From: ipser@solomon.technet.sg (Ed Ipser)
Subject: Revenge of the Republican Party Reptiles (was Re: Dilemma in Republican (Toga) Party)
Organization: TECHNET, Singapore
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 02:41:22 GMT

In article <6851@news.duke.edu> eyc@acpub.duke.edu (EMIL CHUCK) writes:
>Lately there have been quite a number of posts from people citing Bush's
>defeat on the Rise of the Religious Right as the main reason. In order
>for the Republican party to regain its "pride" and the White House, the
>Religious Right must be expelled from the Party according to these
>analysts.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

George Bush lost because the American people felt that could not trust
the man. He betrayed his own supporters not only by raising taxes
after promising, very explicitly and loudly, not to but because he
very nearly implmenented the entire Democratic agenda and then took
the fall for the predictable dismal results. George Bush was easily
the worst President that the US has ever had.

George Bush pandered to the religious right because they were the only
segment of the Republican Party that had not abandoned him. In
particular, many non-religious conservatives, though not supporting
Clinton, had more or less given up on Bush.

>The next two years will test the constitution of the Republican Party,
>but at the moment it doesn't seem very clear which side will win --
>conservatives or moderates. (I'm keeping this at a gross level for my
>own simplistic understanding of the dilemma.)

Unfortunately, this gross level misses the essential issues. George
Bush did exactly the opposite of what was required. He pandered to the
religious right on social issues and to the moderates on economic
issues. The result was a recession and a new president.

>Moderates like Gov. Pete
>Wilson in California and Gov. Thompson (?) of Illinois must succeed in
>passing their moderate agendas through and making them work. Wilson in
>particular is in trouble because of his relative moderate stance that
>reflected George Bush's political moderation. That is the only real way
>the moderates can win control of the Republican Party.

Pete Wilson is in trouble for exactly the same resons as Bush: he
supported California's (indeed, the nation's) largest tax increase in
history after promising no new taxes. Wilson deserves the same fate as
Bush. Unlike Bush, however, Wilson was not twice fooled and when, this
year, he was faced with an even bigger deficit he fought for, and got,
significant reductions in the budget without new taxes.

Moderation is not the answer. What is needed is a return to principles
that made the party strong under Ronald Reagan. Those principles
should not be the Bible in one hand and and a hickory stick in the
other. But nor should they be the failed tax-and-spend policies of the
Democrats that the moderates are so eager to implement.

It is high time that the Republican Party Reptiles asserted
themselves. I think that we have come of age and the torch needs to be
passed after the absymal failure of the Bush gang.

This is our defining moment. But it would be a mistake to initiate a
civil war with the religious right. Instead, an accomodation must be
found. And such an accomodation can most easily be achieved by
depoliticizing such issues as gay rights and abortion.

Oh, and one more thing. Republicans need to quit this obsession with
the White House and and take the congress. Otherwise, they will be forever
in the role of sticking their finger in the dike.