Michael Reagan has written political analysis with which we sometimes vigorously disagree. He has slammed the TEA Party by parroting Party establishment’s narratives of some candidates’ political fortunes. Outcomes which could have been altered by the Party establishment (Michael, read Todd Akin’s and Richard Viguerie’s books). In a regrettable anachronistic conflation of political name, political cause and contemporary political needs Michael suggested that his father would be unacceptable to much of the right and that talk show hosts — Mark Levin and Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity — — would go about beating up on his father for ratings.
If those are his feelings and not an effort to be a bit bombastic himself, they are off base for a couple of reasons. For one thing the radio hosts mentioned virtually idolize his father and his policies on air all the time, extolling his ability to communicate conservative values. For another Michael’s comments seem to presume that his father owned conservatism and conservatives would owe him universal support regardless of the competition. Nevertheless if Ronald Reagan were a recent governor who governed conservatively and maintained his conservative communications skills, he would be in good stead today.
Michael also has a penchant for raising the big tent imagery, “inclusiveness,” and the eighty- twenty “rule.” Concepts that we have critiqued in these pages. Indeed regarding the latter we always want to ask “which twenty and which eighty?” Without a reference to some core values the concepts are the most superficial of political meanderings. But to his credit, in this e-mail which arrived yesterday, Michael raises the need for core values and we welcome his comments, set forth here to advance political education. The title unfortunately reflects that ongoing penchant of his, not exactly reflecting the main thrust of his comments. Bold type is our emphasis.
Republicans Must Embrace Inclusion to Win Elections
By Michael Reagan
Regular readers know that I believe my father was right when he urged Republican leaders to be in favor of a “Big Tent” GOP that had room for a variety of viewpoints on the issues facing our nation.
A political party wins by inclusion, not by exclusion.
That being said, there are certain bedrock, foundational issues that define a party. Even in a big-tent organization the members must be in agreement on those issues, otherwise the party loses what makes it distinctive.
And that’s why I’m a bit troubled by the rise of what the Reuters news service calls the “Liberty Kids” in the Los Angeles County Republican Party.
The story features Amir Zendehnam, chairman of the West Los Angeles Central Committee and a member of the Liberty Kids, who took control of the county party in 2012. This group is a product of Ron and Rand Paul’s Libertarian expansion of the GOP.
Los Angeles County Republican Chairman Mark Vafiades feels “the Liberty group has brought youth and diversity to the party, and energy that has helped with campaigns.”
“When I took over in 2012 the party was in debt, we had no paid staff, and the office was closed,” he said. “We were a non-functioning party.”
One of the Liberty group’s members, 27-year-old Calvin Lee, explains, “The party is a little bit out of touch, and they need a fresh view of things.” According to Reuters, Lee’s strategy “helped spur the Los Angeles board takeover after the party’s losses in the 2012 elections.”
So far so good; Republicans skew older and adding youthful energy is a benefit, but not at the expense of what it means to be a Republican.
Zendehnam is described as someone who “passionately supports marijuana legalization, same-sex marriage, abortion rights, and the Republican Party.” There is talk of submitting a resolution “declaring concern for war victims in Gaza at the next caucus meeting, which Vafiades said would run counter to the traditional Republican position on the Middle East.”
Other priorities for this younger generation include “world peace, ending the war on drugs, and addressing global warming.” They are mostly “anti-military,” although “they are more comfortable with Republicans’ emphasis on freedom than Democrats’ penchant for regulation.”
Which to me means the Liberty Kids are basically Democrats who are opposed to the use of red light cameras.
In a big tent there is certainly room for differing opinions on marijuana legalization, same-sex marriage, and the size of the Pentagon budget. But opposition to abortion — which is practically a sacrament for Democrats — is not an issue that should be up for grabs for Republicans.
The Republican Party has the honorable record of being right on the two most fundamental moral issues that have faced our country: slavery in the 19th century and abortion in the 20th and 21st. The Democrats were wrong on slavery and continue to be in error on abortion.
Any broadening of the base that removes that distinction is in danger of destroying the party. Excluding the Republican pro-life base is hardly a recipe for future success.
Michael Reagan is the son of former President Ronald Reagan and chairman of the League of American Voters. His blog appears on reaganreports.com
