Kevin Price
How the GOP can become relevant again
By Kevin Price
I am often asked why I am so hard on the Republican Party. It becomes hard not to do such, with the Rodney Dangerfield of political parties.
Unlike the Democrats, the GOP seems to be a party without a soul. The Democrats seem to know exactly what they want (government control of virtually everything) and exactly when they want it (now!). The GOP says it wants less government, but the reality is it only wants "less" compared to the Democrats. The GOP says it is "for the Constitution," but it is impossible to tell such from the vast majority of their voting records.
The Democrats articulate their positions with the passion of Vladimir Lenin. Their words match their deeds and the results are very convincing. Meanwhile, most Republicans tend to use the language of Barry Goldwater these days, but their voting records are very moderate. Most members of the Republican Party seem uncomfortable as they talk about limited government, private property, free enterprise, and Constitutional limits. They don't "walk the talk" and so the speeches tend to fall on very deaf ears.
The GOP can become a party that matters again by taking several simple, but important steps:
© Kevin Price
March 3, 2011
I am often asked why I am so hard on the Republican Party. It becomes hard not to do such, with the Rodney Dangerfield of political parties.
Unlike the Democrats, the GOP seems to be a party without a soul. The Democrats seem to know exactly what they want (government control of virtually everything) and exactly when they want it (now!). The GOP says it wants less government, but the reality is it only wants "less" compared to the Democrats. The GOP says it is "for the Constitution," but it is impossible to tell such from the vast majority of their voting records.
The Democrats articulate their positions with the passion of Vladimir Lenin. Their words match their deeds and the results are very convincing. Meanwhile, most Republicans tend to use the language of Barry Goldwater these days, but their voting records are very moderate. Most members of the Republican Party seem uncomfortable as they talk about limited government, private property, free enterprise, and Constitutional limits. They don't "walk the talk" and so the speeches tend to fall on very deaf ears.
The GOP can become a party that matters again by taking several simple, but important steps:
- Become very consistent. They should advocate limited government, even if it is not always popular. This will make it a party the people will respect, which is greatly needed at this time.
- Become true believers in the Constitution. The Democrats despise the Constitution, in fact they do not even understand it. Chris Coons, who is running for US Senate in Delaware ask voters "which Constitution do you support?' When politicians ask this, people think that the Constitution is a massive document with hundreds of amendments and thousands of pages. It is less than 20 pages long and with 27 amendments. It is simple and it works, the GOP must believe it.
- The GOP needs to be candid. It needs to speak the truth about the left's liberal policies, call the Democrat's agenda "socialist" when appropriate, and honestly educate the people about the direction this country is going.
- To provide real options to voters and not merely a weaker image of the Democrats. Phyllis Schlafly eloquent classic, "A Choice not an Echo," showed us that the American people are looking for a real alternative to the status quo, which is simply calling for more government.
© Kevin Price
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