us, not our ideological adversaries or the republican party. Every time a libertarian or constitutionalist leaves the GOP for a third party they drive another nail into the coffin of conservatism on their way out the door. If one is not willing to volunteer in the republican party, or run for office, or participate in some other way, one should not expect to do so in the party they migrate to. It stretches the limits of credulity to think that we can change the nation when so many of us already despair at the thought of changing just one political party."