The Republicans Rendezvous with Destiny

"Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem." So said Ronald Reagan followed by Barry Goldwater's wise words, "I fear Washington and centralized government more than I do Moscow." In 2007, however, it would seem that the words of these two politicians have gone unheaded by the Republican and conservatives. Ryan Sager, gives us much evidence to prove that the Republican Party has lost its way and have abandoned Republican values. Sager makes the following statement: "Today, no longer bound together by the Cold War or opposition to Bill Clinton and having tasted power at the small price of bending their beliefs, the two aides are fighting over nothing less than whether the Republican Party will complete its abandonment of the very principle upon which their fusionist marriage has been based these many years: a commitment to limited government."

Sager goes on to ask the following questions: "Will they continue to accept the idea of government as nanny, protecting children from sex and violence in TV shows, movies, video games, and ever other conceivable medium, in lieu of demanding a society in which parents are expected to be responsible for their own children? Will social conseravtives continue to accept billions of dollars of government money channeled to religious charities in lieu of reducing the tax burden on Americans so that they could give more money to charity themselves?" Sager goes on to ask more questions and answer them in later chapters.

So what is a Republican doing reading this book? Well it's very simple, the Republican Party has strayed away from Republican values and this president is the worse culprit of all. Also, zealots of any stripe drives me crazy. And maybe, just maybe I don't understand Evangelicals who have been allowed to take over my party by this president to preach to me that I am less of an American because I'm gay. The Republican Party needs to own up to their mistakes.

Sager's book is a good one in that he traces the party of Lincoln through its many permutations. Here are a few comments on the book.

1) When big government takes the place of Republican value of limited government you have lost the race before the last vote is counted;

2) Compromising principles on education is analagous to the "soft bigotry of low expectations;"

3) Securing the boarders is more important than amending the Constitution to restrict rights of gay and lesbian Americans; and

4) Your rendezvous with destiny is here.

Sager pretty much nails the problems facing Republicans and Conservatives and backs them up with convincing evidence. For those of us who are concerned about our party this is a good book to read and discuss with friends who want to see change. Sager presents excellent comments from various leaders and journalists and one of my favorite is Peggy Noonan. Sager quotes Noonan as saying, "If we are going to spend like the romantics and operators of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society; If we are thereby going to change the very meaning and nature of conservatism; If we are going to increase spending and the debt every year; If we are going to become a movement that supports big government...shouldn't we perhaps at least discuss it?"

We need to do more than discuess it we need to stop the bleeding out of the party.