Andrew Sullivan today: "WHAT REPUBLICANISM NOW IS"
Just read this story about the Texas Republican Party. Their convention began with prayers and invocations, as any religious gathering might do. One pastor who spoke to the group said the following: "Give us Christians in America who are more wholehearted, more committed and more militant for you and your kingdom than any fanatical Islamic terrorists are for death and destruction. I want to be one of those Christians." Then read the platform, proposing, among other things, "new restrictions on lawsuits brought over exposure to asbestos" and making it a felony for anyone to perform a marriage for a same-sex couple. If you want to know why someone who loved Ronald Reagan can no longer support the Republican Party, then the extremism of George W. Bush's own party in his home state is Exhibit A. Republicans who say that these people do not represent the GOP as a whole can prove this by taking them on. But they won't, will they? They never do."Never do"? That is simply not true. I've personally taken on social conservatives within the party when I felt it was appropriate, and I'm hardly alone. This is the first year I've gone to Republican caucuses or conventions and I'm already doing my own modest part to help move the party in a more moderate, inclusive direction. At the King County convention last month I spoke out against a platform amendment to ban "physician assisted suicide" (Do you really want John Ashcroft's agent in your hospital room ordering the doctor to cut back on your medication when you're dying and in agony? I don't). I moved to strike language from the platform that endorsed a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. (Reasonable people can disagree about marriage laws and customs, but forgive me, we Americans have always been capable of planning our own weddings without having to consult the Constitution). Both of my motions failed, but many other people in the room also spoke out with me.
The platform that did emerge was not entirely to my liking but was widely regarded as far more moderate than any King County Republican platform in years. And the state party is now firmly in the hands of people who have been working for years to moderate the party and keep it focused on the core issues of economic opportunity and national security. (follow the news about this year's Senate primary and you'll see what I mean).
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at June 07, 2004 12:11 PMIf I ever actually take the jump and become a Republican, it will be because of people like you. Thank you for doing your part for the GOP...I will keep doing mine trying to pull like hell to keep the Democrats sane on national defense!
We both must be suckers for difficult causes :-)
Posted by: Mike Silverman on June 7, 2004 01:06 PMI became a committed Republican after becoming convinced it was easier to reform the Republican party to fit my vision of America than to reform the Democrats. Arnold Schwartzenegger fits comfortably in the GOP. The other side has ceased to be as open to dissenters from party orthodoxy.
Posted by: Andy MacDonald on June 7, 2004 06:57 PMIs it just me, or is Andrew Sullivan slowly turning into a bitter, somewhat deranged old man?
Posted by: Matt J Kurlander on June 8, 2004 06:52 AMinteresting, andy, i find that the republican party seems to be limited to 'christians' despite the efforts of folks like the shark. i am increasingly uncomfortable with the absence of secularism in the republican party.
the democrats, it seems, to lack a coherent message and/or vision, and as such, are limited to the 'old players' who generate big dollars for their coffers.
Posted by: dinesh on June 8, 2004 10:30 AMDinesh, it probably depends on what part of the country you are in. In Seattle the Democrats are very well organized and on message: tax and regulate while dismissing the threat of terrorism as a phantasm concocted by Dick Cheney for his oil buddies. The GOP are open to new ideas and hungry for votes. A recent leadership change ousted religious conservatives in favor of neo-conservatives who are more open to dissent (but a majority still favors social conservativism).
Despite Andrew "Grandpa Simpson" Sullivan's rants, I am still not convinced the Christian Right is anything more than a left-wing boogeyman. Sure, there is a Christian constituency to the Republican party, and it is treated approximately the same way the Democratic party treats its African American consitituency. It pays them just enough lip-service and appoints just enough of them to well-paid but ineffectual positions to keep them on the reservation but has no intention of giving them any real power.
Posted by: Matt J Kurlander on June 9, 2004 04:43 AMHello all. For those of you who don't already know me I am the 43rd State Leg District GOP Candidate for Representative. AND I'm one of those moderates that some of you think don't exist. Yes, it's unfortunate that some in our party wish to hijack it for their own extremists needs but lest we forget that the first "fundamentalist Christian" president was a man named Jimmy.
I encourage all of you with sense to help me stem the tide of government interference in both our bedrooms and our checkbooks (like a TRUE conservative) by coming out to my campaign kick-off on June 17th at Gasworks Park and, most importantly going to the polls on Nov. 2nd and casting your vote for Griswold, Rossi, Nethercutt and yes, even Bush, because while he may not share our views on gay marriage I believe that part of his fervor on this matter is simply kowtowing to his base (and let's face it, the last time a constitutional amendment RESTRICTING behavior passed it was repealed less than a decade later). Plus, the free world can't afford a man like Kerry in office during these difficult times of terror.