The Future of the Republican Party

The party of Lincoln, Eisenhower and Reagan is in trouble.

At least that’s what every hard right-winger would have you believe.

Over the past couple of months, talking heads from Limbaugh to no-name political pundits have said that our party is a house divided and crumbling. It’s a house that no longer reflects the ideals of Reagan and true conservative values.

I have a different take on the other hand.

I feel that it’s a house of progressive change that is starting to show the beliefs of moderate, mainstream America by burying the tradition of preserving the status quo.

The future of our party is moderates like Giuliani and McCain who can embrace the other side of the aisle. It’s a future that will hold on to core Republican ideas such as lower taxes, smaller government and strong defense, but opens it’s mind to true freedoms that government shouldn’t give a damn about like the right for a gay couple to pursue marriage and a woman’s right to choose.

I would even argue that Reagan himself would be happy of the path our party is going today (minus a couple of domestic issues here and there). It was he who showed a strong arm to Iran, the USSR and communism world wide. It was he who signed the largest tax cut in American history in 1981. And after all, it was he who gave millions of illegal immigrants citizenship status by granting amnesty in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

It’s a “compassionate conservative” message that carries though to today with George W. Bush, and it’s why I still support him in his waning days in office.

Rush Limbaugh and others who invoke the name of Reagan and say he would never approve of McCain or Giuliani obviously never paid attention to Reagan’s politics. Limbaugh and others are only citing the name and image of Reagan to pursue a political philosophy over a party platform by trying to mold the GOP into something it’s not.

Do I believe our Grand Old Party has the ability to embrace moderates and conservatives?

If the talking heads have their way and hard, right-wing conservatives run the GOP by playing on your emotions, then no and I would worry about the direction of the party.

But, if our party is to be led by moderate (i.e. open-minded) leadership like the three former presidents mentioned at the beginning of this blog, then with out a doubt, the GOP will remain strong.

ER

RCP: Will the Reagan Era End Today?

Washington Post: Limbaugh on McCain

The Denver Post: Conservatives vs. McCain