Let Republicans, Not Dems, Media Decide Party's Fate

Christine Flowers ponders the future of the Republican Party in a fine column at WHYY's Newsworks Here's part of what she has to say:

Talking about moderation and catering to those overly demanding bloc votes like women, Latinos and gays is not the way to become relevant again. If you simply copy what the Democrats have been doing, you might be able to win some elections, but you will only succeed in mimicking the people that you want to replace — people who stand for exactly those principles that are anathema to the rank and file of your party. Or to paraphrase St. Matthew, what profit a man to gain an election but lose his soul?

I suppose the GOP in particular and conservatives in general need to figure out if they want to remain true to those principles, if they even value things like traditional and cohesive families, the sanctity of unborn life and the right to defend ourselves, or if they want to be inside players. This country has changed dramatically since our parents and grandparents were growing up, and many of the changes are negative even though liberals will try and put a tolerant spin on the mess. Voters in Colorado condone the legalization of marijuana, voters in Maine allow Adam to marry Steve, people like Jay-Z think it's fine to substitute the word "Bitch" for "Mitt" at an Obama fundraiser, and the president himself thinks revenge is an electoral strategy.

This is not the America I love, but it is the America in which I live. So we need to decide whether it is more advantageous to remain true to our better selves, or do some cosmetic surgery and become more palatable to the people who pull the levers.

Click here to read the entire column.