Ann Coulter mocked the eleven Republican Party
Presidential candidates in their second debate. All of them lined up and
declared that they were pro-gun, pro-life, pro-Israel. I would add that all of
them affirmed that they would cut taxes. That is all well and good, but why do
Republican candidates seeking the “most conservative” mantle, and then the
nomination, keep stumping on these nearly non-issues, which have been all but
decided years ago?
Granted, some debate has lingered. The Second
Amendment, abortion, and Israel were issues of deep contention thirty years
ago. Ronald Reagan defeated the more liberal and moderate elements within the
Republican Party. Today, any Republican who has any chance of running for national
office cannot support gun control, abortion on demand, and would be a fool to
dismiss Israel.
So, why do the Election 2016 Presidential candidates
continue to espouse these already decided issues? They are easy to stand for,
and make it easy to stand against competing candidates. Conservative voters
should hope for more from their prospective nominee than more of the same.
Presidential prospects do not want to alienate voters, but differentiate
themselves.
Touching a third rail issue creates conflict with
voters, donors, political action committees, and of course, the press.
What are the third rail issues which are dividing
Republicans?
1.
Immigration
This issue has riled up so many voters, but more
importantly law enforcement and parents, who have witnessed the nationalized
crime spree of illegal aliens attacking property and killing citizens. Enough
is enough. Political operatives, the donor class, the Chamber of Commerce, La
Raza, and even Big Labor have all jumped on the amnesty bandwagon. Cheap labor,
assimilation be damned, motivates corporate cronies, looking for any means to
save money. Big Government looks forward to rising masses of poor and unskilled
migrants who depend on government assistance.
Immigration is a very divisive issue, even for
conservatives, who fear that calls for a secure border will alienate minority
voters and destroy the Republican Party. The truth is that more minority
Americans see themselves as Americans, and nothing less. They do not support
open borders, pathways to citizenship, or amnesty. Republicans win at the local
level when they focus on accountability, transparency, and law enforcement. The
conflicts over immigration center on enforcement, and therefore Republican
contenders should not fear demanding a secure border, E-verify, and welfare
reform to end negative inducements for illegal immigration.
2.
Entitlement Reform
This country pays too many people not to work, and
subsidizes the retirement of a growing class of seniors, now relegated to fixed
incomes and limited opportunities. Obamacare has only expanded this
overgenerous, underfunded welfare state, and given license to more people that
they can have something for nothing. Even if the US Congress cut all the
discretionary spending, including the military, to nothing, and taxed the
wealthiest 1% among us, the entire revenue stream would not dent let alone
diminish the structural deficits bankrupting this country.
It's time for a serious talk with the American
voters. Uncle Sam simply cannot carry every American into retirement. The
states must take on the costs -- and the benefits -- of Medicare, Medicaid,
Social Security. The federal government simply does not belong in the
Entitlement business. Of the seventeen candidates who entered the Election 2016
Presidential race, only two have discussed entitlement reform: Mike Huckabee
and Chris Christie.
GOP Republican Party |
Why have most candidates avoided this contentious
yet unappealing topic? Seniors vote, and they vote a lot. Millenials are waking
up to their civic power, and the financial necessities weighing on them, bu
senior citizens remain the major voters in elections. Leaders will have to
explain to current retirees and workers that the United States cannot pay all
the bills anymore. Yes, this discussion is painful. No, politicians want to get
votes without worrying about the backlash for unpopular views. However, the
United States of America has become a debtor nation, and one which other
countries will no longer service with bonds and loans. Do we want to turn into
the next Greece?
3.
Liberty
Yes, Republicans need to stand with those
marginalized populations in this country whose rights are under attack.
"Marginal" does not mean "minority", however. County Clerk
Kim Davis was forced into a jail cell because she refused to comply with an
illegal, immoral, and unconstitutional ruling from the United States Supreme
Court. Only a handful of Republican Presidential candidates rallied to her
defense and opposed the SCOTUS for redefining marriage in such an arbitrary and
unjust fashion. Freedom of speech is under attack in the press and on campuses,
too. The United States government, and to a lesser extent the American People,
have forgotten that liberty is not a benefit derived from the state, but rather
freedom from government coercion and intervention. Associate Justice Clarence
Thomas addressed this fundamental misunderstanding at work in the American
conscience. Presidential candidates must address this problem and redress the
misunderstanding about our liberty.
4.
Labor Reforms
Of all the special interests squelching limited
government, individual liberty, and constitutional rule in our Republican, the
most vicious and insidious force is Big Labor. With their forced membership and
coerced union dues, labor unions tap into flowing funding streams to bankroll
illiberal, statist causes and candidates, at the expense of individual workers
and taxpayers but without their permission. Cities and states are going
bankrupt because of Big Labor's undue influence, putting in place union puppet
Democrats and intimidating otherwise fiscally prudent Republicans. At the
federal level, bureaucrats and civil "servants" are union members,
and they vote Democratic, and they want to the Big Government juggernaut firmly
in place, paying their salaries, providing for their lavish retirements, and
protecting their unearned power in Washington.
Yet no one is talking about defeating Big Labor in
Washington -- yet.
For Election 2016, Republican primary voters enjoy
of the widest, deepest benches in decades. It would bode well for us, for them,
and for the country if they gathered the courage to discuss serious and
divisive issues, too.
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