I’ve been thinking, as I am prone to do, about fellow colleague Donald Stuckey’s article concerning Republican backlash against health care reform, citing fears of an unpayable deficit, ignoring their own impact on the deficit. The article leads us to a much deeper problem, one I have brought up before, but is no less important.
The GOP is SOL without either serious reform to its platform or some new ideas that don’t turn away voters. Failing this reform, a new party will eventually fill the political void, as has been done before.
The Republicans were formed to fight pro-slavery Democrats and unite the various groups opposed to slavery expanding west. They filled the void of the declining Whigs, who were split over slavery.
In order to bring this reform, first and foremost the mudslinging tactics must stop. Save it for the election like we always have.
Second, underhanded tactics like those town hall meetings are not productive, are not clever and are not a good way to spread the notoriety of your people. While yelling is an excellent trait of a drill sergeant, it doesn’t translate well to politics.
But if this reform is to happen, from where will it come? The younger generation. The Republicans have relied too long and too much on the conservative minded older generations. Younger conservatives are less conservative, more reasonable and not as horribly incompetent as their political leaders.
This makes them an essential asset into any kind of reform that may occur. Unfortunately, it is also likely a block from other Republicans, who tend to follow their leader like lemmings and don’t like it when someone within the party disagrees with them.
It is important to note that a third of American voters do not directly consider themselves as automatically a Democrat or Republican.
From this middle ground may come a new political force to challenge the status quo, a new party, with a new ideal and platform, to reinvigorate the political process and cease the decay that has set in with the two current parties having the power all to themselves.
There has not been a new major party in over a hundred years. Perhaps the time for change has come. It may be that the GOP can’t adapt, and so will whither away as a new, stronger party takes its spot in the two-party system.
If the GOP does not reform sooner or later a new party will rise to take the dissatisfied voters and unite them into a new party. If the Republicans wish to have a say in government, they must change their ways or they will be just another former party.
This new party might not exist yet, but just as the Republicans came from different backgrounds, parties, and groups, so too can a new party come together to claim these voters as their own. Whether an existing party – I’m looking at you Libertarians – or some new party in the future.
One thing is clear: If the Republicans don’t change their attitude, their party, and their agenda along with it, could be reduced or removed from the political scene.
