Random Thoughts on the GOP

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The first time I ever voted in an election was in 1984, and that vote was cast for Ronald Reagan.  Unfortunately I have not had the honor of voting for anyone even close to his caliber since.  In my mind, he was and is everything that Republican should be.  I wish that were the case to the GOP.  I’ve heard that the establishment never really liked Reagan, and have abandoned true conservatives since the defeat of Goldwater in ’64.

Since 1984, I have voted Republican except in 1996 and 2008.  In 1996 I voted for Harry Browne, Libertarian and author of the book “Why Government Doesn’t Work“.  I supported Harry Browne in 1996, and yes, I support Ron Paul now.

In 2008 I voted on every issue and every race except for President.  I loath John McCain.  I believe that Barack Obama won in 2008 not because he was such a great leader or speaker, but rather because McCain was so completely wrong.  The best thing McCain had going for him was Sarah Palin.  Conservatives did not like McCain, and although he won the nomination, he never had the support of the base.  The angry white RiNO was never going to win, and that was obvious when his campaign became one of defending Obama and not bringing real solutions to the table.

I would never have voted for Obama, and I will not in 2012.  The man had no experience, and when our nation needed leadership, he is what we got.  Of course his politics are pretty far removed from mine as well.  I am not liberal.  I lean libertarian, so there are issues I agree with liberals on, but my distrust of big government runs far too deep.

The primaries are going, and the race is down to Romney or Gingrich.  If Paul is still in I will vote for him in the primary, and in the general I will vote for Romney or Gingrich.  I’m not thrilled by either, and I am left wondering if the GOP isn’t going to see itself fall apart.

Simply put, the GOP has become Liberal Lite.  In the absence of the Soviet threat, and holding a disdain for Goldwater and Reagan, it is a party that has lost its soul.  You are not the party of vision when what you stand for is nothing more than “We aren’t them”.  Everything else is just lip service.  The party of small government and less regulation has grow government and increased regulation, but to a lesser degree than the Democrats.  Democrat Lite!!!

At a time when many in this country still subscribe to the Reagan Revolution, to the ideals of the Republic, it seems both parties are intent on growing government.  The Tea Party emerged not out of the GOP, but out of the people who observed a government that no longer reflected the will of the people.  Most Americans agree with the Tea Party.  In many ways the Occupy Movement reflects the same frustrations from the base of the other side.  Big government is rightly perceived as a threat, and a pawn to big business and big labor.  The people are betrayed, and it is time to reclaim our birthright.

Gingrich is the face of the post Reagan GOP, that gave lip service to the Gipper but followed corruption.  The GOP failed in their contract with America.  They did keep Clinton in check, thus his legacy is greater than it should have been, but for all the opportunity, the GOP went for power over principle.  In going after Clinton and not just keeping him in check, they laid the groundwork for what was later seen with the Democrats accusing Bush of masterminding 9-11.  Of course they also said he was the village idiot.  Politics doesn’t always make sense.

Romney is the face of the GOP today.  He is not a conservative.  I know what he says, but how much does it really mean?  I have no issue with the concept that what is fine at the state level is not fine on a federal level, and thus I can overlook RomneyCare.  I believe he will work to overturn ObamaCare.  He will not fulfill the ideals of the Reagan Revolution.  He will not work to restore our rights.  He will not work to scale back government.  He is better equipped to deal with our economic reality than our current president, but he is no Reagan.

So liberal lite, or conservative?  Conservatives are the single largest ideological group.  The future of the GOP hinges on that question, and if it is the former and not the latter, the GOP will go the way of the Whigs.

An Open Letter

There are those who look to government to dictate a utopian society through laws, regulations, bureaucracy, government intervention, oversight, and funding.  I don’t believe that those who feel this way are evil in their intentions at all.  I think they honestly do wish to see a better world, where people are cared for, and all have an equal opportunity to find happiness.  It is difficult to find fault in the intention.  It is the means that I find most troubling, and where much of the division lies among Americans today.  Whereas one group looks to the heavy hand of government to force an ideal society, the other group finds much to fear in that, for government is far too often owned and controlled by a powerful minority that cares little for those over whom they govern.

George Washington once said, “Government is not reason, it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”

My ancestry, like that of many Americans, experienced first hand the wisdom of Washington’s words.  By and large, they fled to America to find a place where they could be free from the heavy hand of government, free to pursue life, love, and happiness.  My ancestors were Huguenot, French Protestants driven out of their country upon pain of death for their faith.  They were Germans from Russia, a people forced into Russia under Catherine the Great, and hated for generations until Stalin saw fit to destroy the bulk of them who remained in Russia.  They were Cherokee, forced out of their lands on the Trail of Tears.  They were Confederates, who saw a savage and brutal war waged against them, and in their surrender, a harsh military occupation and the loss of their voice.  These people all saw their homes, their peace, their happiness shattered by the brutal hand of government which sought to destroy them and to demonize them to create their own utopian vision.

I have inherited a healthy distrust for government.

I believe in people, and I believe that people will generally do what is right.  Where they do not, a free society generally does a pretty good job of taking care of those issues.  People will rise up to right injustices through various means, and when they do they are very effective.  People will and do take care of each other with a compassion that no government agent could ever hold.  I have far greater faith in my family, my neighbor, my community, than I could ever hold in an entity which draws power not from compassion, love, or community, but rather from the end of a gun.  That gun should exist to protect the people and our freedoms.

Therein lies the cunundrum.  There are problems that we collectively face, but while one sees the hand of government as the best solution, the other sees a more Orwellian view of such efforts.  As Thomas Jefferson said, “A government big enough to supply you with everything you need is a government big enough to take away everything that you have.”  I would rather place my faith in those things which are deserving of such a trust.

Do not mistake my distrust of power as racist, or uncaring, or any of the other words that political diatribe in this nation has eroded to.  I’m sure this election will further erode the bonds that bind us, but it is my sincere hope that we can heal the rift, and understand not only the fundamental differences in our world views, but that each wishes a better life for all.