Ever since Republicans were thumped in the 2006 election, the Right
has been telling anyone who will listen that the GOP=92s woes can be
attributed to the fact that Republicans have been insufficiently
faithful to the Religious Right=92s agenda. Since then, the GOP=92s
fortunes have continued to fade and so desperate are they to stop the
bleeding heading into November that they=92ve adopted a nearly
unprecedented strategy of distancing themselves from their right-wing
base:
Something big is missing from House Republicans=92 2008 campaign agenda
for American families, and that is no accident.
There=92s not a single mention in the 47-point program of such red-meat
GOP issues as banning abortion, outlawing same-*** marriage, allowing
prayer in the public schools, banning flag burning and protecting the
Pledge of Allegiance. Instead, the plan focuses on Republican-
introduced ideas as allowing private sector workers to take
compensatory time instead of premium pay for overtime worked (HR 6025)
or permitting full tax deductibility for most medical expenses (HR
636).
In an effort to appeal to moderates in their uphill push to retake the
House, Republicans have pushed divisive social issues off center stage
and replaced them with a host of pocketbook items they hope will
appeal to working women, moderates and even some Democrats.
Of course, the GOP wants it known that just because it is too
embarrassed to be seen publicly with the Religious Right and fears
that its narrow agenda is a drag on Republicans=92 own electoral
chances, that doesn=92t mean they don=92t still love them:
Rep. Joe Pitts , R-Pa., head of the House Republicans=92 70-member
Values Action Team, said he wasn=92t concerned by the omission of social
issues from the House GOP platform. =93I have no assurance from the
leaders about this. But I know the leaders and I know that when we
come out with the whole big picture, these are all things we will
stand for,=92=92 Pitts said.
Considering that one of the Right=92s standard complaints is that
Republicans court them in election years and then more or less ignore
their agenda once in office, it=92s hard to see how also ignoring them
at election time is going to be a winning strategy for the GOP.
|
