Here’s an excerpt from an opinion piece by Matt Hoagland, chair of the Buncombe County Young Republicans group, originally published in the Asheville Tribune (click the link at the bottom for the whole article).
A few weeks ago, Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus released his vision to renew our party and propel us toward future victories. Priebus vowed to “take our message to every state and every community,” “build stronger relationships in minority communities, urban centers, and college towns,” and “work on welcoming in as we build a permanent, lasting presence across the country.”
Chairman Priebus is definitely on the right track. I believe, though, that it’s going to take more than that. It’s going to take an entirely new way of thinking about today’s Republican Party.
During President Reagan’s time as America’s premier Republican figure, he likened the party to a “three-legged stool” with legs being fiscal, social and national security conservatism. This approach helped lock in a decade of victories and helped an entire generation appreciate conservatism.
Well, those days are over. It’s time for a new stool.
Today’s three-legged Republican stool must center on unflinching fiscal discipline, manifested in a modernized government, and include three identifiable types of Republicans: social conservatives, moderates and libertarians. …
Many Republicans won’t want to hear what I’m about to say but it’s the truth. Libertarianism is the future of the Republican Party. Today, most young people who enlist with us do so on a foundation of truly small government, libertarian principles. They are wary of establishments, have likely grown up with minority and gay friends, and, like moderates, could really care less what others do in their private lives. For example, many young Republicans – as with 78% of all 18- to 29-year-olds – are perfectly okay with marriage equality. They were wary of George W. Bush’s big government policies of and are even more wary of Obama’s Orwellian dictates. They are astute and can philosophically destroy their leftist peers in debate. We should gladly welcome them into our party, invite them to help us innovate our models and enlist them as our boots on the ground to make voter contacts in non-traditional areas. …
It seems to me stool is all the Republican party has been producing for the past 30+ years.
The three legs are actually voter suppression, racism and homophobia.
I couldn’t agree more with this column. While both parties have parts in their own respective histories that are less than stellar, now is a great time to move forward. As a Republican, I would hope our fellow citizens on the other side of the political spectrum would afford us the same understanding and respect for which they so desperately advocate.