Chas, I cannot disagree with you on any particular point - I agree with the concept of Hispanics being the next best thing for the GOP. Also - I would rather back Republicans than Democrats every day of the week.Charles L. Cotton wrote:I've been a political animal for over 30 years. In the last dozen or so years, I've noticed a growing number of Libertarians (or libertarians, if you prefer) trying to get the GOP to accept libertarian positions on certain issues. I suspect this is happening because all but the most ardent libertarians realize that party/movement/philosophy is so schizophrenic that it doesn't appeal to conservatives or liberals. There's plenty in the Libertarian Party Platform for everyone to hate. So it appears libertarians try to stress their fiscally conservative belief to Republicans hoping that no one will ever see their ultra-liberal stance on social issues. It hasn't worked and it never will. You won't get core Republicans to abandon family values. (Family values isn't limited to abortion and gay marriage, a fact that seems to escape some folks.)
Making the GOP overall more liberal on social issues would be the end of the Party. There's already a party for that philosophy and it's the Democratic Party. Libertarians are fiscally conservative and ultra-liberal on many social issues, and absolute anarchists on others. Their platform and message doesn't sell as evidenced by the fact that they can't win. Adopting Libertarian viewpoints would also bring about the death of the GOP.
Like it or not, I do and some don't, the core of the Republican Party, and Hispanics in the Democratic Party, are God-fearing socially conservative Christians. You don't grow the GOP by alienating the core while trying to turn it into a Libertarian-Light Party. The only way to increase the numbers and political strength and impact of the GOP is to attract our only natural ally, the Hispanic community.
Most Americans and the vast majority of Republicans have precious little in common with libertarians, whether with a big or little "L." If that were not true, the Libertarian Party would have made gains in the political arena and it hasn't. Becoming more liberal or libertarian would be counterproductive, would alienate the core of the GOP and the Hispanic community we so desperately need, and kill the GOP.
To my fellow long-time conservatives, if you think we are still the silent majority and are growing in number, you're kidding yourself. The numbers in the last election prove it. There was no huge block of conservative voters who stayed home on election day. We are outnumbered by true Democrats and those who vote for Democratic candidates because they offer something they want. We can't reach all of them because there's just too many things to divide us, but we can make great inroads into the Hispanic community.
Abortion and gay marriage was brought up and I will agree that those issues are best left to the states. The national government has no business getting involved, whether by Congress or the U.S. Supreme Court. We can fight those battles at home and in Texas, we'll win. In California, it will be a different story, but those differences do not make them federal issues.
I'll say it until the day I die. Hispanics are natural Republicans because they share the same beliefs held by the core of the Republican Party. The gap between us is the immigration issue and we either accept that fact and fix it, or the GOP will gradually die over the coming years and it will take the values we share with it.
Chas.
Unfortunately, as long as the GOP headlines with anti-abortion and anti-immigration stances, they are losing huge swaths of voters they need. If they simply left it to the states, and focused on the core functions of Federal Government, I personally feel they would be a more reasonable choice for many. How many folks are going to ignore all of the great ideas you have if you polarize them on a major issue close to their heart?
The ultra-conservative, fundamentalist-Right movement that was in play this election fell on it's face; the Tea Party is a joke, and folks want compromise. Until the GOP can stand back and respect the rights of the States to govern individual rights on their own, instead of forcing down major issues such as DOMA, abortion, etc....those should not be legislative issues - those are individual rights, period. The people have spoken. Time for the GOP to accept that and move on - or the part WILL fall. Immigration is a legislative issue, and they should have headlined with that.
I would hate to see the GOP marginalize themselves into obscurity by trying to stick to an all-or-nothing policy on Christian-based family values. What values my family follows and espouses is none of the Federal Government's business, never has been, never should be. Christian or otherwise.