Republicans need to distinguish themselves more if they want to retain voters
I wanted to attend the Speak Up, Speak Out forum concerning political identities as a Democrat or Republican. But, unfortunately, I couldn’t due to class conflicts. With that said, the Central Michigan Life story previewing the event pretty much told me what I expected: Many Republicans can’t differentiate themselves from the Democrats.
The GOP Web site makes a slew of claims contradictory within themselves to those whose best known members pretty much kicked out the door. For example, the site claims people know how to handle their money better than government. I too believe that individuals can manage money better than Uncle Sam, but how do the Republicans act in practical application?
They gave us a $700 billion bailout that is leveraged on our kids’ future earnings signed by a Republican president.
When you have a Republican president claiming he is “abandoned free market principles to save the free market system,” what is there to differentiate themselves from the Democrats? It should not be any surprise why the Republicans lost back in November, and it is not because they didn’t go for the moderate vote.
Rather, it is because the small-L libertarians, who might have normally voted Republican, couldn’t find the differentiation between a candidate who sponsored legislation assaulting free speech (McCain-Feingold) and a candidate who made hollow promises of “hope and change” and socialized medicine.
Bob Barr got their votes.
Then, of course, there’s the whole thing with Newt Gingrich hopping on the “We need to do something to stop global warming now!” bandwagon. Ok, Newt. Are you writing for the Daily Kos now? Don’t get me wrong, there are those with the Republican label that actually stand for limited government and free markets — Ron Paul and Jack Hoogendyk are two that come to mind — but, unfortunately, a majority of the Republicans out there bear no real differentiation from the leftists.
Contrary to what some net commentators think, who don’t even have the courage enough to write a letter under their name, I happen to fall into that “small-L” libertarian category.
Yes, Virginia, I did call out Bush on his bailout.
Many Republicans clamor the party needs to take a “big-tent” approach. That’s ridiculous. That approach inherently means the party does not have any core principles on which it distinguishes itself. If that’s the case, I might as well vote Libertarian. Then I at least know that I’m not getting some rino like Olympia Snowe.
If the Republicans put up another candidate like John McCain for president in 2012, I’ll be voting Libertarian. If the party wants to win, it needs to get back to the principles of limited government instead of trying to appease the leftists.
We saw what appeasement got us in World War II.
