The Party of Who?

The Party of Lincoln has betrayed the man our country elevated to sainthood. Abraham Lincoln embraced diversity, not simply racial diversity, but also diversity of ideas. He even brought his political opponents into his administration.

The Party of Reagan has betrayed their modern saint of conservatism. While Reagan espoused conservative values, he did it in an affable manner without the vitriol of current conservatives. He insisted the party was a big tent that could hold many viewpoints.

The Republican Party is now the party of Limbaugh and Palin, both of whom have political power without the actual responsibility of governing. They may invoke the names of Lincoln and Reagan, yet trample the principles these men abided by. Both Limbaugh and Palin preach an inflammatory brand of intolerance, yet cloak it in “Americanism”.

In the last two decades, the Republican Party has narrowed its scope, targeting even Republican statesmen who have served their country and party, just because they haven’t drunk the Limbaugh/Palin Kool-Aid. They are derided as RINOs, Republicans In Name Only. (Lincoln, Reagan and even Barry Goldwater would fail the litmus tests set out by the Limbaugh-Palin party.) The Republicans are beginning to look more like a cult than a responsible political party.

Conservatives hate moderates as much as they hate liberals. More than once Limbaugh has urged moderates to leave the party. In 2010, Delaware Republican Mike Castle, a sure winner in the general election was pushed aside in the primary in favor of a more extremist Christine O’Donnell. Castle was a moderate, therefore in conservative eyes, an enemy.

The Democrats haven’t behaved much better. Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann often deride anyone who isn’t a liberal true-believer. Maddow expressed outrage at a group of Democratic senators who dared to express concern over the fiscal responsibility of the stimulus bill. She mockingly called these thoughtful men and women “conservacrats.”

Only 15% of the population identifies themselves as conservative, and only 11% as liberal. That leaves 74% of us that are centrists. Yet, both parties have targeted centrists. Why is a 74% majority being shut out of the political picture? It is time centrists began to stand up and say enough!

The whiplash-inducing left-right swings of the political pendulum create enormous friction with little forward movement. This is why various centrist parties are popping up. People forget Lincoln had another party, the Whig Party, which has reemerged as the Modern Whig Party.

Despite what Sarah Palin says, “Real America” is in the middle, under siege by extremists on both sides. It is time we got outraged and organized.

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