Diversity for a Grand New Party

Founded on Abraham Lincoln’s principles, the Republican Party once was the party of the people. Civil liberties and equality were the ideological cornerstones that made the GOP attractive to persons from all walks of life. But that was before the party was hijacked by those with the narrow views of Pat Buchanan.

As California begins electing statewide officials and choosing presidential candidates with the open primary system, the Republicans need to wake up if they hope to capture political office in the future.

Since the 1960s, the party has been perceived as embodying the opposite of Lincoln’s maxims. Republicans are viewed as largely white, middle to upper class country-club people, the type who do not welcome members of minority groups. Instead of encouraging universal participation from the vast pool of talented people in America, the current party leadership finds it fashionable to include only those who will hew to its narrow views.

We all know that free thought is the basis of our democratic system. Yet some elements of the Republican Party are unwilling to budge on issues such as abortion, which should not be the subject of laws but left to the moral consciences of individuals. Such issues do not directly concern the basic philosophies of our party. Poll after poll shows that too many of the current policymakers in the party have lost touch with the true goals of the party. We want to promote a free market, with businesses and an economy that flourishes unencumbered by overzealous government regulations, leading to prosperity for all citizens. We believe in lower taxes and the least amount of government possible due to our optimistic belief in Americans’ ability to take care of themselves. We also believe in a strong national defense and effective law enforcement. These are the benchmarks of our party, and it is only these beliefs by which we should run and be judged.

I strongly believe in the principle of family values; I just do not think that anyone has the right to legislate these values. To me, traditional family values are exemplified by a code of behavior. They may be chiseled in stone or carried in the heart. They are passed from generation to generation, evolve and adapt with the times and are the threads that hold society together.

A perfect example of this is the active role that women play in our society today in comparison with the subservience that was common only 40 years ago. The family is now a more sharing, cooperative unit for both the husband and wife, which is of infinitely greater value.

We, the Republican majority, cannot afford to allow the extreme fringe factions to impose their views on our party and fail to evolve with the rest of us. This will result in the banishment of the party to permanent runner-up status.

So how to remedy this situation? First, Republicans must show that there truly are wide opportunities for anyone who shares our basic philosophy. There is no excuse for the thinness of minority representation among our ranks. It is ludicrous to believe that there are not thousands of blacks and Latinos who believe in a free enterprise system and a competitive open market. It is the GOP’s responsibility to call on those who are qualified to represent us in public office.

More important, we must demonstrate that our party will not tolerate bigotry or prejudice among our representatives. No longer can we allow our party policy to be broadly inflammatory to any social group. We cannot allow the poor judgment of the extreme factions to be interpreted as the bias of the party as a whole.

As Republicans and Americans, we should respect the time-honored concepts of limited government, support for individual freedom and the basic belief that all are created equal. We must recognize that there will be differences of opinion among people of different creeds and national origins or sexual orientations, but none of these factors preclude them from championing the basic inalienable rights of the individual.

These differences are the life’s blood of our democratic system and have been since the first Constitutional Convention was held.

California Republicans in particular need to stand back and look at themselves in the mirror. With the new era of open primaries upon us, we must bridge the gap with disenfranchised voters who hold our true precepts as their own. The extremist minority of the party will be forced to follow us if only we have the courage to lead. With a unified effort, the Grand Old Party can become the “Grand New Party” that will lead the nation into the 21st century.