Will November 4th Change The Republican Party?
Will it be?
There’s a lot of speculation over how this election is going to turn out, but across the board I believe it will be a landslide victory for the Democratic party.
If that happens, what exactly will it mean for the Republicans? Other than the obvious of losing power, will it cause some party leaders to become introspective and possibly lead to major ideology changes?
I sure hope so. And that’s not because I’m a Democrat. It’s because the Republican party has lost all credibility and reason for respect with me over the last few decades.
I’ve written before about my admiration and close personal alignments with true conservatives of the party’s past such as Barry Goldwater. Of course, that was when being conservative actually meant you were guided by conservative ideas.
In today’s polarized environment the abused labels like conservative, liberal, socialist and etc. only serve to divide us; but they’re really all meaningless and inaccurate when describing most Americans.
Outside of a few Boob-Tube blowhards I can’t think of too many people who are truly far right or far left in all of their thinking.
Most of us swing from side to side based on the issue, and actually tend to live more towards the middle overall.
For many years the parties understood this and moderation in their ideologies was the unspoken rule of thumb to avoid alienating we the people.
But there’s no denying that in recent times the Republican party has begun to believe their own hype in a lot of ways. The ‘94 takeover being mistakenly considered proof that a majority of Americans wanted far right leadership is just one example that comes to mind.
And Democrats aren’t innocent of this crime either, they’ve just been slower to follow their vocal minority supporters away from the center. I have no illusions that they won’t get there eventually though.
But for now it’s a defining moment being offered to the Republican party and I’m curious as to how they’ll respond.
If, as I believe, Democrats sweep elections from coast to coast and gain not only the White House but also a Super Majority in congress that’s filibuster proof–will Republicans see that as the rejection of far right ideology that it really is and return to their roots of true conservative strength; or will they act like comic book villains who have just had their plans spoiled by the Super Hero and lie in wait to surface with their same agendas again?
America needs 2 strong parties. More would be even better. There is no one size that fits all in our nation, and our best steps in history have come after careful considerations, debate and planning that’s been guided along an even course by opposite sides.
Think of it like tug-o-war. As long as both sides are fairly equal in strength there is no advantage to either side and the rope knot stays close to center.
America works best for everyone when we’re moving along in the center. She needs opposing sides of fairly even and equal strength to keep that middle ground course.
But that’s not the only reason I hope Republicans will become reflective after Tuesday.
The truth is, many of the issues I care most about and which are often labeled as liberal in these goofy polarized times, would be best served by honest conservative thinking and leadership.
The environment? This should absolutely be a conservative issue. The very term “environmental conservation”, like conservative–comes from the root of conserve.
Government and Finances? Here’s a great example of where we need strength on both sides. Many Americans claim to be fiscally conservative and socially liberal. I’m among them. I believe the government should spend money for the common good, when it works and does good, while I also believe in smaller government overall.
Spending money doesn’t have to mean growing government. If you look at our most recent period of prosperity in the 1990’s you’ll find many of the programs Bush 41 and Clinton enacted did spend a lot of money, but didn’t necessarily grow government and they led to better days for the vast majority of working Americans.
That stuff only happens though, when you have strong leadership on opposing sides who are forced to find the middle ground.
And speaking of smaller government, please, I beg Republican leaders, if nothing else take this time to revisit conservatism on this.
I get that there are loud voices and large bank accounts behind your constant recent intrusions into people’s personal lives, but they are the right fringe of society and do not reflect the feelings or concerns of most Americans today.
There’s simply nothing conservative about peeking into people’s bedrooms or poking your nose into their private medical decisions. These acts are prompted by the far right fringe which would have government serve their mythologies and sensibilities rather than serving the needs and desires of all citizens with an equal and fair handed method that’s inline with our Constitution.
But maybe I’m just shouting without cause. Maybe the party won’t take this opportunity to reject fringe thinking and return to their roots. Maybe they’re craftier comic book villains than I give them credit for and will see obstructionism as the path to regaining power?
As someone who appreciates the strength of having multiple strong parties in America I sure hope not, because I see that course as the end of the Republican party forever given how people are reacting to them right now.
The American people are ever optimistic and will always give you a chance at redemption, and Republicans have that chance right now, but shouldn’t mistake that optimism among the people with a willingness to suffer for fools eternally. Just ask members of the Federalist, Whig and other parties which forgot to serve the will of the majority. Oh wait, you can’t.
Just to note, the graphic used in this piece was inspired by this tutorial on vintage poster creation at PSDTuts. I came nowhere close to the original quality, but did succeed in showing that I have way too much free time on my hands and am in love with Photoshop (it wasn't just a Summer thing after all).
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[...] Will November 4th Change The Republican Party? But there’s no denying that in recent times the Republican party has begun to believe their own hype in a lot of ways. The ‘94 takeover being mistakenly considered proof that a majority of Americans wanted far right leadership is just … [...]
by Will November 4th Change The Republican Party? on Oct 31, 2008 at 5:16 pm
[...] Will November 4th Change The Republican Party? There’sa lot of speculation over how this election is going to turn out, but across the board I believe it will be a landslide victory for the Democratic party. If that happens, what exactly will it mean for the Republicans? … [...]
by Will November 4th Change The Republican Party? on Oct 31, 2008 at 5:19 pm
[...] Will November 4th Change The Republican Party? Will it be? There’s a lot of speculation over how this election is going to turn out, but across the board I believe it will be a landslide victory for the Democratic party. If that happens, what exactly will it mean for the Republicans? Other than the obvious of losing power, will it cause some party leaders to become introspective and possibly lead to major ideology changes? I sure hope so. And that’s not because I’m a Democrat. It’s because the Republican party has lost all credibility an [...]
by Will November 4th Change The Republican Party? at Republicans On Best Political Blogs on Oct 31, 2008 at 5:27 pm