Virginia Republican Creed

Posted by Larry Miller on August 16, 2009 under Why | Read the First Comment

Many years ago, the Republicans in Virginia came up with a document that sums up what the party says they believe. It pretty much covers the range of issues that concern Virginians and Americans. It presents viewpoints that most citizens could agree with and support. The creed goes back to the beliefs that drove our Founding Fathers when they created a new nation. This is what the Virginia Republicans say they believe:

That the free enterprise system is the most productive supplier of human needs and economic justice,

That all individuals are entitled to equal rights, justice, and opportunities and should assume their responsibilities as citizens in a free society,

That fiscal responsibility and budgetary restraints must be exercised at all levels of government,

That the Federal Government must preserve individual liberty by observing Constitutional limitations,

That peace is best preserved through a strong national defense,

That faith in God, as recognized by our Founding Fathers is essential to the moral fiber of the Nation.

Recent polls show that a majority of Americans share most of these values. So, why then, are these red state voters electing blue state candidates? Could it be that Republicans are not communicating these values well? Could it be the many have become fat and happy, relying on high incumbent re-election rates? Could it be that many have fallen prey to leadership with conflicting agendas? And… worst of all, could it be that some of our elected representatives really do not believe the ideas expressed in this creed?

In my humble, but accurate, opinion, it is all of the above. Many office holders, particularly where districts have been gerrymandered to make them feel safe, just have not made the effort to fight for these values… at times to their dismay. This could be the laziness of human nature or the same disrespect of their constituents we often see in members of the opposition party.

During the waining days of the Bush administration, we saw many in Washington – from Virginia and the rest of the country – have their arms twisted into supporting the TARP plan and, before that, No Child Left Behind, on ad infinitum, even though their ignorant constituents and their own common sense told them not to do it.

In breaking with the values most candidates espoused when campaigning and in sound bites with the media, they have not only showed their rhetoric to be meaningless, but they have drawn their entire party into disrepute and shown their words and promises to be unreliable.

There was a recent discussion on Facebook about supporting a candidate that you agreed with but did not trust or one you didn’t always agree with, but was good for his word. It was unanimous that a trusted candidate, even one with somewhat differing values was preferable to one who did not honor his word.

We can see the implications of this thinking as so many Republicans… even ones who want to be called conservative… have lost credibility with the electorate – some through no fault of their own. Most of the instigators of this behavior tell us the problem is that those non-representatives have not gone far enough in deserting these principles and we should recognize that times and people have changed. In spite of numerous polls telling us otherwise, they say people want more government programs and involvement in their lives.

There is backing for this even coming from consultants who may not be so involved with the issues but are only considering the prospects of winning telling them to avoid certain issues that may “offend” segments of the electorate. In some ways they are right. When you stand for something, some people will take issue with you. On the other hand, when you stand for what you say you believe, people will learn to respect you and trust you.

What this comes down to is a quality many political types tell us they have, but few have the ability to demonstrate. It is the ability to say what you mean and mean what you say… not adjusting your values for each audience. It means you don’t make a speech one day and the next, see a multitude of YouTube postings showing you saying the exact opposite, such as we often observe in statements coming from the White House.

Republicans will probably see a resurgence in their ranks no matter what they do as so many people are just fed up with Democrats who have been caught lying or even telling the truth about what they want to do to the American people. However, if they want to maximize this reinvigoration and actually have it mean something, they would do well to take a look at what the Virginia party has accepted as core beliefs and begin to live by them and promote them. Otherwise the citizens will just see more of the same and the party will get all the loyalty it has earned.