It’s time for the Grand Old Party to take a long, hard look at itself and make some changes to ensure its survival ”“ and safeguard the country against swinging too far left.
In GOP conventions around the nation, discussion has been taking place about the party’s stance on social issues and its future appeal to a broader base.
The Republican Party in Nevada made headlines when it dropped its opposition to gay marriage from its party platform this month, joining Indiana’s GOP, which did the same in 2012. And while it’s been seen as a controversial move, we think it’s a step in the right direction for the party, and for the country.
Nick Phillips, Clark County Nevada’s GOP political director, said it best: “Younger people believe they’re getting screwed by the Democrats on fiscal issues, and screwed by Republicans on social issues. Take that away, and you’ve got a party you can get behind.”
Over the past few years, the Republican Party has been hijacked by the ultra-conservative, right-wing fringe, while the Democrats have increasingly moved leftward on social issues, such as gun rights, health care and immigration.
This polarization has not only jammed the gears of our political process, it’s left Americans who are socially liberal but fiscally conservative with nowhere to go.
Looking to the future, retaining a strict socially conservative platform is going to be political suicide for the GOP. According to a recent Pew Research Poll, a majority of Republicans remain opposed to gay marriage, but a full 61 percent of Republicans ages 18-29 support gay marriage. Most young adults have a friend or family member who is gay, and cannot in good conscience deny them equal rights.
What’s the other huge voting bloc that is growing in this country? Latinos. The challenges of naturalization and immigration law are forefront in many of their lives, so if the GOP wants their votes, they must advocate reasonable pathways to citizenship rather than deportation.
Couple these issues with the Republican Party’s shocking intrusions on women’s rights ”“ much of it based on religious beliefs that should not be crossing over into politics ”“ and you’re guaranteed a loss every time, just by the numbers. How can women vote Republican in good conscience when it’s the party trying to weaken domestic violence laws, redefine rape, require unnecessary invasive procedures to allow abortions, block equal pay protections and defund inexpensive health care through Planned Parenthood?
Alienating women, gays, young people and immigrants is a losing bet that will cost the Republican Party dearly at the voting booths in coming years. And moderate conservatives have every right to be worried that those losses will affect the entire nation, from constitutional rights to taxes and the economy.
We applaud the Indiana and Nevada GOP for removing gay marriage from their platforms and encourage the Maine party to follow suit.
At the Maine GOP convention last weekend, Gov. Paul LePage touted his work to overhaul welfare by improving accountability and decreasing fraud; to keep the state out of debt, including rejecting the expansion of Medicaid; and to create jobs. These are the types of efforts on which the party should be focusing, leaving the social issues off the table so that more people can get on board unencumbered. As a recent letter writer who attended the Maine convention put it: “U.S. Sen. Rand Paul’s speech drove home the point that Republicans need to be a more inclusive party, not just the party of old, angry, rich, white men.”
That is the key to the party’s survival, and to the survival of its core ideals. Put another way, it’s time for the GOP to get out of people’s personal lives so they have a fighting chance at keeping Democrats out of our wallets.
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Today’s editorial was written by Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen by calling 282-1535, ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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