Posted on 09/08/2012 5:58:03 PM PDT by xzins
In-your-face liberalism was on full display in Charlotte this week. Democrats offered a truly radical vision of the future that would fundamentally remake American society, and challenged Republicans to engage them on issues from abortion on demand to abolishing the Biblical definition of marriage.
Anyone watching and listening to the Democratic National Convention would have thought that social conservatives run Washington and that we are a vote or two away from stopping this vision of the liberal “progress” the country would make under President Obama.
The reality is Republicans have yet to offer a contrasting vision, and probably won’t.
As always, the GOP establishment, firm in its belief that the only way to win is to run a content-free campaign, and uncomfortable talking about matters, such as abortion, that rarely enter the conversation at the country club, appears prepared to once again cede the high ground in the culture wars to the Democrats.
Today’s iteration of the Republican Party’s national leadership, true to their business and Chamber of Commerce roots, may be good on some parts of the conservative economic agenda, but they don’t seem to grasp that America does not live by bread alone.
Governor Romney, as well as inside-the-Beltway consultants who run his campaign, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, Washington’s GOP insiders, and Republican congressional leaders – none of them are going to engage the Democrats on the radical social agenda that came out of the Democratic National Convention.
If this debate is going to take place, and be won, we conservatives must think of ourselves as the leaders in the culture debate and provide the alternative to the in-your-face challenge offered by the Democrats and their hard left secular liberal allies.
At the Republican National Convention, aside from Rick Santorum’s early evening speech, there were no speakers on the right-to-life or who were strongly associated with the values voter movement. Republicans seemed almost embarrassed to mention the social issues, even as their platform was “the best yet” on the conservative agenda.
Where were the Republican alternatives to the prime time speaking roles given to free contraception advocate Sandra Fluke, and the Democrats’ longtime allies abortion on demand advocates Planned Parenthood and NOW?
This lack of stomach for the battle on the cultural issues has large, and negative, consequences for the establishment Republican Party. In 2006 and 2008 millions of conservative voters abandoned the GOP, and the Party’s popularity plummeted, because these voters saw a Party led by people lacking in principle and unwilling to fight for the conservative agenda.
That didn’t change in 2010 – establishment Republican leaders were almost invisible in the 2010 election, new small government constitutional conservatives were the face of the GOP.
The Tea Party wave that swept Republicans back into control of the U.S. House of Representatives, and elected thousands of down ballot candidates, was led by new principled conservative faces – candidates like Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, and Senators Marco Rubio, Mike Lee and Rand Paul – while polls showed the established Republican Party itself remained less popular than the Democrats.
Americans are looking for principled leadership that will defend and advance the values that made this county exceptional. The social issues aren’t the province of one religious group or voters in the small states of the Bible Belt.
Millions of Americans are deeply troubled by the Democratic Party’s advocacy of same-sex marriage and abortion on demand. The Romney campaign has thus far made a grave error in failing to make defense of traditional American social values part of its day-to-day message and to recognize the bottom-up power of those issues with center-right voters across the country.
Since liberals began the culture war in the 1960s establishment Republicans have been largely MIA, with grave consequences for our country. This year Democrats have offered an even more in-your-face challenge to Republicans to engage on the cultural issues – to date, the GOP has ignored it.
The silence of Republican leaders during the Democratic convention demonstrates that the Republican establishment has no intention of providing leadership or engaging on those issues.
While we are waiting for new principled conservative Republican Party leaders who share our views and values, it is up to us to be the leaders we have been waiting for. It is time for conservatives to head for the sound of the guns in the culture war, to fill the holes in the ranks left by the Republican establishment and to lead the battle against Barack Obama’s radical secular liberal vision for America.
The campaigns in which social issues had more than just a brief mention were Reagan 1, Reagan 2, GHW Bush 1, GWBush 1, GWBush2, and SarahPalin. (Actually, Jimmy Carter belongs in here since he ran as an evangelical Christian, but I’ll leave him out.)
Sarah almost pulled it out for John McCain until his white knight stunt with the financial meltdown. Then they spent their time sniping at her and trying to quiet her down.
Ford, GHW Bush2, Dole, and McCain were all fiscal with little mention of social.
When Republicans run on both fiscal and social they win.
