Shaun Kenney | Politics and Religion in Virginia's Public Square


Monday, July 04, 2005 If Ax Falls on Roe, It May Also Split GOP Virginia Republicans have always been ahead of the demographic curve when it comes to the national GOP. So when an LA Times article muses on the possibility of a split between pragmatic and principled Republican, I give pause: Of particular concern is the party's fate in closely contested battlegrounds such as Ohio, Florida and Michigan, where the resurgence of the abortion issue could alienate moderate voters who have helped Republicans make gains on all levels. 'Smart strategists inside the party don't want the status quo changed,' said Tony Fabrizio, chief pollster for the 1996 Republican presidential campaign of Bob Dole. 'This may cause Republicans like Arnold Schwarzenegger - who are strongly committed to being pro-choice - to flip or to push for a third-party movement,' he added. 'If they did outlaw it, it would ultimately turn the Republican Party into a theocratic-based party rather than an ideological party, and the party would necessarily start shedding people.' Yes, out those theocrats for who they are, right? Can it happen? I doubt it. Pragmatists are pragmatists, and I wouldn't see them jumping ship for much of anything. But what if it goes the other way? My concern wouldn't be moderates jumping ship, but rather conservatives jumping ship for a third party if we don't push for strong, pro-life, strict constitutionalists. Let the conversation begin, I say. Perhaps it's zeitgeist or my genuine respect for Benedict XVI, but a smaller, more centered GOP isn't a bad thing if it means we are working for change rather than propping up the status quo. posted by Shaun Kenney \| 7/04/2005 01:30:00 AM \| 0 comments 0 Comments: Post a Comment Home
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