Part the Party

by Lance Thompson

Though the left considers "Republican" and "conservative" synonymous, those terms have become increasingly distinct since the success of the 1994 Contract With America. It was the last time that conservative principles governed GOP politics.

More recently, majorities of Republicans voted to override President Bush’s veto of the farm bill, and GOP Senators and Congressmen showed no aversion to earmarks and pork during their years in the majority. President Bush himself has disappointed conservatives with his reluctance to halt illegal immigration and his enthusiasm for the prescription drug program. Conservative voices in the GOP are few, and conservative presidential candidates lost to "moderate" John McCain, who seems sympathetic to at least 50% of the liberal agenda, and was arguably the MSM’s favorite Republican until he decided to actually oppose a Democrat in a national election.

President Bush ran as a "compassionate conservative" in 2000, a distinction that implied that conservatives were not ordinarily compassionate. For 2008, a similar distinction could be of great help. Let GOP candidates declare themselves "conservative Republicans," in recognition of the fact that all Republicans are not conservative.

To avail themselves of that characterization, candidates would have to endorse a set of conservative principles, and define their political beliefs. Many conservatives have identified such principles, from Ronald Reagan and former house speaker Newt Gingrich to radio talk show hosts Dennis Prager and Sean Hannity. Certainly such a list would include a strong national defense, energetic prosecution of the war on terror, reducing the size of government and the burden of excessive regulation, lowering taxes, breaking the teachers’ unions’ hammerlock on public education, eliminating welfare, ending judicial activism and legislating from the bench, protecting the sanctity of life, and achieving energy independence.

The most generous support for candidates and campaigns always comes from the ideological extremes of either party. True believers contribute to causes close to their hearts, moderates and middle-of-the-roaders have little at stake ideologically. Certainly this is true of the Democrats, whose campaigns find the greatest financial bounty from the extreme Left, typified by the millions George Soros pours into losing presidential campaigns. The same would be true on the Right, where conservative Republicans would claim the lion’s share of conservative generosity.

This would give other Republicans, by definition the less conservative Republicans, a choice–shun the conservatives or join them. But Republicans who repudiate conservatives would be admitting that they have little in common with the base, and effectively cut themselves off from that source of campaign funds. There is no money from the middle, and they certainly could not expect any from the Left.

Political prognosticators predict massive losses for congressional Republicans in November, which makes GOP candidates timid and leads some to abandon conservative principle. They calculate that appearing less conservative will make them less objectionable, possibly swayed by polls that show voters prefer the generic Democrat candidate for congress to the Republican by double digits.

But Republicans have failed to stand up for conservative principles. They behaved as Democrats did, and were voted out in 2006. When they lost the majority, they became even more timid, and thus further lost their identities as conservatives. As they sidle to the left, renegade Republicans alienate their base, and they don’t increase their appeal to the other side. Democrats won’t vote for Republicans who abandon their principles over Democrats who cling to theirs. The parties vote for candidates who stand for the party principles.

Conservative Republicans won’t be a majority in the new congress, but the GOP has little chance of regaining the majority anyway. And even if Republicans do take back one or both houses of congress, what does that achieve for conservative voters? We gain nothing by electing Republicans who aren’t conservative. Even a minority of conservative Republicans can begin to rebuild the party based on conservative principles.

The Democrats, despite a desperate primary battle, are riding high in the polls, and not because they have rushed to the middle. The more moderate of their two presidential contenders, the one with the greater experience, pedigree and range of political allies, lost to a rival who represents the extreme base of the Democrat party. Democrats in Congress happily cater to their far Left base. They did not reach this position by trying to appear more moderate.

If we believe in conservative principles, we should stand up for them and insist our representatives do the same. If they do not, they have no right to ask for our support or our votes.

Comments

[Steve]

Why are so many predicting further losses in the Senate and House for Republicans this fall when it is a "Do Nothing"
DEMOCRATIC majority in congress that is largely responsible for an 18% approval rating and 75% disapproval rating?