The struggle for the soul of the Republican party

One of the greatest challenges which the Republican Party faces is that it has lost any degree of cohesion which it may have possessed. One of the main purposes of this website is to suggest a foundation upon which the party may strive for agreement.

The lack of party unity was clearly seen in the original field of candidates during the Caucus and Primary season of 2008. Republican voters tended to select candidates based on the “least objectionable” criteria instead of due to an admiration for a candidate’s complete position. When all we have to choose from is Romney, Huckabee and McCain we are doomed from the start.

In recent years, the “least objectionable” criteria has led to frequent defeats or near defeats. Although, George W. Bush won the 2000 general election it was almost a defeat.

In order for the Republican Party to find a Candidate around which the party voters will rally, we need to decide what we as a party consider consider the core principles of this party.

The last time that this party rallied behind a candidate who was not an incumbent during the General Election (with the same enthusiasm as that which occurred when Sarah Palin was introduced as the VP nominee during the 2008 convention) was after the 1980 convention. Since then, we have been relatively lukewarm concerning our non-incumbent presidential nominees. And occasionally luke-warm about our sitting presidents such as Gerald Ford and GHW Bush.

I would like to suggest Six fundamental planks upon which this party should begin to fashion a new vision. We need to find Candidates who will embrace all of these planks.

1. The Sovereignty of the Nation and the Citizenship of the Individual. Residency and Citizenship are two separate concepts and those who devalue citizenship by equating it with residency or personal responsibility are also devaluing sovereignty. Any time a party disenfranchises any citizens, it diminishes its support of Sovereignty. The “moral majority” wing of our party tends to disenfranchise citizens not based upon the issues but rather based upon religious affiliation or lack thereof.

2. Justice which shows no preference or partiality and which does not favor an individual due to group identity. We reject the concept of Distributive Justice as being based on Covetousness, Envy and Jealousy. Justice, as provided by the government, is retributive and is only to be wielded against those found guilty of breaking law or defrauding another.

3. Federalism which defends the rights of the Citizens against any state’s effort to deprive the individual of impartial justice, rights of national citizenship or liberty.

4. Liberty of the individual except where the individual tries to defraud or otherwise deprive others of their rights to Justice, Citizenship and Liberty.

5. That constitutionality should be determined by Original Textualism (aka Originalism.) The constitution contains two legal mechanisms for alter the wording of the constitution. If the people or the nation desire to change what it says, then such a change should occur through one of the ways thus provided. Any Judge who attempts to change the constitution as it has been amended simply by judicial fiat should be considered guilty of judicial tyranny. Also, that the judiciary does not have the right to declare that any article or amendment is moot. Every article and every amendment has the force of law until it is changed by an amendment or a constitutional convention. This includes the Ninth and Tenth amendments. Failure to recognize the enforceability of these amendments is impeachable.

6. The Federal Government’s operation needs to be fiscally balanced and the continued employment of its employees needs to be accountable to the electorate or to their current elected officials. Any system which tends to exempt federal employees from being replaced either by the election process or by a congressional or presidential appointment process needs to be amended.

Additionally, the party must emphasize the difference between the freedom of the individual and the independence of the nation. Too often, the word “freedom” has been used to emphasize national Sovereignty and not the Liberty of the individual.

Ronald Reagan was known as “The Great Communicator.” Clarity of Communication requires consistency of word definition. If the party is going to succeed in communicating to the general populace the message of the party it is needful that we use words consistently. Therefore, let us make a clear distinction between the freedom of the individual and the independence of our country. Otherwise those socialists who support national sovereignty will misappropriate the word “freedom” to refer to an independent nation which enslaves its citizens to the state.

Other conservative voices tend to focus on contemporary issues, but I am striving to produce a platform which can last for decades. Many contemporary issues will be seen as irrelevant in a quarter century, but I think that there are fundamental principles which can guide the party for a much longer time.

As a party it is necessary that we find a candidate who will enthusiastically support Limited federal government, Defense of the independence of the USA, Justice for all and not just for those who can afford a team of hundreds of lawyers, and the Liberty of individuals to make their own decisions even when they are foolish. The candidate which we need will be a candidate who unapologetically and optimistically communicates this message to all the voters and not just to the party base.

In the 2008 caucus and primary elections, none of the three front-runners (Romney, Huckabee and McCain) supported all six of these planks throughout his political career.