A Walk in the Wilderness?

For Republicans I would recommend for summer reading two oldies but goodies, It’s My Party Too, by Christine Todd Whitman, and A National Party No More, by Senator Zell Miller. The former author is a Republican and the latter a Democrat. Both are conservatives. The party of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan seems to have lost its way.

Open any Loudoun County newspaper and you will find many articles about Republicans. Democrats are hardly ever mentioned. Normally Republicans would be delighted with this attention, except this news is almost totally negative. Ronald Reagan’s 11th Commandment was, “Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican”. But every meeting of Republicans in Northern Virginia is filled with hate, not directed toward liberal Democrats, but at fellow Republicans.

It is evident to me that much of this animosity is over social issues. Gay marriage and abortion leads the list. These are issues about which strong feelings exist universally. Trying to legislate morality or even defining what is moral is a tall order.

Our county’s founders declared "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." They did not declare who this Creator was or how he created anything. Why, because it is irrelevant to democracy.

The religious right takes credit for George W. Bush’s win in the 2004 election. But as Whitman points out, it was the smallest margin of victory of any incumbent president ever, just 3%. Social conservatives are driving away moderates who believe in what used to be core Republican values – lower taxes, less government, and strong national security. Without this moderate base, the advantage shifts to the liberal Democrats. Their best strategy, which they seem to be implementing, is to just to standby and watch the Republicans implode both locally and on the national stage. Remember when Ronald Regean was asked why he left the Democratic Party, he replied, “I did not leave the Party, the Party left me.” Could the reverse occur where moderate Republicans become moderate Democrats?

Perhaps, as an astute political analyst friend for whom I have great respect said, "Maybe this is the year the Republicans need to take a walk in the wilderness." I hope the big bad wolf leaves the moderates intact to take back the Party and focus on those core values – national security, lower taxes, free markets, and less government.