Friday, July 01, 2005

Republican Principles

I am reading Grand Old Party as research for an essay comparing Republicans, Democrats, and Biblical Christian Values.

Here's what I've found so far. First of all, the party during the time of Lincoln and the Civil War had nothing in common with the Republican Party as we know it today or even by 1870. It was formed as an opposition party against the Democrats on really nothing more than an anti-slavery platform. Until Reconstruction became unpopular, it was pretty much nothing more than anti-slavery,anti-South and anti-Democrat.

After 1870, several basic principles emerged that are still present today.
  1. Business - Republican and Big Business have always been closely related and supportive of each other

  2. Moral Superiority - It has always been a party driven by Protestant Christian values. Even during periods of high Republican corruption, the party is driven by the believe that they have moral superiority over any other party or group of people. Therefore, it is willing to legislate it's values to force it's moral values on the Nation.

  3. Powerful Federal Government - Since its origins, the Republican Party hasn't hesitated to make government as big as it needed to be to support their positions. This is closely related to their Moral Superiority. Although I haven't gotten to the Reagan era in my studies, I think the small government propaganda of that era was just false advertising.

  4. Hypocrisy - Like many politicians and religious people, Republicans suffer from a belief that they are always right, even when they're clearly not. They refuse to admit or or are unable to see wrong in their own ranks. They often create a false worldview to justify words and actions (ie Trickle Down Economics,Iraq war).

  5. Blind Loyalty - Republicans often form a united front where party platform matters more than individual values. Patriotism is often the form this blind loyalty takes, as Republican moral superiority leads them to belief they are the moral compass of the Nation. A group of politicians agreeing to stay united can be viewed as a strength, but in my experience this undermines the values held by the Founders and instilled in the Nation.

It seems Democrats have always stuggled with Morals and Ethics more so then Republicans. Neither party is perfect in this department of course, but it does seem to be a trend that contributes to Republican moral superiority.

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