In our current day we see a lot of politics. From turning on the news to checking social media it seems like every other headline or reel is “Dems this, GOP that, MAGA such and such.” I’m not here to say that is a bad thing. It is good that the average American can be so connected to the democratic process, and I think that our parties should also be connected to us. Our parties, like our government, are for the people, so they should reflect that. Now, I can’t speak all that much about what the Democrats are doing because I am a registered Republican, so let’s talk about rebuilding the GOP.
The Republican Party is not stagnant and should never be. We as a political unit need to clearly define what makes a Republican, though this can change with time and people. My interpretation of my own Republican status is anyone who is for a smaller federal government, protecting our civil rights and liberties, free-market or mixed economic policies and putting American problems as priority one before any foreign influence. I support being for the American people and fostering a love for the representative republic that was built. You could surely expand on all these ideas, but I’ll focus on one for my first step: “For the American people.”
My view of who is American is straightforward: they live and work within this nation, or under the flag. The first step of rebuilding the Republican Party, then, is removing extremists who go after American people. This includes people and groups like Jake Lang, Patriot Front, and the Ku Klux Klan. These groups make it their life’s work to belittle and discriminate. They also have nothing but malice in their hearts against immigrants, religious minorities and other American people. Those who fly the Stars and Bars of the confederacy or swastikas of the Third Reich should be ousted as well. It should be noted, however, that we will not trample on their freedom of speech. They are allowed to do and say those things, but freedom of speech is not freedom from punishment. They should not be labeled Republicans, and they should not be welcomed by mainstream Americans.
After culling the party of extremists, let’s focus on another issue: tying policies to politicians. When people begin to associate a certain policy with one politician or one cohort, they might begin to believe that the policy can only be solved or undertaken by that individual or group. This can then be used by said politician or group to throw shade on their opposition within the party. They can make statements like “this politician is not pro this because they don’t subscribe to our political small group.” For example, Senator Rand Paul was called a “sick wacko, who refuses to vote for our great Republican Party.” We need to stop seeing policy as something only one or a small group can fix. Policy should focus on the middle ground. We should be ready and willing to extend ourselves not just to fellow Republicans but across the aisle to our left-wing colleagues. A policy that needs a majority Republican congress and Republican President to pass will always find itself unpopular with at least half of our nation.
The third step but certainly not the last step in this new GOP is to break away from the “What would MAGA do?” question. The MAGA political movement has held a monopoly on Republicans since 2015, and those that don’t subscribe to the movement are called RINOs, or “Republicans in Name Only.” Many Republicans found themselves at a crossroad: adopt MAGA or be labeled as a RINO. Pre-MAGA Republicans such as the late senator and 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain and former governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney found themselves labeled as RINOs when MAGA appeared. It should have been a huge red flag that these two went from being the Republican bid for president to having their conservatism questioned in under 10 years. That is what this rebuilt GOP must stop. MAGA is not the law of the land and we as a party must be ready to clash with notions that it is.
To conclude, the Republican party should cull the wheat from the chaff, be open to finding middle ground and fight against MAGA ideals that hurt Americans. Some might say that these ideas are foolhardy and that I myself am a RINO or suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome, but I contest that I am one of many Americans who want change. Even if I find myself alone and cast out by those who view the party differently, I will not be deterred. The tree that stands alone on a hill can be seen for miles around.