Republicans need to find identity again
It is time for the Republican Party to thank President Trump for his achievements, move on, and plan for the future. President Trump will forever be remembered for his achievement with Mitch McConnell of firmly establishing a conservative majority in the judiciary.
I realize this is unthinkable and many will label me as a RINO for even suggesting we move on from Trump. We need to move away from the hero worship that goes on in every election these days.
We, as voters, should be guided by our principles and ideology instead of personal affinity for an individual. Ronald Reagan gave a call to conservatives in his 1964 speech “A time for choosing.” Now is another time for choosing. Conservatism or hero-worship as political philosophy.
Most Republicans who supported President Trump did so, in part, because of the rallying cry by MTG and others that we must Stop Socialism. Socialism is when the government picks the winners and losers rather than the market.
It would surprise many to know that a major policy of President Trump is dripping with socialism. His trade policy. Tariffs (taxes) decided by a few who are not guided by rule of law or subject to legislative oversight or approval. American business can apply for protection from the tariffs but who decides who gets that protection and how is unknown. Same thing for subsidies. If you are a business with a connection and know someone, then your chance of getting both is increased.
What about those who don’t have the connection? Governments should not be in the business of picking winners and losers unless we think socialism has merit on this point.
If you’re guided by conservative ideology then this should outrage you. If it doesn’t and it is your belief this trade policy was warranted because it saved American jobs from going abroad then it is worth looking at the result pre-COVID.
In the first three and a half years of Trump’s presidency, the U.S. Department of Labor approved 1,996 petitions (for Trade Adjustment Assistance) covering 184,888 jobs shifted overseas. During the equivalent period of President Barack Obama’s second term, 1,811 petitions were approved covering 172,336 workers. Proof that the trade policy didn’t work.
I could go on. If we are the conservative party then we have strayed dangerously far from that ideology. At the Republican convention, we didn’t even produce a party platform stating what we believe as a party or the principles that guide us. Instead, the party said it would be guided by President Trump.
So let’s investigate all the issues that merit investigating from the election, fix any problems, and move on. The election was not stolen. We lost. It’s that simple. Irregularities and errors are not the same as fraud. If fraud is found then prosecute it to the fullest extent. The Democrats fought in 2000 because Bush was only leading by a couple thousand votes in a single state and at no time during the recount did Gore ever overtake Bush. Georgia may indeed shift to Trump after a recount but it will make no difference. It would require five other states where the Biden margin is even higher.
President Trump achieved many things, things he can be proud of and we should celebrate. But it’s time to move on.
We as a party, as voters, must find our identity again and let that guide us and not our passions or emotions for individuals.