Never be all things to all people
Obama, the Democrat Congress, and special interests are prolonging the economic meltdown and crushing debt, strangling the middle class, and destroying industry and small business. Healing begins in November, but a great man's words must be heeded.
Perhaps there is no more fitting phrase to describe the woeful plight in which Americans find themselves today than that offered by the late Joe Sobran:
"Freedom has ceased to be a birthright; it has come to mean whatever we are still permitted to do."
Please take a moment to reflect upon the profundity of that statement. Mr. Sobran was echoing the thoughts of another American, a man who suffered defeat before he succeeded. This great man expressed his thoughts after failing to secure the Republican nomination for president in 1976. The man? Ronald Wilson Reagan. Reagan's words seem directed toward today's Republican establishment, known for preaching moderation and accommodation, and routinely excoriating conservative idealists.
Now that election fever has afflicted all caring Americans, the Republican Party has stopped licking its wounds and wondering what caused the wheels to fall off the cart in 2006. The GOP is charged up and poised to retake the House of Representatives and, political Gods willing, the Senate. It therefore seems an opportune time to remind them why Ronald Reagan was such a great President. If there was anyone who could stop the GOP establishment from its delusional, self-destructive moderation, it was Reagan.
After all, it was precisely because the Republican Party forgot its conservative ways that led to the Democrat Congress in 2006 and the repressive Obama regime in 2008. Whatever gains 2010 holds for the GOP can be just as easily swept away as it was before unless they again embrace First Principles.
Still learning from Reagan
President Reagan was instilled with deeply-held principles from which he never wavered: He possessed a love of and gratitude for the greatest nation in the history of civilization; He was blessed with the ability to articulate his vision for America so every citizen could relate and understand; and he never compromised his beliefs - beliefs held by the silent majority of the American people, regardless of party affiliation.
But what of Reagan's thoughts prior to his presidency, after losing a bid for the GOP presidential candidacy in 1976? What relevance do they have to today's Republican Party? Read the following excerpt taken from his speech delivered at the Conservative Political Action Conference of 1975:
"Our people look for a cause to believe in. Is it a third party we need, or is it a new and revitalized second party, raising a banner of no pale pastels, but bold colors which make it unmistakably clear where we stand on all of the issues troubling the people?
A political party cannot be all things to all people. It must represent certain fundamental beliefs which must not be compromised to political expediency, or simply to swell its numbers.
I do not believe I have proposed anything that is contrary to what has been considered Republican principle. It is at the same time the very basis of conservatism. It is time to reassert that principle and raise it to full view. And if there are those who cannot subscribe to these principles, then let them go their way."
Well. These words, spoken by a man who enlightened an entire generation, are as meaningful and powerful today as they were when first delivered in 1975.
Back then, Republicans who misunderstood or chose not to heed the warning woven within his eloquence gave us Carter. Today, a newer version of that same old Republican club again chose to ignore President Reagan's prescience and gave us Obama.
The GOP must learn
The Republican Party had better get it through its collective establishment head that the days of conservatives and independents supporting what became nothing more than a distorted, fun-house mirror image of the Democrat Party are over.
The GOP establishment can continue to mock America's spiritual, rural, Southern, and conservative voting bloc, but only if it enjoys losing. Mind you, this is the same group who still can't figure out why Republican voter turnout actually decreased in 2008 from the turnout in 2004. Many of the establishment still:
Blame Governor Palin for being a drag on the McCain campaign. Sure she was - she dragged voters like me to my voting precinct. Without Palin on the ticket, fewer still would have bothered.
Believe it is political suicide for the GOP to actually stand for principles, limit spending, and curtail government growth. How did that work in the last two election cycles? There aren't too many GOP behinds in those plush Senate and House chairs, are there?
It is hoped that the Republican Party now understands. Power and with it national recovery will slip away in 2012 just as it did in 2006 and 2008 if you do not heed the will of the American majority. The American people are angry and will not stand for another betrayal.
Secret to good governance is no secret
First, re-read those three little paragraphs highlighted above - learn them, commit to them, and have the courage to act accordingly. Actively oppose any new regime schemes designed to abrogate individual liberty, hurt free enterprise, increase spending, increase the debt, increase taxes, or harm national sovereignty. Actively support legislation which empowers these seminal principles:
- Limiting spending;
- Limiting or reducing taxation;
- Limiting government intrusion in personal and private lives;
- Securing the nation's borders;
- Increasing domestic energy exploration and production;
- Adhering to the tenets enumerated in the Constitution;
- Leaving issues that should be handled locally in the care of state and local government; and
- Maintaining a strong military for national defense.
The American people have suffered with the "changes" that have adversely affected the nation, personal liberties, free enterprise, and the well-being of families. The Obama regime's expansion of the welfare state resulted in a significant reduction of American wealth, a diminution of American prestige, and ultimately a loss of freedom.
This must not stand. Starting in November, America is giving the GOP one last chance to prove they are different from the statist ruling class. However, if the Republican Party doesn't learn how to be conservative again, they will be nothing more than a badly-copied version of the Democrat Party - with the exception, of course, that they and the nation will be losers in 2012.
Free Congress in 19 more days.