Opinion
Republicans are making big decisions right now. The presidential campaign is in full swing, Republicans in Congress are struggling to find consensus amid a divided caucus and narrow votes, and GOP voters are watching and evaluating which direction we want our party to go. As we make these choices, we Republicans must keep a proper mindset if we are to build a party that endures into the future.
Building an enduring party is more of a challenge than it may appear at first glance. Although the United States naturally tends toward a two-party system, parties are not built forever. Federalists, Whigs, Know-Nothings, Progressives and others were all major parties in our nation’s history that don’t exist anymore. All were either done in by infighting or by a failure to speak to the issues of the day. While the Republican Party is not at risk of collapsing tomorrow, we must be vigilant if we want to avoid the fate of the parties of the past. Issues that may seem minor today may be the cracks that cause us to fall apart in the future.
Disunity within the Republican Party is at a high point. The party has undergone significant changes in its makeup and message in the past decade, and the dust has yet to settle on those debates. A major mistake that we must avoid is confusing a political party with a single way of thought. Different philosophies can and must coexist within a major political party. Otherwise, the party is likely to whither, shrink and ultimately disappear. Some of the major parties of the past ceased to exist because their members could not coexist with other philosophies. Republicans must be careful not to follow in those footsteps.
Possibly the greatest risk for our party, however, is to be backward-looking, rather than focused on the future. We have had great leaders and great achievements in our past. We should not forget them, but we should not let them define our current moment. Too often, our focus on the past does not result in us finding inspiration in our prior successes. Instead, we find grievances and define ourselves by anger at past mistreatment. Anger may be justified, but it is no way to lead.
Our greatest leaders have looked to the past for guidance but have defined themselves by their focus on the future. Americans are optimistic people. We believe we can make our lives better, that our future is in our own hands and that ours is a land of opportunity. We acknowledge our challenges, but there is an abiding belief that we can meet those challenges and make tomorrow better than today. We are a forward-looking people, and our messages should reflect that.
Unfortunately, much of our discourse lately has been decidedly backward-looking. Rather than talk about the future, too many of our candidates and officials spend their time dwelling on the past. They talk about getting retribution on those who have wronged them, all the ways things have been done wrong and all the injustices they believe they have suffered. There is no affirmative message, just an appeal to our worst urges. It is both an unappealing message and a losing one.
If the Republican Party is going to remain worthy of support, we must change our perception and our message. We need to articulate a vision for the future, not a reaction to the past. This is fortunately easy for us to do. A Republican vision for the future can be very appealing.
If we spend our time talking about low taxes, responsible government regulation, strong national defense and building vibrant communities, that is a winning strategy. We need to talk about how America’s best days can be ahead of us, rather than behind us. There are many reasons why we believe America can be ascendant in the future, and we need to remind people of that. The way we do that is by electing and supporting leaders that keep their eyes on the future, not on the grievances of the past.
The Whig Party was one of two major parties in the United States during the early 1800s, electing several presidents and majorities in Congress. The last Whig president left office in 1852 and in 1855, 100 Whigs were elected to Congress. By 1857, the Whig Party ceased to exist. It fell apart because of internal divisions and the failure to speak to the issues of the day. Let’s hope the Republican Party can find the leaders to keep it from going the way of the Whigs.
Past decade? I would go back a little further as the mustard seeds were planted when the base of the GOP were browbeaten into believing Ronald Reagan was a good President just as Rush Limbaugh took to the airwaves. The belief in lies that set-in with the base and was whipped up by Republican candidates have resulted in an electorate that thinks hating one half of the country is a winning formula for America.
The cancer that is the GOP should disappear from our society but alas too many enablers continue to remain in a hate filled organization instead of joining one that still cares about our Constitutional Republic.
Hasn’t “dark money” and “pay to play”, with the help of the evangelic and environgelic shallow media already destroyed both parties?
Wyoming is among a handful of states that have a supermajority of Republicans. As such, there is a spectrum of conservative freedom caucus to moderates to left-leaning liberal Republicans (RINOS). It’s well known, that if you want to be elected and re-elected, you better register as a Republican. Good, bad or ugly, that’s reality for the most part. Obviously there are exceptions. More and more though, outside influences are veering Wyoming to the left. Without an equal and opposite pull to the right, we will continually go left, just like almost every other state. I surely don’t want that for Wyoming, do you ? More restrictions on our 2nd amendment rights, abortion on demand for all, massive drug abuse and homelessness. Tax and spend as quickly as possible. These are the consequences of Liberalism and Marxism. Take a drive if you dare, to Colorado, a state that USED to be strongly conservative. Denver, once a jewel of the West, is now TOILET TOWN. Watch where you walk. If you get mugged or assaulted, it’s your own fault. It’s all there, right across the state line. So, stand strong, stay strong because it’s starting now with excessive and fraudulent property taxes. Taxing me on 15% more square footage than I actually have ? Taxing me additionally for a roof ? A floor ? And to top it off, TAXING ME FOR ENERGY ??? Sure, this is Albany county, a hotbed of Liberalism, but this is fraud ! Fraud required by the state department of REVENUE. Remember this past Spring, when the Governor announced the state had “SAVED” $1.2B ? They didn’t “save” anything, that was our money stolen by the tax and spend bureaucracy in the state and county governments. These reasons and many others are precisely why the Wyoming Freedom Caucus is growing more and more. This is important, fundamental to the continued freedoms we take for granted !
You can always do what you like to say to others and move out.
Disputing the lies and nonsense that the freedumb caucus subscribes to is not “veering wyoming to the left” as you claim. It’s simply being honest and rational. Two qualities that are no longer important to the new age gullible ol’ party.
Please define “looking backwards.” If you mean failing to enforce the law against a suspected criminals because you like them too much, your strategy won’t work. The resemblance between the current GOP and the fascist parties controlling Hungary, Russia, and others, is too disconcerting to ignore.
Amen.
Lenhart is right. The Republican Party must stand for something and be forward looking. It is in a bad place now because it has placed all of its eggs in one basket, which is the undying, unyielding support of Donald Trump. If a poll were taken today as to what the party stands for, the response would be its support of Trump, nothing more and nothing less. As Lenhart points out, the Whig Party had great successes, but met its demise because of divisions within the party and failure to address the issues of the day. The current GOP is destined to the trash pile of political parties if it continues its cult-like embrace of one man over addressing the important issues of the day.
sure,just as soon as president trump is the nominee for the republican party,
& elected president.
Trump lost by 7 million votes with 95% Republican support & no indictments! He now has 87 indictments & is a traesonous , corrupt grifter who only cares about Donald Trump! He now only has 40% Republican support & won’t come within 10 million votes of becoming president again! It’s not rocket science it’s straight up facts.