WHEN WILL THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
REQUIRE REPUBLICANS TO BE REPUBLICANS?

20 Apr. 2019

Dear Friends & Patriots,

          I don’t know about you, but there are things in life that tend to shape my expectations, and when those expectations are not met I experience a spate of cognitive dissonance. In plain English – whenever things aren’t going as advertised I’m not a happy camper.

          For a good long while I’ve been unhappy with the Republican Party. I won’t share my feelings about the Democratic Party, for two reasons. First, I try not to use profanity in my prose, and to describe my feelings about the Democratic Party would require so many expletives they’d almost be beyond count. Second, I gave up on the Democratic Party as a small child and they’ve done nothing since then except confirm all my negative suspicions about them. That means I’m sort of left to try to embrace the Republican Party, declare myself an independent, or get really frustrated by investing my emotions in a minor-league third party with no chance of doing better in a political race than supporting a stalking horse or a spoiler. Now you know why I hang out with Republicans, but I have to say a lot of days are not happy ones.

          For several years now I’ve watched people leave the Republican Party (RP) and say things like, “I didn’t so much leave the party as the party left me.” I take that to mean the person had a philosophic disagreement with one or more of the party’s more important candidates, with direction from the Republican National Committee (RNC) level, with some aspect(s) of the party’s platform, or with the way Republicans tend to snatch defeats from the jaws of victory on a remarkably consistent basis.   I understand all that, but that’s not what drives my unhappiness. Mine is over how pitiful the party is in controlling its own membership.

          When I join other groups I’m usually required to read their charters and bylaws and sign some form of agreement that I understand and will abide by the group rules. I agree that if I violate any of the group rules they can toss me to the curb. I acknowledge any “good standing” requirements and promise to be a good boy. I don’t see the RP doing enough of that, which is what I believe causes losses in support and some of the political losses we see in Congress.

          Every organization has a philosophic basis for existing. It may be simple or very complex, but every organization does have one. If you’re a member of a domino club that meets every Friday night for a few hours of bone shuffling, the group’s philosophy may focus on camaraderie, having a few drinks in a non-threatening environment, and maybe just getting out of the house. If you belong to a fraternal order you have myriad rules, rituals, and historical bases that form your order’s philosophic foundation.   Political parties are exactly the same. All have a coherent philosophy to follow. All have an espoused belief system that is supposed to guide members in rule-making, ritual formulation, public presentations, and approach to making the laws that govern the actions of all of us.   That philosophy is found in the party’s platform.

          The Republican Party Platform is a product of the RNC National Platform Committee, and is re-visited, re-formulated, re-justified, voted on and adopted every four years at the party’s nomination convention. The committee assesses the needs of the nation from a Republican point of view and ensures the platform exhibits priorities that reflect a majority of the nation’s Republicans. It’s a point-by-point examination of the top issues used to guide future legislative emphasis. Even more, because each point is accompanied by text that describes the historical and logical rationale for each, it serves as the agreed-upon philosophy of all who call themselves Republicans. At least, that’s what it’s supposed to be.

          Would you think it too much to ask if a person applying for membership in the RP (also known as the GOP) has read the party platform? I don’t. I think the question is entirely fair. I also think that all applicants should swear in writing they will support each and every plank of the party platform.   If the party wants to ensure members understand the full breadth of their responsibilities, there should be party meetings held specifically to instruct new members on the platform; where each plank is read, explained and discussed to ensure all new members fully comprehend. Then we could safely say each member of the RP understands what “being” a Republican means.

          I didn’t join the GOP as a “regular” member. Instead I applied to join my county Executive Committee, and they accepted me. When I reflect on that, I consider it a mistake. Not my mistake, mind you, but a mistake of process and rules. I was jumping into the policy-making echelon of the organization without any actual foundation. The Executive Committee should have rules that require regular GOP membership in good standing for at least a couple of years before considering any application to a county or state-level body. It took me over a year just to understand what my county executive committee does and how it does it. If I’d been required to serve an apprenticeship in one of the county’s regular GOP “clubs” I’d have understood it before I stepped up, and I could have been more completely vetted by the Executive Committee for my suitability for a larger role in the party. As it was, when I was vetted I was not asked if I’d read the RP Platform, which I had not.

