It is past time for the Republican Party, at both the state and national levels, to re-examine its positions if it wants to play a leadership role in governing our country.
In Maine, Republicans were given an opportunity to lead in 2010. By any objective measure, they were inclusive and did a good job. Gov. Paul LePage, while too blunt publicly for the sensibilities of most Mainers, was almost always spot-on in policy direction.
Nationally, the Republicans had taken back the House of Representatives and were looking ahead to 2012, with 21 Democratic seats needing to be defended versus only 12 for Republicans in the U.S. Senate. The first-term incumbent president, also a Democrat, was carrying the worst economic performance numbers in more than three generations.
With the wind at their back and looking squarely at a center-right country, the national party moved hard right and deployed that well-known political tool, the circular firing squad. Seeking self-styled political purity, centrists were pressured to leave, and the ranks were thinned of long-serving patriots, including Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, who lost his party’s nomination in 2010; Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Indiana, who was defeated in this year’s primary; and Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, who is retiring.
The party took strong positions that were anti-immigrant, with attendant racial overtones; anti-women, with no exceptions for legal abortions; anti-gay, painting them as freaks of nature to be cured of a “disease”; anti-science, by opposing climate-change actions and stem-cell research; anti-government investment in infrastructure, by lumping all deficit spending as evil; anti-middle class, by promoting a tax structure almost guaranteed to gut and hollow out the middle class, the foundation of a strong democracy, while over-rewarding the wealthy. Lastly, the party promised Grover Norquest, an unelected self-appointed leader of the “no new taxes of any stripe” movement, never to raise new revenue.
Reflecting on last month’s election results and recalling the dozens and dozens of conversations I had with Maine voters, I am struck by the three themes that repeated themselves: “Your party is out to lunch”; “How can you stand being a member of the Republican Party?” and “I am not voting for any Republicans this year.” If you are a Republican, how does that work for you? Do we double down or retool with a strong eye to inclusiveness?
While you contemplate that question, another opportunity to get it wrong has presented itself to the Republican Party: gun violence. While both political parties have many members who own guns, the vast majority of them have an ownership profile akin to their parents or grandparents. By letting a few use the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment as a basis for unfettered ownership of weapons, politicians in both parties have bowed to National Rifle Association pressure to provide increased access to ammunition and weaponry. However, while both parties are culpable, Republicans have made it a cause celeb.
Elected Republican officials easily can protect the public in the matter of gun violence, preserve the right to bear arms, and celebrate America’s hunting traditions. When I was a boy in the 1950s, the NRA was all about gun education and safety. Today it bullies elected officials directly and through surrogates. The NRA reminds me of the Wizard of OZ — a little person with a big voice hiding behind a curtain.
My magic elixir for the Republican Party: First, support an assault weapons and high-capacity bullet clip ban with no exceptions but for the military and law enforcement. Next, support background checks for the purchase of any weapon or ammunition without exception, regardless of location. Third, require trigger locks and the separation of weapons and ammunition when they are not in the possession of the owner. Fourth, make owners and their estates financially responsible for damages done by their weapons.
Mental health services and violence-related media changes are relevant, long-term efforts. The directives listed above immediately limit access to both weaponry and ammunition and improve safety for all.
Show leadership, Republicans!
Karl W. Turner of Cumberland was a Republican state senator from 2000 to 2008.
Laughable you corporately owned slave. The dualistic paradigm is a joke. Stop pedaling ineffective nonsense!!
Democrat. Republican. Whatever. Both corporate banker owned freak shows. One in the same. Stop perpetuating this lie!
And, by the way, you can also stop spewing this vile hypocrisy regrading violence and guns. When you hold obama accountable for fast and furious, which killed at least one American we know of, and innocent women and children in Mexico, then you can bring up violence. Actually, no, when you hold obama accountable for the hundreds of women and children he’s murdered via drone then get back to us.ok?
Till then, can the hypocritical corporate bs…divide and conquer—- you’ve been conquered. Doesn’t mean you have to drag us down with you. Slave
It’s time for a serious talk about drone violence ;)
Little late for that. Damage is done and then some.. Thank your corporate media for the biggest betrayal ever. They all, every single one, should be ashamed and embarrassed. And quite frankly they too, along with our peace prize winning murderer in chief, have the blood of innocent women and children on their hands.
