In late February, the
Massachusetts Republican State Committee passed a platform that
included the following language: “We believe that every abortion is
tragic,” and “We believe that the institution of traditional
marriage strengthens the family.”
This has been, and will
be throughout the 2014 campaign, translated by Democrat opponents
into “We oppose women’s rights and gay equality” and used against
all Republican candidates, even those who are pro-choice and support
gay marriage.
In fact, these issues
were used against Republican candidates in 2012, when there was no
such language in the Republican platform.
Sixth Congressional
District challenger Richard Tisei, who has been pro-choice
throughout his political career, was attacked with flyers accusing
him of “calling for a ban on abortion, even in cases of rape, incest
of when the life of the mother is at risk.”
He was accused of
supporting “the Tea Party agenda.”
I’m a tea party
activist and support its agenda, which is fiscal responsibility, not
social issues. Still, Democrats said, the tea party is opposed to
gay rights, then implied that Tisei, a Republican who has since
married his same-sex partner, shares that position.
So regardless of what
the state Republican Party or the tea party actually support or
don’t support, the state Democrat Party will lie if necessary to use
these two hot-button issues to turn women and young voters away from
Republican candidates. Please be prepared for that, and tune it out.
Women don’t need to fear that abortion will ever be banned, and gay
marriage is becoming more acceptable every year.
Just to be absolutely
clear, Tisei, who is running again for Congress against Democratic
incumbent John Tierney, said in a statement that “The Republican
Party should lead the way in getting government off our backs, out
of our wallets, and away from our bedrooms, and the Party hierarchy
would be wise to adopt platforms that promote these values, which
are shared by an overwhelming number of citizens in Massachusetts.”
Yes, it should. And
actually, the 2010 Massachusetts Republican platform is a beautiful
exposition of real conservative principles, beginning with its
preamble: “The Massachusetts Republican Party believes in the power
of the individual over the power of government and that government
must at all times be held accountable to the people. We believe that
Massachusetts, “the cradle of the American Republic,” can once again
be a national leader in prosperity and opportunity for all families
and individuals.”
Most of this year’s
platform will repeat this agenda.
As a taxpayer activist,
I also note the language relating to taxes, which says that a
two-thirds vote of the Legislature should be required in order to
raise taxes and, relative to last year’s gas tax increase, states
that “we oppose the indexing of any tax to the rate of inflation.”
Most, if not all,
Republican candidates will be supporting the question that will be
on the ballot with them, to repeal the new provision for automatic
annual gas tax increases.
When I was 12, I read
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and told my Democrat parents, in my Pennsylvania
Democrat hometown, that I was going to be a Republican when I grew
up because President Lincoln freed the slaves. Later, I felt more at
home as an independent, but I certainly voted, along with the
majority of Massachusetts, for Ronald Reagan, with his platform of
fiscal and personal responsibility and his optimistic certainty that
America is the last best hope of humanity.
That message is more
important this year than ever. With so many things going wrong in
the state, federal and international arenas, America is no longer so
clearly the best hope of humanity but potentially an example of how
the mighty fall. Republicans must get focused on what matters and
what they can do to effect reform and other positive change. I know
many conservatives who are opposed to abortion and gay marriage, yet
have no interest in bringing them into the political arena.
A local
Facebook
friend, Brad White, in response to my horror at seeing the
Republican State Committee platform drag out these losing issues,
wrote this:
“The social issues
are by and large wedge issues, useful to divide, useless to
unite even by mild agreement.”
“I am not
suggesting that those with strong views on either side abandon
their principles for the sake of winning elections. Rather I am
suggesting that one consider the role of government in a free
society and the use of government to enforce what are, at their
core, founded mostly in religious objection. I may feel strongly
about certain things that annoy me, but I have no right to ask
that government force be used to satisfy my peeves, however
strongly held.
“I am also
suggesting that if you feel strongly about an issue, you work to
correct that in the secular realm; let people come to their own
minds over time by persuasion and not force.
“Instead, turn to
the core aspects of limited government, fiscal restraint,
integrity and transparency and defense of the individual, not
their destruction. When one side of the party preaches smaller
more efficient government but insists on giving that government
power and control over private decisions, you have put fear in
place of hope.”
I couldn’t have said it
better, which is why I didn’t try.
All I can do is urge
everyone who wants a better-run Massachusetts and hope-inspiring
America to ignore the very small group of activist Republicans who
push these intolerant and losing platform planks, and to disregard
the Democrat lies about the Republican candidates who do not take
these positions.
I’ll be voting for
whoever reflects traditional Republican values as stated in the
platform preamble: the power of the individual against the power of
unaccountable, uncontrolled government.
