Can The Republican Party Admit and Solve Their Identity Crisis?

Here in Iowa the end of June was a rough patch for Republican politics, depending what type of Republican you are. Depending on what kind of Republican you are is the question.

We all heard in the news how South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford let loved ones and voters down with his Argentina adultery. Hit number 1. Sanford immediately resigned from his leadership role in the Republican Governor’s Association, which made Governor Haley Barbour as the new RGA leader all the more seemingly relevant to Iowans due to his speech last Thursday.

Disappointingly it was in Barbour’s “rising star” speech where he strategized a sellout approach to embrace a pro choice candidate if need be for election winning sake. Hit number 2. If you’re going to compromise why just stop there. Why not have “all the way to Argentina guts” to go with it? Nixon had these type of guts too. Nixon had the type guts where you say no to the still small voice of your conscience and deny it. Watergate ruined him when he compromised. Nixon was a Republican.

Then when our government passed the largest tax increase ever in our nation’s history the beloved USA Today newspaper couldn’t find the space to report this groundbreaking news. No doubt Michael Jackson is fascinating , but this ridiculous omission and others like it is hit number 3.

Notice I used the term adultery over affair, sellout over opinion and ridiculous omission instead of oversight. It is because words mean thing. They always have, always will. The soft serve ice cream sugar coated word approach is detrimental to the party and all voters. Let’s admit it nice words or not. The Republican Party is indeed in identity crisis mode.

Look up any political site on the internet and you will find an article how the Republican party is experiencing an identity crisis. The more the media puts the idea out there that the Republican Party is out of touch and unpopular, the more it seems to becomes out of touch and unpopular.

The identity crisis seems to be turning into a survival state of paranoia, which is probably the second to last stage before going crazy. Many in the party like Barbour are advocating to become more left to the middle ground in hopes to gain approval in the form of votes.

Others still hold fast to the party of Lincoln and Reagan hoping that the best of the party has offered will someday soon be recognized again. It’s not the same party for these two groups, nor should the same name describe the two accurately any longer.

There are regular go with the flow Republicans and those who wish to reclaim their roots and rebuild the conservative base. There are also those inbetween. Which are you?

Start thinking about this because it’s the fourth of July tomorrow and means Tea Parties across the nation. Elections are coming and the Republican Party is in an identity crisis. Time to use big boy words.

Here In Iowa, Dave Davidson