This guy got me laughing with his second paragraph. “By any objective measure” he means “according to ALEC/HPC agenda”. Also laughable was calling the Republican attempts to lead a good job. If they had done a good job, we would not have fired so many of them at the polls last month. And he continues on in the next paragraph to belabor Obama’s economic record in dealing with two unfunded wars and a deregulated banking industry that was set up by the previous administration’s lax attitude toward the public good. All the while continuing to tout the benefits of “trickle down” economic theory by giving massive tax breaks to the extremely wealthy.
The woes of the Republican Party are all pretty much easy to agree with. The real question this author has to ask himself is:”Why, in the face of all this negativity he sees in his party, is he still a Republican?” By his own words he perceives them as being wrong on all the issues. I guess “logic” and Republican zeal are mutually exclusive.
Mr. Turner’s wholesale adoption of Democratic positions simply underlines the mainstream Republican party’s main problem: no principles, no fight, and no goals beyond keeping a place at government’s table, even if it is below the salt.
He was right on target : “The party took strong positions that were anti-immigrant, with attendant
racial overtones; anti-women, with no exceptions for legal abortions;
anti-gay, painting them as freaks of nature to be cured of a “disease”;
anti-science, by opposing climate-change actions and stem-cell research;
anti-government investment in infrastructure, by lumping all deficit
spending as evil; anti-middle class, by promoting a tax structure almost
guaranteed to gut and hollow out the middle class, the foundation of a
strong democracy, while over-rewarding the wealthy. Lastly, the party
promised Grover Norquest, an unelected self-appointed leader of the “no
new taxes of any stripe” movement, never to raise new revenue.”
None of these are AMERICA’S “core values “
He may (or may not) be “right on target,” but he’s shooting Democratic bullets, and at an innocent victim at that: the Republican party simply hasn’t taken the positions he denounces.
Progressives’ wild accusations of Republican malevolence now resemble nothing so much as an earlier progressive movement’s hysterical denunciations of an ‘international Jewish conspiracy’.
None of these are the values of the Republicans I know, and I know quite a few.
This guy is wasting his breath. He may be a Republican, but he not a conservative. Yes, we took a shellacking, but that is by no means a reason to abandon your ideals as a conservative (just to win elections) people know darned well the democrats would never waiver on their ideals if they were in the same position. We need to do the same thing the Dems did back in 04, get back to the core values of the party and stop pretending to be something your not. That is just playing into the Dems hands. Most of these so called disenfranchised groups would never vote for a Republican if their life depended on it. I have one message to the Republican party,,,start giving us qualified, electable people, not talking heads.
The difference is : the people embrace the D’s core values…. The R’s and their values are out of touch and don’t represent the best interest of “the people ‘.
That’s debateable
You need more than electable people. Republicans need to support policy that actually produces good results. A good place to start would be climate change. It’s very hard to take a person seriously if they deny facts based on careful, rigorous research.
“High capacity bullet clips”? One thing I love about hearing from these gun banners is learning about all of these devices that I didn’t know existed.
Divorcing itself from evangelicals and tea partiers would help.
But then they would have NO voters supportiing them .
This gentleman spent 8 years in Augusta. That helps explain many of the problems the folks of this state are enduring.
His lack of education on so many subjects is astounding.
well respected dyed in the wool R.
excellent well said:
“The party took strong positions that were anti-immigrant, with attendant
racial overtones; anti-women, with no exceptions for legal abortions;
anti-gay, painting them as freaks of nature to be cured of a “disease”;
anti-science, by opposing climate-change actions and stem-cell research;
anti-government investment in infrastructure, by lumping all deficit
spending as evil; anti-middle class, by promoting a tax structure almost
guaranteed to gut and hollow out the middle class, the foundation of a
strong democracy, while over-rewarding the wealthy. Lastly, the party
promised Grover Norquest, an unelected self-appointed leader of the “no
new taxes of any stripe” movement, never to raise new revenue.”
Who did they expect was “left: to vote for them??
somthing is wrong with you.. take your glasses off and look around. more polical talking points coming from the public who are unable to think for ones self