Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The GOP's Restructuring Must Begin with Fundamental Principles

Mother of Exiles identified a positive sign for the Republican Party in it's post Election Outcome Forcing GOP to Rethink its Immoral Immigration StanceSantiago and Kelly McNulty Valenzuela cited John Boehner and Sean Hannity as evidence of a growing Republican readiness to "follow through on meaningful, moral immigration reform." Hannity, in particular  has taken a significant turn in the right direction by calling for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, a stance previously labeled "amnesty." "In the wake of the GOP's failure to attract the Latino vote in the 2012 election, Hannity on Thursday said the United States needs to 'get rid of the immigration issue altogether.'"

This is welcome news. But the Republican Party must do more--much more--than make opportunistic policy changes for pragmatic electoral reasons. It must restructure its ideological foundation around principles--specifically, the principles embodied in the Declaration of Independence. The right principles--that is to say, the principles of individual rights--will lead to the right policies. Explicitly stated principles can unite and integrate all of the party's agenda into a coherent whole, and signal the sincerity of its commitment to its stated positions. This will gain the party the necessary credibility it needs to achieve long-term success at the ballot box.

Related Reading:

4 Books for Post-Election, Pro-Freedom Political Activism

My Challenge to the GOP: A Philosophical Contract With America

Immigration and Individual Rights by Craig Biddle

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