Is the Republican Party out of balance?
Jonathan Pait
September 10, 2003
My, my, my, this Estrada business got the editor of SC Hotline all hot! That isn't all that has Republicans (and non-republican conservatives) in a tizzy. You can read the SC Hotline article here.
The other story that is getting some attention is the editorial found in the Manchester Union Leader on August 31. You can check it out here and another one here. Another story (a newspaper reporting about itself) appeared on September 5.
My good, though libertarian, friend Joe Lolli is exercised about this one. He sent the following to Dan Moon and "Rocky-D" of WTMA Radio.
Well, it's finally official. The Republican Party is no longer the Party of Ronald Reagan. It's no longer the party of smaller government, lower taxes and upholding the constitution.
Based on what the new Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie said to the conservative Manchester Union Leader newspaper, it's no longer the party of conservatives. It's now just the party of "the lesser of the two evils." The Republican Party is now just the "right wing" of the Democratic Party. I guess I'll have to rethink my definition of the word "RINO".
Swinging by National Review this morning I came across Ramesh Ponnuru's response - well, not that he knew it was a response to Joe - The Reaganite RNC. I guess we'll have to wait on the response from Gillespie. At the time of this posting, the promised letter written to the paper did not appear in their online edition this morning. (I still have not found this letter. If you can find a copy, please pass it along.)
I share the frustration of SC Hotline and others on this Estrada deal. This type of action lends credence to the position of The Union Leader. It all comes down to a matter of trust.
Many of us voted for George Bush with some reservation. The word was out that he was not as strong of a conservative as we would like. However, we kept hearing from the RNC that this was not so. What we have ended up with is a mixed bag. Indeed, Bush has shown himself to be conservative on some issues, but on others he has really blown it!
The whole Republican Party seems to have taken on the same characteristics. Some days I find myself cheering the Party on. On other days, I want to throw up my hands and quit.
Ramesh makes some good points. I'm not ready to take the "Ralph Challenge" quite yet. However, the Republican Party needs to realize that this isn't just a party. It isn't gang warfare where one gang wants to be the only gang left standing - no matter what it takes. There must be a balance between principle and pragmatism. There must be adherence to a platform and that shapes our desire to advance our popularity.
Right now, the Republican Party appears to be out of balance. Whether it is real or perceived, it is something that the Party must address on the lowest level. I'm not so sure how long I can wait.
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