Will 'Social' Issues Disappear from the Republican Agenda?

9/14/2010

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legalizing, and protecting, the judicially manufactured "right" of homosexuals to "marry" came from Federal Judge Vaughn Walker. Judge Walker ruled that there was no legitimate reason to prevent homosexuals from marrying, and hence overturned California's Proposition 8, which was a voter-approved state constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

Republicans were astoundingly silent in their dissent to Judge Walker's opinion. Only religious leaders came forward to defend what they called a violation of Natural Law and the integrity of the family.

After instances such as these, and the presumed removal of moral issues from the Republican platform, many wonder, is the Republican Party abandoning the heart-and-soul of their constituency? Voting Christians who are Republicans are overwhelmingly in agreement on their desire to end abortion, define marriage as between one man and one woman, protect religious liberty, and so on.

So what is the strategy behind moving to less "sticky" issues? A move away from the traditional main-stays of the party platform seems imprudent, especially given their 9-point lead on Democrats (according to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll).

The American Principles Project issued a press release making their position known and asked the Republican Party to not forget the moral causes that mean so much to Christian Americans. Dr. Robert George, Dr. Timothy George, and Chuck Colson, co-architects of the Manhattan Declaration, asked their signers to contact Republican leaders, which many did, and asked Republicans to reconsider their current path.

For many, the Republican Party stands as the last major political party upholding pro-life values, authentic marriage, and religious liberty as foundational to every other issue, whether it's of a civic or moral nature. Unless Republicans make moral and social issues more prevalent in their long list of priorities, more frustration and dissent can be expected from Christians who make up much of their base.

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Billy Atwell contributes to Catholic Online, and blogs for The Point and the Manhattan Declaration. From the perspective of a two-time cancer survivor he encourages those afflicted with pain and struggling with faith. You can find all of his writings at For the Greater Glory.
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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

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1 - 7 of 7 Comments

Bulbajer
2 years ago
Ed Nestor, don't you think that's a little extreme about comparing the Nazis to the GOP? And besides, the Democratic politicians are just as rich as the Republican ones. As to the voters, you may be somewhat right about BMWs and such.
Ed Nestor
2 years ago
GOP is about money and greed. Social issues are cover for the rich capitalist. Anyone that believes in this is a heritic. Jesus didn't drive BMW and have a million dollar bank account. Didn't hang with the rich. In fact when the rich man ask him how to get a guarantee to get to heaven. Jesus replied give up everything and follow me. Could you imagine the rich GOP candidates giving up anything. They would starve the poor, elderly and sick. They would would do what the Nazi's did to the jews if they could get away with it.
Chip
2 years ago
Casting a ballot for proven pro-life conservatives has made a difference, I shudder to how much worse it could be if Nancy and Dirty Harry had been in the majority for 10 years or more. Keep the "faith." Pray as if everything depends on God ... and work as if everything depends on us. We can expect this battle to be very long and hard ... but in the end, victory is assured.
Rob
2 years ago
I'm sorry, but the Republicans remind of the two sons, particularly the son who said he would do what the father asked of him but didn't. These guys will use these issues to sucker votes from Christians, but at the end of the day they do nothing of substance. They have had the power to legislate a repeal of Roe and failed to do so. And when I sit back and watch how they marshall all their resources to protect the wealth of the rich, it's quite clear who they serve.

It's really getting to the point where I don't want to vote anymore. But voting for a Republican because you think you are doing the good Christian thing is just ridiculous. Unfortunately their record doesn't support it.
Robert Klein
2 years ago
I am writing to you from the great state of Texas. This year I attended the republican state convention for the first time. It was also my first year to register as a republican. There is a strong influx of tea party people within the party. Social issues were a mainstream of the Texas Republican Party's agenda. All of the issues mentioned in this article are party of the Texas Republican Party's agenda.
Prayer is crucial, informing others of the differences in the platform of both parties is also crucial. I encourage you to get involved. I encourage you to vote for the conservative candidates. $20 here and there can help a Tea Party candidate get elected and stop the stripping of this country's moral fiber. The time to stand for our Catholic values is now. The republican party is not the perfect answer to the question put forth in the article above. The fact is the republican party is a far better answer than what the Liberal democrats are piling on us. Once informed of the changes in the platforms, my own 80 year old mother has switched parties. Raised on a farm in the midwest she voted democratic for over sixty years. How many more children are going to be killed she asked; "I can't be a part of that! My vote cannot condone that anymore!" The democratic party of today is not the same party it was thirty years ago. Get informed and inform others. The key is to vote conservative. The liberals would have you believe that abortion is just one part of the value equation. Millions of innocents being torn from the most sacred place on earth( a mother's womb) tears much deaper than the dealth penalty. Very high on the democratic agenda is same sex marriage. "Equal rights for everyone!" they exclaim. God gives us rights, not the government. God does not bless same sex unions. If your local government platform does not take a stand on social issues, I encourage you to get involved. If the local platforms call for reform on social issues, then the platform can change at the national level. I saw a Vote for Bill White bumper sticker at my parish last week and one Obama sticker. I took a deep breath and thought, "prayer and information are the best options". "How many more children will die in Texas if Bill White is elected. Obama isn't happy enough using our tax dollars to kill children in the U.S he helps other countries kill their children as well. Your vote can make a difference! Vote conservative!
Pray for our leaders.
Andy Holland
2 years ago
Pro-life does tend to mobilize the opposition - so as long as they talk about the stupid economy they believe they will get elected - and do what they have always done on social/life issues - nothing. The result is while the Democrats are abysmally stupid on the economy, so are they. They are 'free-traders', and end up supporting bankers, hedge fund managers (economic entropy) and beltway bandits who destroy the economy as effectively as Democratically sponsored socialist mandates that ignore rules of supply and demand. Killing babies makes for abysmal stupidity - its fascinating to watch - sad to contemplate. God will not destroy us, He will leave us to destroy ourselves. We must pray for leaders who actually love God, love little ones, and love truth. But such positions - such realism - is rarely "popular." People need disenchantment, and we need to pray.
John Grimes
2 years ago
The answer to the question in the title is, "If the GOP types sense that more votes are to be had by dumping them, of course they will disappear." Fact is, the social issues have played only a marginal role in Republican politics anyway. Just take a look at some of the judges Republican presidents have appointed to the federal bench if you think otherwise. Are Republicans really much better than Democrats when push comes to shove? Perhaps, but only in the sense that lethal injection might be preferable to hanging.

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