Whatever Happened to the Republican Party?

The first Republican president was Abraham Lincoln who served from 1861-1865. In 1860, the Republican platform called for the end of slavery in the United States and the preservation of the Union, amongst other declarations. One such proclamation encouraged immigration to America with full rights to all immigrant citizens.Another was issued on January 1, 1863 when President Lincoln unveiled the Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order freeing 3.5 million enslaved African-Americans in the South.

The 19^thAmendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing women the right to vote was ratified August 18, 1920. The GOP pioneered the lengthy process granting women the right to vote. Republicans were consistent in their support throughout the long campaign for acceptance. They also advocated equal pay for equal work.

The 1872 Republican Platform was “mindful of its obligations” to women and suggested they be granted additional rights. At the time, this was mostly lip service, but when the Republican Party regained control of Congress in 1919, the Equal Suffrage Amendment passed the House and then the Senate. When the Amendment was sent to the state legislatures, 26 of the 36 states that ratified it had Republican legislatures.

During the 1950s the South was a democratic stronghold that consistently resisted the civil rights movement. The political party that voted for the 1964 Civil Rights Act was the Republican Party, following the leadership of Everett Dirksen, a GOP Illinois congressman and senator. As Senate Minority Leader from 1959 to 1969, Dirksen played a key role in the politics of the 60’s. In the House of Representatives, 82% of Republicans backed the Civil Rights Act as well as 94% of Republican senators.

Once upon a time the Party of Lincoln was at the frontlines of our culture wars pointing fingers at immoral behavior and pushing for economic orthodoxy. Back in the late 70s and 80s Republicans were suspicious of Russians and their Communist political system. What happened to the Republicans who worshiped Ronald Reagan who “single handedly ended the Cold War and tore down the Berlin Wall”?

These days, Republican leadership, under the presidency of Donald Trump, wants to build a wall and owes Russian President Vladimir Putin a debt of gratitude for putting him in the White House. Republicans are in denial regarding their president. They’ll admit Trump is unorthodox and intellectually deficient, but he has the solid support of 40% of the electorate and could win a second term for their party. So why make waves?

By turning their eyes away from Trump’s obvious faults, Republicans have ceded moral high ground to the Democrats in exchange for political power. But, as seen in the 2016 mid-term election, Republicans lost the House of Representatives. Could more loses be in their future for 2020?

Peter Wehner, contributing editor at The Atlantic identified strongly with the Republican Party because of its commitment to human freedom, democratic capitalism, and a traditional social order. When Trump announced his candidacy for the presidency, Wehner wrote, “Trump was intellectually, temperamentally, and psychologically unfit to be president.” Most Republicans support their man because he has delivered the agenda they want.

But is that agenda really worth it? Trump divides Americans on racial and ethnic lines. He destroys political norms and traditions like a bull in a china shop. Those within the party accept Trump’s bad behavior for fear of incurring his wrath. They have convinced themselves that the president’s agenda is worth the price, so they turn a blind eye to his offenses.

There are Republicans who’ve voiced their disapproval. Jeff Flake (Senator from Arizona), Bob Corker (Senator from Tennessee), and Mark Sanford (Congressman from South Carolina) offended the party base by criticizing President Trump and in so doing, lost their seats in Congress.

Some Republicans disgusted with their obnoxious president are bailing out of the GOP. Republican congressman from Iowa, Andy McKean, announced recently his plans to register as a Democrat because he disapproves of President Trump. He’s not the only one. Other Republicans switching teams include two Kansas lawmakers who became Democrats in August 2018. As McKean said in his announcement, “I need to be able to support the standard bearer of our party.” It’s obvious many disgruntled Republicans agree with him. Republican lawmakers in California and New Jersey are becoming Democrats because “The GOP under President Donald Trump has become too extreme.”

Moderates in the Republican Party don’t feel welcome, so the party is shrinking and moving to the right. Democrats can take advantage of this situation by offering a candidate willing to move to the center and govern as a unifier, not a divider. To respond to Democratic successes, Republicans need to return to their roots as the Party of Lincoln or loose relevancy.