          If I were to be elected to be the god of Republicans, the Ultimate Pachyderm (Elephantus Ultimo), here are a few of the things I’d want to see done to fix what I see as wrong. Some of these points are already done to some extent, but others are not done at all.

-          Require all new applicants to certify in writing that they read and understood the latest RP Platform.

-          Require all new applicants to swear in writing they have never run for office under any other party banner than the RP’s, haven’t lent any material or financial support for any another party’s candidate in the past four years; and understand that if they do run as a candidate for or lend aid to any other party they will be permanently excommunicated from the RP.

-          Require all members to serve a minimum two year “apprenticeship” period with a local GOP organization before applying for consideration for county Executive Committee membership, and an additional two years on a county Executive Committee before running for a state GOP Executive Committee seat.

-          Require all who request to register as candidates for offices under the RP banner to be vetted and approved by a County Executive Committee for any office with less than a state-wide responsibility.

-          Require all who request to register as candidates for state-wide offices under the RP banner to be vetted by their state’s GOP Executive Committee.

-          Require all vetting committees to ask potential candidates if they have read and understood the latest RP Platform.

-          Require all potential candidates for any office to swear in writing they have never run for office under any other party banner than the RP’s, haven’t lent any material or financial support for any another party’s candidate in the past five years; and understand that if they do run as a candidate for or lend aid to any other party they will be permanently excommunicated from the RP.

-          Require all potential candidates to acknowledge in writing the RP’s expectation that they will bear true faith and allegiance to the RP and its Platform if they succeed in their quest for office and will not breach any tenet of the Platform. The acknowledgment statement will include stipulations that if the member violates any plank of the platform not only will they potentially be excommunicated from the party but will receive no funding or material support from the RP in any future political contest.

-          Require all candidates for elected judgeships to swear in writing that if elected they will faithfully follow the tenets of the RP Platform unless, in the course of rendering judgments, they encounter existing law that prevails. Otherwise, candidates for elected judgeships will acknowledge the RP’s expectations that if elected they are to faithfully execute the laws of the land as written and intended and not create new law from their bench, and further acknowledge that if he/she violates any plank of the platform not only will they potentially be excommunicated from the party but will receive no funding or material support from the RP in any future political contest.

-          For instances where an elected official violate one of the RP Platform planks the state Executive Committee from the official’s state and the RNC in cases where the official is in a national office, will issue written letters of censure to the offending official notifying him/her of their offense, reminding them of their acknowledgment of the party’s policy of excommunication. The offender would be granted an opportunity to appeal the letter of censure and proffer a defense, which would be considered by the body of the state Executive Committee or the RNC, depending on the level of the official’s status. If the defense is considered adequate and compelling and the party will is for leniency the letter of censure could be withdrawn. If the defense is considered inadequate, the offending official would be issued official notice that their party affiliation is immediately terminated, they are permanently excommunicated, and will not receive any future funding or material support from the RP, with copies of the notice forwarded to all the state’s Republican Party members in good standing and to the media.

Just because I am who I am, I do wish to ask, do all of you understand what exactly the word ‘pachyderm’ means? Just to cut the discussion short, it currently means “a person with a thick skin,” or “an insensitive person.”   I’m thinking there’s a whole lot there to unpack (or is that, unpach?). It could be progressives who are responsible for the current definitions of pachyderm. When I was a kid everyone understood it referred to elephants. Nothing is sacred anymore! I apologize for straying from the meat of the subject, but I felt the need to share this factoid with you.

Let’s go on.

