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ENLARGE
BY THE WAY
Jeanette Strong
When Ronald Reagan ran for governor of California in 1966, liberal Republicans were set to attack him as they had attacked conservative Barry Goldwater in 1964. State Republican Chairman Gaylord Parkinson proposed what he called the 11th Commandment: “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” The party agreed, and Reagan won the election. When Reagan became president, he impressed on fellow party members how important this commandment was, and they followed it for years.
Recently, however, Republicans have set a course toward self-destruction, trying to “purify” the party of those not considered conservative enough. District 23, in upstate New York, is a perfect example of this.
District 23 had been a Republican seat in the House of Representatives since the early 1870s, during the administration of President Grant. This means a Republican had held that office through the Great Depression, WW II, the JFK years, and the Clinton years. If any seat were a safe Republican seat, the 23rd was it.
When President Obama took office, he appointed the representative from the 23rd District, Republican John McHugh, as Secretary of the Army. To fill the now vacant seat, county Republican leaders nominated moderate Dede Scozzafava. The 23rd fits the demographics of the modern Republican Party. It is rural, 93 percent white, with very few minorities or immigrants. Scozzafava should have been a shoo-in against Democratic candidate Bill Owens.
But the “New” Republican Party was not happy. Because Scozzafava was not as conservative as Palin, Pawlenty, Limbaugh, and Beck thought she should be, they supported conservative Doug Hoffman. Mr. Hoffman does not live in the district, and knew nothing of its needs, but that didn't matter. His beliefs were in line with what the ultra-right Republicans wanted.
“Our number one goal was to make clear that the Republican Party cannot take someone as liberal as Dede Scozzafava and thrust her out on the voters and expect the voters just to accept it,” said Brian Brown, executive director of the National Organization for Marriage. Groups such as this worked hard to elect Hoffman and defeat Owens, but it didn't work. For the first time in over 135 years, a Democrat won.
Republican finger pointing started as soon as the election was over. Mike Huckabee said, “They [the Democrats] got that seat not because Democrats were brilliant, but because Republicans were stupid.” And the blame went on.
Ultra-conservatives such as Limbaugh, Coulter, Beck, etc., claim that if the party got back to its true conservative roots, Republicans would start winning again. Their grasp of history is shaky, to say the least. They forget that most of the heroes of the Republican Party wouldn't even be allowed to run these days, let alone win. They would all be considered too liberal.
Barry Goldwater was a conservative icon. Ronald Reagan got his national start working for Goldwater. But Goldwater was pro-choice and pro-gay rights. Today, he would be considered to the left of Scozzafava and unfit to run for office.
Abraham Lincoln would also be too liberal for today's Republicans. On May 20, 1862, he signed the Homestead Act, a massive government transfer of land, 160 acres free to anyone who improved the land and filed for deed of title. Talk about “redistribution of wealth!”
Today's Tea Partiers would call Teddy Roosevelt a socialist. In 1912, he founded the Progressive, or Bull Moose, Party, which proposed child labor laws, old-age pensions, and other social reforms. He was the first presidential candidate to call for Universal Health Care & National Health Insurance. His cousin, FDR, would eventually pass much of what Teddy proposed.
In 1953, President Eisenhower established the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. In 1960, he signed the Kerr-Mills Act, a program of “Medical Assistance for the Aged,” the precursor to Medicare. Eisenhower had hoped to do more with health care reform, but the powerful American Medical Association blocked him.
These Republicans are now well regarded, with good reason, but none of them would be acceptable to today's far-right Republicans. The current party line is so restrictive that anyone who dares veer off is punished severely. Contemporary Republicans seem bent on self-destruction, as in the 23rd District, managing to lose a seat in the House of Representatives they had held for over a century.
If the Republican Party doesn't learn from what made it strong in the past, there will be nothing left but a group of small-minded extremists that Goldwater, Lincoln, Eisenhower and T.R. of whom would be ashamed.
Jeanette Strong's column appears every other Sunday.
Recently, however, Republicans have set a course toward self-destruction, trying to “purify” the party of those not considered conservative enough. District 23, in upstate New York, is a perfect example of this.
District 23 had been a Republican seat in the House of Representatives since the early 1870s, during the administration of President Grant. This means a Republican had held that office through the Great Depression, WW II, the JFK years, and the Clinton years. If any seat were a safe Republican seat, the 23rd was it.
When President Obama took office, he appointed the representative from the 23rd District, Republican John McHugh, as Secretary of the Army. To fill the now vacant seat, county Republican leaders nominated moderate Dede Scozzafava. The 23rd fits the demographics of the modern Republican Party. It is rural, 93 percent white, with very few minorities or immigrants. Scozzafava should have been a shoo-in against Democratic candidate Bill Owens.
But the “New” Republican Party was not happy. Because Scozzafava was not as conservative as Palin, Pawlenty, Limbaugh, and Beck thought she should be, they supported conservative Doug Hoffman. Mr. Hoffman does not live in the district, and knew nothing of its needs, but that didn't matter. His beliefs were in line with what the ultra-right Republicans wanted.
“Our number one goal was to make clear that the Republican Party cannot take someone as liberal as Dede Scozzafava and thrust her out on the voters and expect the voters just to accept it,” said Brian Brown, executive director of the National Organization for Marriage. Groups such as this worked hard to elect Hoffman and defeat Owens, but it didn't work. For the first time in over 135 years, a Democrat won.
Republican finger pointing started as soon as the election was over. Mike Huckabee said, “They [the Democrats] got that seat not because Democrats were brilliant, but because Republicans were stupid.” And the blame went on.
Ultra-conservatives such as Limbaugh, Coulter, Beck, etc., claim that if the party got back to its true conservative roots, Republicans would start winning again. Their grasp of history is shaky, to say the least. They forget that most of the heroes of the Republican Party wouldn't even be allowed to run these days, let alone win. They would all be considered too liberal.
Barry Goldwater was a conservative icon. Ronald Reagan got his national start working for Goldwater. But Goldwater was pro-choice and pro-gay rights. Today, he would be considered to the left of Scozzafava and unfit to run for office.
Abraham Lincoln would also be too liberal for today's Republicans. On May 20, 1862, he signed the Homestead Act, a massive government transfer of land, 160 acres free to anyone who improved the land and filed for deed of title. Talk about “redistribution of wealth!”
Today's Tea Partiers would call Teddy Roosevelt a socialist. In 1912, he founded the Progressive, or Bull Moose, Party, which proposed child labor laws, old-age pensions, and other social reforms. He was the first presidential candidate to call for Universal Health Care & National Health Insurance. His cousin, FDR, would eventually pass much of what Teddy proposed.
In 1953, President Eisenhower established the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. In 1960, he signed the Kerr-Mills Act, a program of “Medical Assistance for the Aged,” the precursor to Medicare. Eisenhower had hoped to do more with health care reform, but the powerful American Medical Association blocked him.
These Republicans are now well regarded, with good reason, but none of them would be acceptable to today's far-right Republicans. The current party line is so restrictive that anyone who dares veer off is punished severely. Contemporary Republicans seem bent on self-destruction, as in the 23rd District, managing to lose a seat in the House of Representatives they had held for over a century.
If the Republican Party doesn't learn from what made it strong in the past, there will be nothing left but a group of small-minded extremists that Goldwater, Lincoln, Eisenhower and T.R. of whom would be ashamed.
Jeanette Strong's column appears every other Sunday.
