Posted by Tina
A most inspirational OP/Ed column in Forbes contained the following regarding the future of the GOP:
There is much to collaborate on: preserving freedom of speech, and of the press, and of the free exercise of religion; honoring the right to peaceably assemble and petition for redress of grievances; not infringing the right to keep and bear arms; rehabilitation the right of people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonably searches and seizures; the right not to be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. Even, casting the net a bit wider, the classical gold standard and the repeal of the Estate tax!
The editors were speaking of the opportunity open to the GOP to attract Social Conservatives, Libertarians, Independents,…heck I’d suggest even a few very disgruntled moderate Democrats and bring them all together to meet and defeat the purveyors of redistribution, dependency, and central authority that threaten our nation in the coming elections.
This entreaty is bold and worthy of respect. It is a call to honor original principles in a nation that holds in her arms people of many and various interests and beliefs. GOP leadership can grab the mantle of leadership if it remembers who we are and if it recalls that our free nation has a long tradition of tolerance and acceptance despite the struggles we have endured to overcome differences and bigotry. We thrived as a nation for a couple of centuries because of the principles inspired by our founders, by living by the golden rule, and by keeping fences mended. These values are the platform on which individual differences can abide especially if we also advocate to restore power closer to home.
At the heart of this platform is the family where values are first initiated and supported. People settle where opportunities present themselves and where they feel most at home. Americans were once very proud of the state in which they lived, nearly as proud as they were to be Americans, and for good reason…the states reflected their personal values. Differences were respected but the thing that brought us together is that we were all Americans.
In the decades of my lifetime radical Progressive’s have undermined our Americanism by introducing special group loyalties. At the same time they have insisted that we all think alike; that we believe the same things; that we conform in every way. They have bullied and demeaned those who refuse to conform. This correctness in teaching and thinking has been a poison in our nation; it is an assault on our individual freedoms that must be dealt a fatal blow. Never before in our recent history has the nation been so threatened at its very foundations.
The Republican Party does indeed have an opportunity. It can survive and grow strong to win if it designs a platform that calls us back to our principles, our Constitution, and our heritage. It can attract support and grab the mantle of strong leadership if the party leadership respects our differences while honoring our founding principles.
America needs a champion about now! Each and every candidate will be called, perhaps as candidates have never before been called, to speak for the lasting value of Americanism. It is the only path that can unite the people and win against the dark elements that have sought for decades to fundamentally transform our nation.
Can pro-life Americans stand shoulder to shoulder with gay marriage advocates? I think we can if we remember who we are, if we recognize the dire threat of the radical progressive agenda as the highest national priority, and if we seek common ground on which to stand.
A list inspired by the editors at Forbes:
1.Preserve freedom of speech and of the press
2.Renew and preserve the free exercise of religion
3.Honor the right of the people to freely assemble and petition for redress of grievances
4.Respect and deny infringement of the right of the people to keep and bear arms
5.Rehabilitate the right of people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonably searches and seizures.
6.Restore the rights of the people to not robbed of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
7.Return our nation to the gold standard
8.Repeal the Estate Tax
There may be more…I’m certain there is more. Any ideas?
7 and 8 are where you will lose people. The first 6 are so vague as to be supported by everyone, at least in the abstract; we disagree on the specifics, like whether background checks infringe on the right to bear arms, or whether gay marriage threatens freedom of speech and religion. But in principle, no one can come out and say they disagree with any of those first six principles without looking un-American. They should be considered common ground for conservatives and liberals.
However, 7 and 8 come across to many people as downright nutty. IGM polled 40 economists across the ideological spectrum, and found that not a single one agreed with the idea of returning to the gold standard.
http://www.igmchicago.org/igm-economic-experts-panel/poll-results?SurveyID=SV_cw1nNUYOXSAKwrq
David Frum explains why the gold standard is a bad idea here.
http://frum.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWQyYjc1ZjNjZTc5ZTcxODM1NDQ5ZDhhODZjZTU5YmQ=
Repealing the estate tax actually seems to have more support among the general public, which is weird, since the estate tax only affects about %2 of estates:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/12/an_estate_tax_primer.html
I would say that it is weird that a proposal that only effects the richest 2% of the country would be such a high priority for conservatives, but…it’s not weird at all. The rich seem to have done a very good job convincing the public to protect their interests in this case.
Nicely done ho hum and vague in an era lead by radical socialists that have dissed that platform in practice and has been supported in doing so by most liberals and the fawning press. That you cannot see these proposals as extremely relevant today speaks volumes.
I doubt very seriously that you would be among those that see preservation of our nation and our founding values as important. You would not likely be among the target group for the GOP but instead among that died in the wool Marxist based Hillary for President cause she’s a lot like Obama group…somewhere in the 28-30% range.
What difference does it now make what you think?
I have a thought, how about a #9 that goes something like this…. 9. We pledge to support and defend the following from all trespassers foreign and domestic:
“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Article I
Section 1
All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.
Section 2
1: The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.
2: No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.
3: Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.2 The actual Enumeration…”
Just standing up for this pretty much eliminates most of the democrats ideas about how our country should be run. Seems like in todays politics the U.S. Constitution is to a liberal, what daylight is to a vampire.