As much as people try to make the SWAC-GOP area struggles into something they are not, the fact is plain and simple: we stood up for what we believed in.
We are Republican for a reason.
We are the grassroots that the Republican Party of Virginia wants to grow. Guess what? We've grown the Party tremendously the past five-six years in the Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County Units. We continue to be the reddest part of this Republican red state.
From little activity and little infrastructure ... to three active Units ... we have put blood, sweat, and tears into cultivating the grassroots in the central part of the Shenandoah Valley, building on what had been put there by those before us.
We believe in God and the original intent of the Founding Fathers as they struggled to build a foundation for this country with the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
We believe in the conservative principles of Ronald Reagan and stand by the tenets of the Virginia Republican Creed.
We believe in limited government which means our electeds need to spend judiciously, eliminate waste, and avoid burdening citizens with unnecessary taxes. We are not anti-tax ... we are responsible tax.
When we supported a candidate against Emmett Hanger, it was not because we did not like Emmett Hanger as a person. It was because he had strayed from the fiscal conservative values he had promised to abide by even as his constituents asked that he not vote for more taxes ... even as he made that promise ... and then as he broke that promise. He stood with the "Gang of Five" as they joined Democrat Governor Mark Warner in passing the largest tax increase in Virginia history.
We believe in country, in patriotic pride, in teaching our children the heritage and proud history of America. We believe in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, reading from the Bible, and hands-on American government.
We believe in supporting our military, shaking their hands, and thanking them for their service to our country to keep us free from terrorism. We believe we should honor and grieve with the families of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms ... and never forgetting that sacrifice.
We believe in publicly showing our support for those who are halfway around the world serving in the War on Terrorism.
We believe in flying our American flags on a daily basis, not just on holidays. We believe in wearing flag and yellow ribbon lapel pins.
We believe in personal responsibility.
We believe in supporting the businessman who provides the jobs that allow us to live in a comfortable lifestyle. Abraham Lincoln once said, "I never got a job from a poor man." Government should not discourage citizens from owning and operating their own companies by over-taxing and over-regulating.
We believe in hard work, free enterprise, closed borders, legal immigrantion, and drilling for oil in ANWR. We should be independent when it comes to oil, and stop turning to Saudi Arabia, South America, and other countries for our petroleum needs.
We believe the Republican Party has lost its way the past several years by losing its identity, by running candidates who did not stand strong for conservative values, by trying to move to the center to avoid offending anyone. The only problem was ... they offended us, the conservatives, the ones who still believe we are Republican for a reason.
I love my country, my state, and the Shenandoah Valley. I want to see us be the best we can be.
May God bless America.
10 comments:
Actually, Conservatives are the only Republicans who can name a reason, other than power, to be Republican.
Solid post.
Your essay sounds like solid justification to vote for Bob Marshall at the Convention.
It also sounds like a good basis for installing Jeff Frederick as Party Chairman.
The slogan, "Republican for a Reason" makes sense in the context of your essay. I had seen the slogan on buttons before, but then, considering some of the folks I saw wearing the button, I wondered what the reason was, since none of those people seemed the least bit interested in returning our country to Constitutional government, or seeing government intrusion into our lives (including domestic spying) eliminated.
Our toughest challenge is selling the "Reasons" to new voters, most of which are not the embittered Bible-thumper, gun toters who scare Barack Obama so much, but they are young, multi-ethnic and in most cases, not very religious citizens who have no family connection to any political party.
The traditional values message just doesn't resonate with these young people, many of whom have never lived in a traditional family, yet still have some of our same core ethics, such as fairness and equality under the law.
Thus far, we have failed to form issues-based coalitions with these non-traditional voters. Some of these folks see the patriarchal family as just one of many possible home arrangements. Some also view Christianity as the cause of perhaps as many problems in the world, as its ethical framework has provided solutions for. So, trumpeting how our adherence to the flag and the traditions of our forefathers, resonates well among those already in the GOP, we need a more future oriented message to capture the attention of the upcoming generation and the new immigrant voters.
Being the Party that presents a vision of a better, brighter future will go a long way toward capturing the imagination of the young voters. We once had a Party leader who asked us to build an America that would be a "shining city on the hill" that the rest of the world would want to emulate. On our way up the hill, the Bush Neocons sold us out to multinational corporations.
In order for the People to seize control of our government, the GOP must motivate these young and immigrant voters to join our Party. Together we must fight for a return to Constitution-based government and the restoration of our strategic industrial base, along with the good jobs that go with it.
Outstanding. Swacgirl for President!
Actually ... I think "President Cargosquid" sounds much better. :)
Jim, we are rowing the same conservative boat....
Thanks, Salem Republicans. If we all work together and not quit ... if we all stand up for the principles we believe in ... if we all stand solidly together, we will get the Republican Party back on track.
JTB, your post requires more thought than I have at this moment. While I agree with some of what you say, I disagree with other parts.
However, lively debate is what got this country going. The Founding Fathers certainly did not always parrot one another ... they hashed it out in sometimes loud and angry debate ... but hash it out they did until they came to a concensus.
Thanks for stopping by with your input.
Excellent post, SWAC Girl. I agree with Jim, when he said that conservatives are the only ones who can name a reason why they are Republicans. If the party would revert back to the principles of limited government, then we would be better off in the future.
Agreed, CCC, and thank you. Limited government, personal responsibility, patriotic pride, national defense. Seems clear to me! Thanks for stopping by. :)
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