There were many interesting points made by both Raphel and the commenters on his recent blog post about Republican priorities this November. The larger question of the “true identity” of the Republican Party is a fascinating one, and I think that we tread on treacherous territory when we try to narrow that identity too much. I agree with Gene’s comment that social conservatives are over-represented in the promotion of Republican talking points, and I think that social conservatism is a dangerously divisive point of contention for Republicans.
I also agree that Republicans should focus on what unites them (fiscal conservatism being the most obvious area of unity) and I think that many candidates are doing a great job of this, Bobby Shilling of Illinois being one of them.
I have to take issue with the idea of “taking this country back,” for a number of reasons. First of all, it insinuates that Republicans did a great job when they were in power, and the debt and economic crisis are somehow Obama’s fault. That is simply not the case, and both parties are guilty of wasteful spending and woeful legislation in the past decade.
The larger issue though, is the fact that, even if the Republicans do well in the coming elections, they won’t be “taking” anything. They will still need to work with Democrats for the future, and it would be exceedingly disappointing to see Republicans replicate the recent mistakes of the Democrats in thinking they can do it on their own.
Going along with this, I think that demonizing even the most liberal Democrats is inappropriate and ultimately harmful to the right’s ability to appeal to moderates, both independent and Republican. Throwing around the word socialist is not exactly demonizing, but its well on its way. We could argue about what socialism means, but all of the negative historical associations of “socialism” are impossible to remove, and they ultimately make Republicans come off as invective and antagonistic.
Finally, Raphael mentions both “the establishment” and the “tea-partiers.” I think that we may be overlooking a section of the GOP that falls into neither of these categories: moderate republicans. You don’t have to like them, you can call them RINOs under your breath, but the GOP needs them to be successful this November. Apologies for the self-promotion, but if you want to hear more thoughts on this “hidden contingent,” check out my blog post here.
photo credit: http://blog.creattica.com/2009/01/the-republican-party-re-branded/