What has happened to the Republican Party? The answer is so rudimentary it's scary. So simple that it truly needs no explanation. An elephant in the room, the magnitude of which no man has ever not seen... The Republican party has been decimated by the tea party and it's electorate.
REAGAN
Let's review history for a moment. In the days of Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and even George W, there was a sense of agreeable disagreement. A sense that even though the parties have always had fundamental differences, we've always been able to work together for the betterment of our nation as a whole. Compromise was an essential component of the operation of government. During Ronald Reagan's terms, he raised taxes more times than that of any president following him; however, he was a net tax cutter! This evidences the fact that in order to meet a long-term objective, you have to compromise along the way. Nothing involving more than one person can be accomplished without compromise. Even the stock market proves this theory by "backing and filling", a term used for a stock that ebbs and flows but ultimately rises. Ronald Reagan was a true "politician". He accommodated his opponent, in order to bank political capital which allowed him to ultimately meet long-term objectives. He knew that it was impossible to win every battle, while maintaining forward motion. These are the traits of a great President.
WAR
Moving forward, the party has struggled. The Bush presidencies were both greatly affected by war and terrorism. The war on terror is a very costly one, particularly because of its nuance. We sailed through uncharted territory, paying for our mistakes every step of the way. After the attack of September 11, our country had to respond. Whether you agree with the response is now irrelevant. The fact of the matter is that we're now in debt because of it and we have to do something to get back to a time of surplus.
TEA PARTY
Enter the Tea Party. Principles of reduced government, reduced taxes and free market economics, (ala Adam Smith, laissez-faire), with limited government intervention. These tenets are not unlike those of the republican party as a whole. The defining difference is that the tea party proponents believe in the " my way or the highway" theory of uncompromise. As I previously stated, there is no straight line to any objective encompassing just under 310,000,000 people. the result... GRIDLOCK! Firstly, we have to examine the "old" tea party (2009). This group garnered its early muster through separatism, racism, bigotry and hatred. A new word was splattered across the American landscape. Newspapers, television, radio and internet agreed that our country was plagued with "vitriol". A disapproval so strong that it transcended all levels of good sense. A hatred so vehement that it became the party's primary objective to destroy an American President. Initially, many people were enamored with the idea of revolution but couldn't support or associate with this rogue organization until it cleaned up its act. With the realization that this kind of backwards effort wouldn't allow the movement to proceed to the next level, the tea party began to change its M.O., disassociating itself from the racist, separatist rallies with picket signs reminiscent of days past.
Redux
Although the Tea Party has rebooted, the damage has been done. When the shroud of intolerance was removed, the new party was revealed. Small government, low taxes, free market, a mandate to find constitutionality in all new legislation and a contract FROM America. All good right? While the message is irrefutable, it's the methodology that hasn't been well thought out. If you're an American elected official, it is your responsibility to ensure that ALL of the people in your district are represented. It is this basic principle that has been overlooked in our current political climate. Anyone who was elected by indulging the tea party rhetoric, fails to represent the non tea partiers in his area. As a result of tea bag pandering and promises, our government remains ineffective and the Republican Party remains divided and weak.
Conclusion
If we don't change something soon, our country will fail to hear all sides of every dilemma. In other words, we need more Ronald Reagan and less John Boehner. We must be willing to move to the left in order to move to the right. If we are unwilling to concede anything, we are bound to lose everything...
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