Bill Kristol wrote the same thing today! Kristol says Romney better speak up soon. So far, he draws no contrast that moves the needle to his favor. He says Romney is back to his pre Ryan pattern.
Translation: “boring” everyone senseless, while the country dies.
Now, there's a response which should resonate with all conservatives!
Phony divide between fiscal, social issues
Phyllis Schlafly
...the social issue of marriage and its importance to our society has become a tremendous fiscal issue. The problem of marriage absence is now costing the taxpayers even more than national defense.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2855150/posts
The reason the GOP convention avoided issues is because we are running a candidate who’s words and actions are contrary to the platform. What issues could they mention, abortion [I will always protect a woman’s right to choose.], gay marriage oh not that, same sex adoptions no again. Lets see we could try religious freedom but people might remember his trying to force Catholic hospitals to do abortions. ObamaCare oh no that darn RomneyCare. Respect for the military,[ My sons are serving this Country by campaigning for me.] Etc. etc. etc. Romney has to run a boring campaign, there are too many issues that can’t mention.
I call it the Seinfeld campaign: A show about nothing.
Great analogy, but I wish the situation wasn’t so serious.
“LOL - the 2006 and 2008 elections were NOT lost because social issues Republicans didn’t go to the polls. The 2012 election will not be won entirely on social issues, either.”
Social issues were tangential to 2010 as well.
His point is well taken, though, the moderates run content-free bloodless campaign that drain enthusiasm. It’s not #1 issue, but you make it part of the appeal. Millions of prolife catholics will vote Romney/Ryan if they are catered to. They may do something idiotic if, you know, we dont campaign or only talk about business formation which, gosh, not everybody has as their #1 issue.
“I didn’t hear anyone mention Romney, nor the economy. All that energy to be tapped, but it’s going to waste. The GOP is too embarrassed by social conservatism and traditional values, it seems. Quite a change from 20-25 years ago.”
2004 Bush wasnt afraid to sue it - he ran on SCOTUS, on marriage, on life....
“The assumption is apparently that the anti-Obama sentiment is automatically going to transfer into an avid pro-Romney groundswell, but I wouldn’t bet the farm on it. From what I see, it’s just creating a more angry, more alienated anti-politician attitude, and folks who increasingly believe they have no voice.”
Sounds like a Tea party rally.
huh.
I am frustrated more with “pure” conservatives who are looking for perfect candidates. I got news for them...there is no such candidates who can win elections.
My evidence: Joe Miller in AK, Doug Hoffman in NY-23,
Sharron Angle in NV, Christine O’Donell in DE, Ken Buck in CO, JD Hayworth in AZ were all good conservatives, but could’nt get elected. Todd Akin will be next to join them.
I see constant griping against Romney/Ryan ticket from self anointed conservatives on this site. So let them have a few SCOTUS appointees by Obama and stew in that cesspool for 30 years.
Please post the link.
Col. West was first out with a GOP ad capitalizing on Antonio Villaraigosa (just following orders on the teleprompter), God, and the Democrat Party.
Have you checked out Romney’s judical appointment record?
No need to. Nobody can be worse than Kagan, Sotomayor & Ginsburg.
Me too - and in the other 93% of my votes I'll go for the one that's the least commie...
No, there isn’t a perfect conservative candidate. But an R after the elected’s name adds up to hold the majority....that carries more power in the House and the Senate. Even a RINO is of some value. We have to continue to apply pressure to get what we want done.
As far as SCOTUS goes, the USA won’t last 30 years with the Dems in power.
So the choice is between Barack and Barack Lite.
It appears that the GOP is basically supporting Barack — they’re definitely NOT conservative.
No, but it can certainly be lost there. The Republican Party must find a way to get its social base to the polls. "He's not Obama" might but it for some, but certainly not for everyone.
We can and must multitask. Social conservatism is the basis for conservatism since it teaches us the difference between right and wrong.
I'd hate to think it's nothing more than a marketing gimmick, like the way the GOP call themselves Republicans, but don't really seem to give a rat's ass about the republic.
Before you pontificate your uninformed views, go see the movie 2016 and learn a few “FACTS”. Then we can have an intelligent debate.
I am a senior and a self made man. I already have enough sense to know the difference between the radical socialist from Chicago and the businessman who made more money on his own than all the posters on FR combined.
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