You may now be wondering what I’m grousing about and what point I’m trying to drive home. To help answer that, allow me to replicate the party’s principles, which are the foundation of the platform and articulate much of the party’s philosophy. The platform planks are built on this foundation of principles. I recommend you read the 60+ page text of the entire RP Platform, but not now, and not here. This is enough to make my point. Keep in mind, when this was written Barack Obama was our President.

We believe in American exceptionalism.

We believe the United States of America is

     unlike any other nation on earth.

We believe America is exceptional because of

     our historic role — first as refuge, then as      

     defender, and now as exemplar of liberty for
     the world to see.

We affirm — as did the Declaration of
     Independence: that all are created equal,
     endowed by their Creator with inalienable
     rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of
     happiness.

We believe in the Constitution as our founding
     document. We believe the Constitution was
     written not as a flexible document, but as
     our enduring covenant.

We believe our constitutional system — limited
     government, separation of powers,
     federalism, and the rights of the people —
     must be preserved uncompromised for
     future generations.

We believe political freedom and economic
     freedom are indivisible.

When political freedom and economic freedom
     are separated — both are in peril; when
     united, they are invincible.

We believe that people are the ultimate
     resource — and that the people, not the
     government, are the best stewards of our
     country’s God-given natural resources.

As Americans and as Republicans we wish for
     peace — so we insist on strength. We will
     make America safe. We seek friendship with
     all peoples and all nations, but we recognize
     and are prepared to deal with evil in the
     world.

Based on these principles, this platform is an
     invitation and a roadmap. It invites every
     American to join us and shows the path to a
     stronger, safer, and more prosperous
   America.

This platform is optimistic because the
     American people are optimistic.

This platform lays out — in clear language —
     the path to making America great and united
     again.

For the past 8 years America has been led in the
     wrong direction. Our economy has become
     unnecessarily weak with stagnant wages.
     People living paycheck to paycheck are
     struggling, sacrificing, and suffering.

Americans have earned and deserve a strong
     and healthy economy.

Our standing in world affairs has declined
     significantly — our enemies no longer fear us
     and our friends no long trust us.

People want and expect an America that is the
     most powerful and respected country on the
     face of the earth.

The men and women of our military remain
     the world’s best. The have been
     shortchanged in numbers, equipment, and
     benefits by a Commander in Chief who treats
     the Armed Forces and our veterans as a
     necessary inconvenience.

The President and the Democratic party have
     dismantled Americans’ system of healthcare.
     They have replaced it with a costly and
     complicated scheme that limits choices and
     takes away our freedom.

The President and the Democratic party have
     abandoned their promise of being
     accountable to the American people.
     They have nearly doubled the size of the
     national debt. They refuse to control our
     borders but try to control our schools,
     farms, businesses, and even our religious
   institutions. They have directly attacked the
     production of American energy and the
     industry-related jobs that have sustained
   families and communities.

The President has been regulating to death
     a free market economy that he does not like
     and does not understand. He defies the laws
     of the United States by refusing to enforce
     those with which he does not agree. And he
     appoints judges who legislate from the bench
     rather than apply the law.

We, as Republicans and Americans, cannot
     allow this to continue. That is why the many
     sections of this platform affirm our trust in
     the people, our faith in their judgment, and
     our determination to help them take back
     their country.

This means removing the power from
     unelected, unaccountable government.

This means relieving the burden and expense of
     punishing government regulations.
And this means returning to the people and
     the states the control that belongs to them.
     It is the control and the power to make their
     own decisions about what’s best for
     themselves and their families and
     communities.

This platform is many things: A handbook for
     returning decision-making to the people. A
     guide to the constitutional rights of every
     American. And a manual for the kind of
     sustained growth that will bring opportunity
     to all those on the sidelines of our society.

Every time we sing, “God Bless America,” we
     are asking for help. We ask for divine help
     that our country can fulfill its promise. We
     earn that help by recommitting ourselves to
     the ideas and ideals that are the true
     greatness of America.