The United States is challenged by some
very critical issues that will have both tremendous short-term and long-term
consequences. To develop the best
solutions for these problems, our country needs a robust debate between two
political parties that are willing to confront the issues as they exist. Unfortunately, only one party is looking
realistically at America and the problems we face. The Republican Party has become captive of
the religious fringe and generous corporate benefactors and appears to be
operating in some parallel universe. The
American public is cognizant of this political vacuum. The Republican candidate has gotten over half
of the votes cast in just one general election since 1988. One only has to compare the attendees at the
post-election “victory” parties for the 2012 presidential election to
appreciate to whom the respective parties addressed their messages. One party reflected the true diversity and
energy of these United States. The other
was an animated Norman Rockwell painting from the 1950s with varying shades of
white skin and grey hair.
 |
| The dead elephant. |
The Republican’s U.S. is “not a
traditional America anymore,” according to Fox News Bill O’Reilly. It no longer rewards hard work and has become
a country of takers (“the 47%”?) who want “gifts”. It only follows that this perspective would
generate the GOP 2012 campaign promise to “take our country back” --- to a more
homogeneous society with greater intolerance of minorities, where women were
not a majority of the voters, young people were not engaged in politics, and a
place with a middle class that was not decimated by trickle-down economics and
income inequality similar to what existed before the Great Depression. (Interestingly, the desire to take America
back in time does not include reimplementation of the tax policies in effect
then - a top marginal tax rate of 91% and corporate taxes which were twice as
large, relative to national income, as modern years.)
The president is a Kenyan-Muslim, atheist socialist,
and global warming and man-induced climate change do not exist in this
world. Regarding the latter, the
scientific community is virtually unanimous in asserting that the earth is
warming, and over 90% of scientists believe it has a human cause. Unfortunately, in today’s GOP, scientific
evidence has been replaced by the wisdom of such luminaries as Donald Trump
(“The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to
make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.”).
An October 2012 Pew Research poll reveals that only 42% of Romney
supporters say there is strong evidence of global warming and only 18%
acknowledge human origin. This is in
stark contrast with the respective 88% and 63% responses by Obama
supporters. Tax cuts are the universal
panacea for all economic ailments in the Republican realm even though they
require ignoring the recent recession and massive borrowing binge they
engendered. Contrary opinions such as
the recent report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service that found
no relationship between tax rates and economic growth are censored and
quashed. The “takers” in this world
include hordes of undocumented voters who are stealing US elections. Thirty-seven states enacted or considered
tougher voter ID laws in response to GOP scare tactics. In reality, since 2000 there have been only ten
cases of voter impersonation in the US.
Of course, the GOP is home to medical scholars like Representatives Akin
and Bachmann who provided valuable insight into such toxic and imaginary concepts
as “legitimate rape” and mental retardation is caused by the HPV vaccine,
respectively. The Romney campaign
summarized the GOP attitude towards reality: "We're not going to let our campaign be dictated by
fact-checkers."
To have an impact outside their
ever-shrinking constituency, the GOP has to show the American people that it has
their back and a genuine concern for all Americans. America includes the increasing number of
women who are having children without marrying the fathers, gays and lesbians
who are not willing to stay in the closet, and Latinos and Asian Americans who
want their slice of the American Dream, for example. In response to an October 2012 Pew Research
poll which asked Americans to identify the most important problem facing the
US, the two leading responses with 25% each were the lack of jobs and the
economy. In fifth place with only 8% of
the responses was the Republican priority of “deficit and national
debt/balanced budget/government spending”.
Addressing the concerns of most
Americans would enhance the relevancy of the Republican Party in our political
discourse. A political party rooted in
conservatism guided by a less government philosophy can make a meaningful
contribution in this debate, provided it takes the country as it exists. Social issues need not be ignored; however,
the GOP will continue to marginalize itself if it uses them as a wedge to
divide us. Promoting the liberty of the
individual is an American value, as long as it does not require interference
with others. This is in the best
interests of America and the GOP.
Focusing upon the unborn straight, white baby’s unfettered right to bear
arms and study creationism in public school continues the GOP’s role as a
roadblock and, in effect, makes it responsible for the President’s legislative
failures.
Government is to serve people and make
their lives better. We do not live in a
theoretical world in which everyone has an equal opportunity or adequate
resources. Sometimes, we need government;
there are things that private-industry cannot do effectively - provide infrastructure,
access to health care, equal opportunity for an education, and assistance when
unemployed. Americans need a safety net
that may be the only barrier preventing crime and civil chaos in these
uncertain economic conditions. These are
real problems confronting millions of Americans. The GOP does a disservice to our nation through
their antipathy to government and by bogging us down in culture war
distractions and the politics of division.
Abraham Lincoln is often called the
“Father of the Republican Party”. Our
sixteenth president appreciated that government has a significant role to play
in moving the country forward. Under Lincoln
the United States took an active role in protecting minorities from the
majority, created an income tax, and embarked on significant infrastructure
projects (what would be labeled economic stimulus today) such as the
transcontinental railroad, etc. Doris
Kearns Goodwin, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for her Team of Rivals book regarding the Lincoln presidency, notes Lincoln
“believed government had a role in helping people rise to the level of their
talent … [a] sort of equal-opportunity role.”
Lincoln would not be welcome in the Republican Party today, and all
Americans are poorer for it.
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