Kick Out the Social Conservatives

In the wake of John McCain's historic defeat, Republicans realized they needed some change of their own. The site RebuildTheParty.com attempts to address various issues within the GOP to ensure a competitive footing in the future.

The author states in the beginning of his piece that, "This is a document about bringing the Republican Party into the future -- and it isn't just about strategies and tactics." If you actually read the document, however, you will be hard pressed to find anything that fundamentally challenges the GOP's current identity. The ramblings in the plan are an attempt to imitate Obama's successful tactics through a new technology and grass roots infrastructure, rather than an introspective assessment of the party's ideology, appeal, and constituency.

I think that one reason why the Republican party has lost ground is because they have failed to lay out a coherent vision for the United States. Instead, they have built their success around a coalition of economic, foreign policy, and social conservatives without a domineering philosophy. A coalition is necessary and inevitable in our system, but it can only work when it is backed by a vision for the future. We are a forward looking nation, and when our leaders approach society through the prism of religion, economics as if it were the 19th century, and foreign policy as if we were fighting the Soviet Union, no wonder those views do not resonate with a majority of the country.

There is one set of issues that clearly represents the GOP's current perspective and strategy more than others: social issues. On every single social issue, the stereotypical Republican view is backwards. Whether the issue is abortion, stem cell research, or gay marriage, their stance is mostly based not on a rational argument weighing various interests in society, but solely on religious grounds that have no place in lawmaking.

We sometimes forget that we are not a pure democracy. Our constitution and bill of rights were enacted in part to ensure that minorities' rights could not be infringed upon by the whim of the majority. Why should one group of people impose a strict view on society that robs others at a chance at happiness? Lets look at one specific issue - gay marriage.

Marriage is a legal arrangement that gives the two parties certain rights in various areas of the law: medical, taxes, and others. Moreover, it is a sign of commitment between two individuals. Opposition to gay marriage can only be justified by a religious argument or the claim that gay couples in some way harm society. The societal harm argument does not hold because various studies have shown that gay couples' children turn out just as messed up as straight ones. In any event, opposition has its roots in an individualistic viewpoint of the world that is fearful of differences, change, and nuance.

Why should a blatantly and religiously motivated segment of society impose their will on a minority that does not cause any harm? Well...the only harm they do cause is that gut wrenching feeling that their fellow citizens stand in direct opposition to their view of the world. I think as a nation we can be more mature. The only reason why opposition to gay marriage still exists is because a large enough segment of society sees the notion as an affront to either their view of the world or it is outside their zone of social acceptability. In either case, thats their problem.

Now let me suggest a way Republicans can move their party forward: kick out the social conservatives. By acting boldly the GOP can clearly show the country they are a party of the future. After they do this, they will need to reestablish trust in the country that they are the party of foreign policy sensibility and real promoters of small(er) government. In addition, they can also move forward by welcoming African Americans, Hispanics, and other minorities into the party. They should not do so because they are a potentially powerful voting bloc that can be used as a tool for power, but because they are as much American as anyone else.

The GOP should not be the party of low taxes, but of personal empowerment through the means of small government. Not the party of homophobia, but of inclusiveness. Not the party of hawks, but of calculated foreign policy. Not the party of the commoner (aka Sarah Palin), but of the party that understands the commoner.

His Name Was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan

23%.

That’s the percentage of Texans who believe that Obama is a Muslim. More than anything else, it is a disappointing statistic that reflects poorly upon my home state. Even more damaging, only 5-10% of the rest of the nation believe this myth.

The following is an interaction I had with a friend at a few months ago:

My friend casually made reference to the incorrect assertion that Obama is a believer of the Islamic tradition. I told him, "regardless of what you think of his policies, personality, and politics, he is a Christian." My friend continued to push the point and eventually I stopped arguing with him. What lay behind his assertion is that a Muslim should not occupy the Presidency. It was so obvious to him that it was not even worth pointing out.

My friend is a Jewish immigrant and a real embodiment of the American dream. Given his unique status as a naturalized citizen from a hostile nation, he has the passion, appreciation, and love for the freedoms of our country that natural-born citizens sometimes take for granted. Yet, why does he hold a prejudice he would find abhorrent if he found himself in Obama's shoes?

The interaction above is one example of a disturbing trend within the Jewish community. That trend is an increasing comfortableness with attitudes and prejudices that we fought vigorously when they were applied to us. For example, a different friend of mine suggested that Muslims cannot be trusted, they all support terrorists, and we should evict them from the United States. Obviously this is an extreme example, but it illustrates the trend. Have we become so complacent in our societal status that we are blind to other people's situations that reflect our own history and unique circumstances?

The Jewish community, above all, should be deeply respectful and appreciative of attitudes towards minorities in our nation. It is not only the rights on paper, as the Black community can attest to in the era from reconstruction to the civil rights movement, but the attitudes and actions that have a real and massive impact on our social environment. We should be vigilant and address these issues head-on. Even though we may not think so, we are not immune to ignorance and bigotry.

Dare I say it, so what if Obama were a Muslim? Colin Powell eloquently made the case on Meet the Press on October 19th when he said regarding Obama, "he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president?"

Powell then talked about a recent solider who gave his life to the defense of our nation on the Iraqi battlefield. He proclaimed, "at the very top of [his] headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross, it didn't have the Star of David, it had crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an American."

One reason my immigrant friend loves our country so much is that it gave him the opportunity to do and be whatever he wished. The only limits to his success were the ones he placed upon himself. We should not place limits, written or unwritten, on any group of people when we have benefited so much from our country's openness.