A True Conservative Republican strategy

Many Trump voters claim to be Republicans, yet, due to Trump’s influence on the party, they, like many diehard Republicans, did not vote for Trump in 2020 because he did not represent what they believed to be true conservative Republican beliefs.

This raises an interesting question: “What if two non-Trump but real Republicans ran for president and vice president and attracted enough support to cause other like-minded Republicans to run for state and national offices on what I am calling a True Conservative Republican ticket?

My unranked ideas about beliefs I think these True Conservative Republicans (TCRs) would endorse follow. Many of the items on my list were inspired by two books, one by Charles Sykes and one by John Dean and Bob Altemeyer, all previous nationally recognized Republican spokespersons who withdrew from the Republican party when Trump was elected.

A True Conservative Republication believes in:

• Civility.

• The right to vote.

• A free press.

• The idea that policy should precede decisions.

• Prudence, defined as making decisions showing good judgment and wisdom.

• Separation of power between the executive, judicial, and legislative branches.

• Fiscal responsibility.

• Limited government.

• Strong support for the military (including cyber warfare), the FBI, the intelligence community and congressional oversight.

• Strong states rights.

• Upholding the Constitution and supports a strict interpretation of the Constitution.

• Gradualism, defined to mean taking cautious steps toward planned change.

• Accountability of government to the people.

• Enmity toward a hostile Russia.

• Supporting our allies.

• Free trade markets, defined to mean prices are determined by fair but unrestricted competition with little or no government interference (including tariffs).

• The rule of law.

• Personal responsibility, defined to mean that all people, regardless of their position, should be held accountable for their actions.

• Minimal government regulation of business. Think about what I suggested in the beginning of this piece. What if Lynn Cheney or John Kasich ran for president as a TCR and attracted a number of like-minded Republicans to run for Congress and state offices in Republican primaries as TCRs? Regardless of whether a TCR or a Trumpist won, if the Republican loser’s disgruntled supporters did not vote for the GOP primary winner in the general election, the result might be a win for a moderate Democratic candidate. Republicans better get their act together.

JIM HAMMONS

Fayetteville