JoJO
09-16-2003, 08:42 AM
The Republican Party was born to oppose the extension of slavery into the plains territories. The party's first presidential candidate ran in 1856 under the slogan:"Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Speech, Free Men, Fr?mont." The 1860 election and its aftermath has forever identified the Republican Party as the "party of Lincoln."
Following the assassination of Lincoln, the Republican Party lost its soul for a time as it was dominated by corruption and an ideology beholden to northern big money, but as the 20th century approached, Theodore Roosevelt emerged to call the party back to its idealistic beginnings. Instituting his "Square Deal," TR took on the trusts, promoted protection of the environment through the establishment of national parks, and protected consumers with the Food and Drug Act.
Decades later, the dark soul of Richard Nixon threatened to connect forever the Republican Party with the ruthless politics of break-ins, enemies' lists and dirty tricks, but Republicans like Elliot Richardson, Howard Baker and Barry Goldwater helped avoid what could have been an even worse constitutional crisis over Watergate and preserved the soul of the Republican Party in the process.
Are there Republicans today ready to reclaim the soul of the Republican Party? Surely the party of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Barry Goldwater cannot become the party of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter without a fight from Republicans who still believe in decency and truth. Who might be willing to stand up and offer Republicans the opportunity to vote in thr primaries for fiscal responsibility, a forgn policy that seeks to build rather than destroy international consensus, and backing for the troops that have been placed in Iraq and Afghanistan without regard to political expediency? As the Bush administration's abuse of the nation's trust threatens Republican chances in 2004, will one of the following be willing to take on the probably quixotic task of challenging a President running for reelection?
John McCain:
Democrats complain bitterly that Bush stole the general election from Gore. McCain could justifiably make the same claim about the 2000 Republican nomination. An AWOL draft-dodger's campaign turned McCain's Vietnam heroism against him by claiming it had made him "unstable." The "compassionate conservative's" lieutenants lied that the McCains' loving act of adopting a Bangladesh girl was an attempt to hide the Senator's illegitimate "black" child. Bush supporters hounded Cindy McCain throughout South Carolina with flyers distorting her battle with painkillers.
If anyone has a motive and the charisma to maybe pull off an intra-party challenge to Bush, it's McCain.
Chuck Hagel
A McCain ally in 2000 and a strong critic of the administration's Iraq policy, Hagel is already on the outs with the Bush attack dogs. How long will he be willing to see Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz put American troops in danger so that they won't have to admit thr mistakes?
Olympia Snowe
She doesn't have much to lose. The "new" Republican Party is after her after her holdout on the latest round of Bush tax cuts for the rich.
Warren Rudman
He surely must be disappointed with what the Bush administration has done to the budget he worked so hard to balance. His criticism of White House efforts for homeland security is well-known. Finally, the Bushies used anti-Semitic slurs and Rudman's connection to McCain to sway South Carolina voters in 2000.
Richard Lugar
Novak says he has a good relationship with the President, but Lugar also feels that he was misled about Iraq.
Colin Powell
If only he had resigned before appearing before the United Nations in February. As it is, his life is becoming a tragedy worthy of Shakespeare.
Christine Todd Whitman
She may exemplify the difficulties that anyone who has been associated with the Bush administration will have in pursuing a political career post-George. There may be no way to stay clean while working for them.
One or more of these people must know that the Republican Party needs a serious challenger to Bush, but someone must act while there are still primaries left to run in. If Republicans are headed toward defeat, a primary contest will be the first battle in the war for control of the post-2004 party. If Rove's ruthless tactics manage to eke out four more years of G. W. Bush, the Republican who stands up to the President won't just be fighting for the soul of the Republican Party. The soul of the nation will be at stake.
________
IOLITE MODIFICATIONS (http://vaporizer.org/reviews)
Following the assassination of Lincoln, the Republican Party lost its soul for a time as it was dominated by corruption and an ideology beholden to northern big money, but as the 20th century approached, Theodore Roosevelt emerged to call the party back to its idealistic beginnings. Instituting his "Square Deal," TR took on the trusts, promoted protection of the environment through the establishment of national parks, and protected consumers with the Food and Drug Act.
Decades later, the dark soul of Richard Nixon threatened to connect forever the Republican Party with the ruthless politics of break-ins, enemies' lists and dirty tricks, but Republicans like Elliot Richardson, Howard Baker and Barry Goldwater helped avoid what could have been an even worse constitutional crisis over Watergate and preserved the soul of the Republican Party in the process.
Are there Republicans today ready to reclaim the soul of the Republican Party? Surely the party of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Barry Goldwater cannot become the party of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter without a fight from Republicans who still believe in decency and truth. Who might be willing to stand up and offer Republicans the opportunity to vote in thr primaries for fiscal responsibility, a forgn policy that seeks to build rather than destroy international consensus, and backing for the troops that have been placed in Iraq and Afghanistan without regard to political expediency? As the Bush administration's abuse of the nation's trust threatens Republican chances in 2004, will one of the following be willing to take on the probably quixotic task of challenging a President running for reelection?
John McCain:
Democrats complain bitterly that Bush stole the general election from Gore. McCain could justifiably make the same claim about the 2000 Republican nomination. An AWOL draft-dodger's campaign turned McCain's Vietnam heroism against him by claiming it had made him "unstable." The "compassionate conservative's" lieutenants lied that the McCains' loving act of adopting a Bangladesh girl was an attempt to hide the Senator's illegitimate "black" child. Bush supporters hounded Cindy McCain throughout South Carolina with flyers distorting her battle with painkillers.
If anyone has a motive and the charisma to maybe pull off an intra-party challenge to Bush, it's McCain.
Chuck Hagel
A McCain ally in 2000 and a strong critic of the administration's Iraq policy, Hagel is already on the outs with the Bush attack dogs. How long will he be willing to see Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz put American troops in danger so that they won't have to admit thr mistakes?
Olympia Snowe
She doesn't have much to lose. The "new" Republican Party is after her after her holdout on the latest round of Bush tax cuts for the rich.
Warren Rudman
He surely must be disappointed with what the Bush administration has done to the budget he worked so hard to balance. His criticism of White House efforts for homeland security is well-known. Finally, the Bushies used anti-Semitic slurs and Rudman's connection to McCain to sway South Carolina voters in 2000.
Richard Lugar
Novak says he has a good relationship with the President, but Lugar also feels that he was misled about Iraq.
Colin Powell
If only he had resigned before appearing before the United Nations in February. As it is, his life is becoming a tragedy worthy of Shakespeare.
Christine Todd Whitman
She may exemplify the difficulties that anyone who has been associated with the Bush administration will have in pursuing a political career post-George. There may be no way to stay clean while working for them.
One or more of these people must know that the Republican Party needs a serious challenger to Bush, but someone must act while there are still primaries left to run in. If Republicans are headed toward defeat, a primary contest will be the first battle in the war for control of the post-2004 party. If Rove's ruthless tactics manage to eke out four more years of G. W. Bush, the Republican who stands up to the President won't just be fighting for the soul of the Republican Party. The soul of the nation will be at stake.
________
IOLITE MODIFICATIONS (http://vaporizer.org/reviews)