The Future of the
Republican Party?
We have been
treated to numerous stories lately about the Republican party’s problems
connecting with young voters. The
analysis has been that the party needs to rethink its position on social
issues, particularly abortion and same-sex “marriage.”
The scary thing is
that the party leadership may just be foolish enough to listen. If the Republican party changes its position
on these issues, it will no longer be relevant.
The base of the party, of course, is values voters, Christian values
voters.
None of them would
be willing to go along with a pro-abortion party simply because the Democrats
are even worse. Liberals would still
have a place to go, but the social conservatives would abandon the Republican
ship in droves.
Most likely it
would mean the end of the two-party system in the United States, in itself not
necessarily a bad thing. Social
conservatives would probably become a force in a third party that gains
prominence, and the United States Congress would obtain majorities only through
coalitions among different parties, much like the situation in much of Europe.
Is that what’s best
for the country? Possibly. But I doubt it’s what the Republican
leadership really prefers. In which
case, they had better not think they can further disenfranchise the values
voters in the party.
What the party
would be much smarter to do is repackage its message. Especially when it comes to abortion, the
pro-life position is very attractive to the youth. But it’s not an easy message to get across. The media and academia fight hard against it,
and Planned Parenthood is a mega-bucks force that works overtime to keep
Americans ignorant about the issue.
If the Republican
party wishes to survive, though, it better be prepared for some hard work. Young people are fertile ground for
conservative votes if the party works hard enough to attract them. If not, then hopefully our new third party
will.
