THE DEATH OF THE GOP

As returns from the New Hampshire primary are reported, it is becoming clear that the Republican Party I grew up voting for is in it's death throes. The abundance of Presidential candidates who are not even close to conservative and their apparent success will be the end of the party serving as a representative of the right. In a desire to compromise basic principles, the party is losing me, and I would imagine other conservatives as well. When one deeply analyzes the transformation of the party over the past several decades, it is clear that the party has become more and more moderate and unwilling to stand up and fight for the beliefs it espouses.

Ronald Reagan was the man who made me a Republican. His ability to clearly explain conservative principles drew me in as a young man. His congenial manner and sense of humor defied the conventional perception of conservatives. As I've gotten older (now 41), I have been continually disappointed in the party's performance in relation to the ideas of Reagan. Each Republican President since Reagan has fallen short in moving the conservative agenda forward in a meaningful way. The party has constantly kowtowed whenever the left opposes them. This didn't start yesterday, and it surely won't be corrected anytime soon, if tonight's New Hampshire primary is any indication.

George H.W. Bush is a good man, but he is not a conservative. Like Mitt Romney, he changed his position on abortion to run. He increased taxes despite a vow not to do so and was not reelected largely because he abandoned the conservative principles he claimed to represent when first elected. Sound familiar? It should, because George W. Bush has headed the same direction. Bush 43 has massively increased the size and scope of the federal government using the war or "compassion" as an excuse. His tax cuts are commendable, but it pretty much ends there. And what did either of these gentlemen do to further the conservative agenda? The answer is not much.

Roe v. Wade still stands as the law of the land, for one example, despite having been wrongly decided and based on now archaic medical information. No one in the party has made any serious attempt to the end the massacre of 35 - 40 million innocent Americans killed in the womb since 1973. How many Einsteins, how many Salks, how many great athletes or skilled artisans have been killed? The toll on America is inestimable, yet the party whose platform includes an anti-Roe plank has made very little progress even at the edges. You often hear the spiel about America not being ready for that sort of change. Perhaps those aborted are ready. Unfortunately the Republican Party has given in to liberal whiners and criers. See, you can't hear a fetus cry, so their cause is pushed aside for political expediency. The party seeks not to offend those who use abortion as a form of regular birth control.

The federal government grows ever larger. It's grubby little fingers now reach into nearly every corner of our existence. Individual programs are touted as necessary or compassionate and pushed through without regard for their deleterious impact once implemented. Whether it's Homeland Security or a massive prescription drug program for seniors, the inexorable trend continues, often with GOP sponsorship or assistance. Very few in the party even attempt to address this issue. The liberals have successfully connected states rights to southern resistance to the civil rights movement, and now even use of the term will raise eyebrows. How sad for a party supposedly committed to restricting the growth of the federal government. It rings hollow.

The Second Amendment is under continual assault. Various states and localities pass ordinances far outside their authority in a misguided belief that restricting gun ownership will mean less crime. Even the feds have attempted to restrict ownership based on the shape or magazine capacity of certain weapon types. The few Republicans who claim to support gun rights will immediately start adding caveats if questioned. The Constitution could not be more clear on this issue, and the last time I checked, it didn't mention any caveats. Here in Ohio the government has seen fit to "permit" concealed carry of guns, but only with the permission of the local sheriff and only after a "safety course". I have news for the sheriff: I do not need your permission to exercise my constitutional right to self-defense, nor do I need the permission of the governor. The right to bear arms is an individual right, and hopefully soon SCOTUS will affirm that in the D.C. case. The Second Amendment does not mention "reasonable restrictions", the phrase always thrown out by gun-fearing liberals. The party has largely abandoned the fight on this matter, much to the detriment of responsible citizens.

Now comes the current crop of Republican Presidential hopefuls. Those leading the polls are not likely to change the direction of the party in a positive direction. Witness John McCain, who has defied conservatives and made nice with the worst of the Dems whenever possible. Witness Mike Huckabee, a social conservative who is a liberal on everything else, including taxes and spending. Witness Rudy Guliani, who is pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, and pro-gun control, yet seemed the likely nominee until very recently. Witness Mitt Romney, who morphed into a conservative for his Presidential campaign after serving in Massachussets as a moderate to liberal governor. None of these men are consistent conservatives and none are worthy of the conservative vote. Fred Thompson is worthy, but the press is not helping and the party seems oblivious to it's headlong plunge into irrelevance.

I will only vote for true conservatives. If the GOP nominates a moderate, I'm through. I will not vote for a candidate who is little different from the Dems. If my party does not nominate a conservative, it cannot legitimately claim to be a conservative party. I will not waste my time holding my nose to vote for someone who does not share my values. Been there, done that. The Republican electorate better consider the effect of a moderate nominee, or it faces losing many conservatives like me. And I will not be talked into voting Republican just to oppose the Democrat nominee. I see little difference between the Dems and a moderate Republican. I cannot and will not support any nominee who has shown any wavering of principles, or even worse, supports flat out liberal policies. If the GOP follows the path it is currently on, it will lose to the Dems in November and fade into oblivion. It's a far cry from the permanent Republican majority dreamed of several years ago, and it's because the party and it's nominees refuse to fight for their basic principles. Sad, very sad.