Posted by Jonathan Adler:
"Freedom Republicanism": A Way Forward for the GOP?
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_05_03-2009_05_09.shtml#1241403169
South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint on [1]his prescription for a "big
tent" Republican Party:
To win back the trust of the American people, we must be a "big
tent" party. But big tents need strong poles, and the strongest
pole of our party -- the organizing principle and the crucial
alternative to the Democrats -- must be freedom. The federal
government is too big, takes too much of our money, and makes too
many of our decisions. If Republicans can't agree on that,
elections are the least of our problems. . . .
Freedom will mean different things to different Republicans, but it
can tether a diverse coalition to inalienable principles.
Republicans can welcome a vigorous debate about legalized abortion
or same-sex marriage; but we should be able to agree that social
policies should be set through a democratic process, not by
unelected judges. Our party benefits from national-security
debates; but Republicans can start from the premise that the U.S.
is an exceptional nation and force for good in history. We can
argue about how to rein in the federal Leviathan; but we should
agree that centralized government infringes on individual liberty
and that problems are best solved by the people or the government
closest to them.
Moderate and liberal Republicans who think a South Carolina
conservative like me has too much influence are right! I don't want
to make decisions for them. That's why I'm working to reduce
Washington's grip on our lives and devolve power to the states,
communities and individuals, so that Northeastern Republicans,
Western Republicans, Southern Republicans, and Midwestern
Republicans can define their own brands of Republicanism. It's the
Democrats who want to impose a rigid, uniform agenda on all
Americans. Freedom Republicanism is about choice -- in education,
health care, energy and more. It's OK if those choices look
different in South Carolina, Maine and California.
Sounds good to me, but actions will speak louder than words.
References
1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124121871475178899.html
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