Proud Liberal: The History and Future of the Republican Party

In recent months, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has been seeking input from members on what are the most important issues the party should focus on. From grassroots organization and party values to political policy, the goal is to align the party on issues that resonate with the people while growing the voting base. To their credit, they are seeking to rediscover themselves in a way that brings the party into the 21st century. They are trying. What is clear in all the GOP "Campaign Strategy Surveys" is one thing: The Republican Party seems to have lost all sight of what Republicanism stands for. 

RNC 2014 CAMPAIGN STRATEGY SURVEY

The RNC seems to think we are a party of, by and for conservatives. Otherwise why do they ask whether we should "elect principled conservatives to the U.S. House and U.S. Senate", while standing against the "liberal agenda"? Are there no options for Republicans who do not necessarily identify as conservative? 

The conservative litmus test imposed to determine the quality of a Republican is exclusive and self-defeating. Any person who does not make grade in the eyes of the exclusionary wing of the GOP is labeled the pejorative "RINO". With this stance, Republicans have positioned themselves opposite an entire segment of Americans who value liberty. Interestingly, the words liberal and liberty both are derived from the Latin word Liber, meaning "Free". Our country was founded on the liberal principles of liberty for all. Declaring independence from a ruling king in the pursuit of freedom is a remarkably liberal act. 

While the options for political parties is split down the ideological conservative/liberal line, it doesn't have to be like this. The Republican Party was conceived in the abolitionist movement and born to conserve our nation's classical liberal values. Economic and social liberty for all was our focus. And we did not stop there. Republicans were later the champions of the suffrage movements. Under President Theodore Roosevelt, Republicans were progressive trust busters and environmental conservationists. President Dwight D. Eisenhower understood the importance of supporting the working class and investing in national infrastructure, the most notable being the Interstate Highway. 

Much has changed since the progressive and liberal founding of the Republican Party. The liberal and conservative perspectives have been assigned to leftist and right-wing groups respectively. The Democrats became the left-wing liberal party (focused on social liberty), while Republicans became the right-wing conservative party (focused on economic liberty). Why can't Republicans be for both? Liberty for all extends to all perspectives (liberal, conservative and in between). One must be liberal to respect the right to oppose them, yet conservative to maintain order and grounding. The paradigm shift must be in that BOTH conservative and liberal perspectives have their own strengths and weakness, and BOTH are necessary for the success of a society. A movement strengthens by representing all sides.

If the Republican Party wants to rediscover what will make us great, we must open our eyes to the ideas and philosophy that historically made us great:

Be conservative with the People's money.

Be liberal with the People's rights.

These are our Republican values.

While we will always be conservative in many respects, Republicans have always been liberal. It is time to take pride in that. It is time to reclaim our party.

#ReclaimOurParty.