Party Loyalty is Sometimes a Sad, Sad Thing

For the last several weeks the Republican National Committee has been running a website where rank and file Republicans can submit text and video ideas that will be reviewed by the Republican Platform Committee as part of their work to develop the party platform to be unveiled at the 2008 party convention.

I signed up for an account when it first was announced in an RNC press release. I was really curious to see what kinds of suggestions would come from the everyday Republicans who have some distance from the financial corruption that seems to have become a hallmark for so many Republicans holding federal office. I’d long been convinced that once you go down a few layers in either the Democratic Party of the Republican Party you will find people who hold remarkably similar values and positions. (Warning: If you sign up for an account you WILL receive several fund raising emails from the McCain campaign.)

When I popped in today I was very happy to see some Republicans speaking out on issues in a way that calls back to the days of small government and personal liberty that were such an important part of the GOP in the pre-Reagan years.

Here are a sampling of some of the best:

Douglas – Plainfield, NJ on August 1, 2008

Values : Same-sex Marriage
The idea that prohibiting same-sex marriage could be construed as “protecting American values” disgusts me as an American committed to the values of freedom and equality. The state has no place telling gay couples that they are lesser citizens than their heterosexual friends and neighbors. Opposition to same-sex marriage on the part of the GOP is a prime example of the manipulation of bigotry in the hearts of certain voters for electoral gain, and is recognized by many observers as such. If the GOP wants to be seen as a party of serious ideas, it ought to drop opposition to same-sex marriage.

Values : Religious Liberty
Republicans should refrain from calling the USA a Christian country. It is not. I doubt some submitters’ claims that the founders would be rolling in their graves to hear me say this. Very early on, in a treaty with Morocco, both a Muslim state and an early ally of ours (a friendship forged at a time when support for our country was sparse), we indicated that we were not a Christian country, but a country open to all religions. Were we guided by values provided by our founders’ faiths? Most certainly, but are we bound by their faith? Absolutely not. Talk of the United States as a Christian country create animosity abroad and offends patriotic citizens of other faiths at home, and is thus inappropriate and unwarranted.

Jose H. – Pinecrest, FL on August 1, 2008

Values, Other
Here are a few common sense ideas that we can have on our platform and compete with the Democrats because most Americans want them and value them: 1. support Scientific research, including stem cell research 2. support clean air and water; reduce CO2 emmisions 3. support education and teachers at all levels 4. support workers rights to form unions 5. support diversifying oil alternatives (e.g.nuclear power plants) 6. support NAFTA 7. support U.S. citizen privacy issues 8. support universal health care 9. improve our relationships with our allies 10.curb the spread of nuclear power 11. take out Al Quada wherever it hides Let us not get beat on simple issues which are true to American values.

Robert – Raleigh, NC on August 1, 2008

Energy: Other
Gas taxes are used to fund the nation’s infrastructure. The current state of our nation’s roadway system is proof that infrastructure maintenance and construction is woefully underfunded. Repealing the gas tax would be a mistake.

Energy : Global warming
Subsidize clean energies, and reduce or cut out subsidies to fuels that contribute greenhouse gases to the environment.

Energy : Wind/Solar
The government should attempt to make these cleaner fuels more competitive with conventional fossil fuels. Fast-tracking clean power plants would be an important part of bringing these clean fuels to the market faster, and would reduce the initial investments required to bring these online.

Values : Same-sex Marriage
I do not feel that a constitutional amendment is necessary. If a state chooses to allow same-sex marriage that is the right of the state. If a state chooses not to observe same-sex marriage, that should be the right of the state. The federal government should not be in the business of restricting an individual’s rights when it does not interfere with the public’s welfare.

Values : Right to Bear Arms
I agree with the position of the current Supreme Court of an individual’s right to bear arms. However, it worries me that every individual has his or her own agenda when they purchase a gun. The individual’s right must be weighed against the public’s right to feel safe.

Douglas – Fort Lewis, WA on August 1, 2008

Values: Flag Protection
is my brand of patriotism that thinks that a Flag Burning Amendment is not only a bad idea, but is a potentially dangerous movement as well. When we boil down to it, flag desecration is a form of political expression, a founding principle of America. I know the folks that actually do it are stupid, but we’ve got to acknowledge that stupid people have rights too. The government should not try and be a rapist and make those unbathed hippies love the flag and what it stands for. We must ask ourselves: what’s the point of freedom of speech if we only protect political speech we agree with?

Rex – Weston, MA on August 1,2008

Values: Abortion
This is the greatest single weakness in this election. I believe that McCain was chosen because he was not captive to the current party ideology on such issues and abortion and birth control. Being against both is both intrusive and anit-Republican in the sense of impinging on personal freedom. It turns off more voters than it turns on. What would resonate with the electorate would be to go back to controlling the Federal government’s tendency to intrude ever more into our lives, through taxes AND programs. Please, if you want to have any hope of success soft pedal the “family values” code words for Federal intrusion to mold everyone to a minority view of correctness!!!

Anonymous on August 1, 2008

Health Care: Health care reform
Health care reform is desperately needed. And privatization, where there is a profit motive, will not work. My wife recently had a baby, and we had a few medical complications involved with the pregnancy. All throughout the process, our concern ended up not of being “what is the best medical care we can receive” but instead “will the insurance company cover this procedure”. And our doctor wasted significant amounts of time fighting with the insurance company to obtain coverage for medically necessary verifications. For the most part, the rest of the civilized world has some form of federal medical insurance. Even the US does in the form of Medicare, which until the prescription drug benefit was added, generally was a successful program. Instead of reinventing the wheel (or as some would say breaking the wheel) and using tax incentives and other gimmicks to give tax breaks to the upper classes, lets do the right thing. There are certain problems too large for the private sector to solve. Medical insurance has been proven to be one of those issues.

I don’t want to put words in the mouths of these individuals but from where I sit, it appears that there are people out there looking for major reforms to the GOP. I wish them luck. I think many old-school Republicans are waking up and taking a look at what has become of their party. With any luck, some will take a look at the issues at stake in November and vote for Obama, but I bet there will be even more who vote the party ticket even if they have to hold their nose to do it.