The Right Candor

“We will not be assimilated!” This was the cry that rang from the crew of the starship Enterprise to the half man, half machine Borg Collective.  This exclamation is not far from the truth today as the Republican Party faces its hardest challenge since the days of Goldwater. 

In 1964 the Republican Party was so divided that Goldwater lost in a landslide election to Lyndon B. Johnson carrying only 6 states.  Years later, during the 2004 Republican National Convention, columnist George F. Will stated, “Barry’s back.”  That statement could have been said again during this past election.  The divisions between the fiscal and social conservatives within the Republican Party became grossly apparent during the 2008 election cycle and continue to plague the party today. Winston Churchill said “Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.” 

Every Sunday morning I take solace and spend some time watching This Week with George Stephanopoulos.  I don’t really know why I term this solace since I spend most of my time disagreeing with Donna Brazile or whoever is on the show that day and does not answer the question posed to them.  This past week, Arnold Schwarzenegger was on talking about the porkulous package and other things (like having a cameo in a Sylvester Stallone film, there is a good use of California tax dollars).  One of Arnold’s quotes is as follows (please insert heavy Austrian accent.)  “And I have told you that many times that when you’re in the center, you get attacked from the left and you get attacked from the right. And this is a good sign, actually, because that means that you’re in the right place.”

Well, the center is not where we need to be as a party or as a people.  The reason that representative government works so well is that we have ideologies, a personality if you will. However, Mr. Schwarzenegger and others will have you believe that we need to abandon our beliefs and run toward the center.  He stated, “So you’ve got to do what the people want you to do rather than getting stuck in your ideology.”

Wrong Mr. Schwarzenegger, we do NOT live in a democracy, we live in a Constitutional Republic. We the People elect those that we think will do the best job of representing our views and beliefs in Washington. 

President Abraham Lincoln stated “a house divided against itself cannot stand.”  Lincoln was of course speaking about the War Between the States, but the parallel rings clear.  It is high time that we, the Republicans take back our party.  Win or lose, if we stand on a set of principals and lose an election we are net winners.  We have not sacrificed our views or beliefs for the hopes of more votes.  

As the dawn breaks on a new day of socialism in America, I leave you with this.  Upon exiting the Constitutional Convention. Benjamin Franklin was asked by a woman, “What kind of government have you given us?” Franklin responded with one of the most famous quotations in history, “A Republic if you can keep it.”