What Does the GOP Value?
Political Advocacy Tracker is a roundup of what Christian activist organizations have been talking about over the last week.
"A Pledge to America"
In a move reminiscent of the 1994 "Contract with America," Republican leaders revealed their legislative agenda for the next congress. "A Pledge to America" is heavy on economic and fiscal policies, but it gives scant attention to issues that are a priority for social conservatives, including sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious freedom.
The only policy proposal that addresses a social issue is a pledge to ban funding of abortion. This proposal would codify President Obama's executive order issued as part of a health care reform compromise with pro-life Democrats. The Republicans are not proposing stronger restrictions, but they would make the policy more permanent by making it a law.
The only other nod to social conservatives is the following statement in the preamble:
"We pledge to honor families, traditional marriage, life, and the private and faith-based organizations that form the core of our American values."
Family Research Council (FRC) president Tony Perkins said the statement was strong but could be stronger.
"While it could have played a bigger role in the Pledge, the Republicans' commitment to life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty is a major step in the right direction," Perkins said. "While I'm disappointed that popular policies like the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) were not more clearly defined in the document, the Pledge is still a significant improvement over the 1994 Contract with America. At least now, Republicans are acknowledging that values issues should be a key part of the conservative agenda."
Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), agreed.
"Some have criticized the document for not being more specific about many of the issues that deeply concern social conservatives. However, when you compare this pledge with the 1994 'Contract with America,' which was deafeningly silent on moral issues, one can see that social conservatives are clearly a more important part of any potential conservative governing coalition than they were in 1994," said Land. "There could have been stronger language concerning the defense of traditional marriage, but the language affirming no government funding for abortion is welcomed … It should not be read as an abandonment of the social conservatives' moral agenda."
The 1994 Contract with America did not discuss abortion policy or same-sex marriage. However, it did prioritize policies including tax incentives for adoption and elder care, the death penalty, child tax credits, parental rights, stronger child pornography laws, and changes to welfare reform (which was presented as a means to "discourage illegitimacy and teen pregnancy").
Citizenlink's Tom Minnery spoke in advance of the Pledge to America. He said "the emerging leadership of the Republican Party" may not be social conservatives. He said there was a fight underway to include life, marriage, and other social issues in the GOP agenda.
Still, Minnery expected the election in November to be historic.
"For the first time, Americans have seen unchecked, unbridled, left-wing liberalism at play in Washington, D.C. And people are saying, 'We don't like it. It's too expensive. It's not getting done for us what government needs to do for us. We reject it,'" said Minnery.
The new GOP agenda is also light on other values: there is no discussion of poverty, hunger, or inequality. American Family Association's (AFA) Matt Friedeman said that any statement of values should include a discussion on the poor.
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Original Anna Anna
The area I live in is heavily democractic. Even when you vote for a "republican" the republican ends up voting like a democrat. Either the republican party has been infiltrated by the"enemy" or the party has forgotten their basic beliefs. At one time, the party was against high taxes, was for helping but containing through taxes instead of lifelong being on welfare, anti abortion for sure, pro business, etc. etc. If they look at who they're running for beliefs instead of who can pay back the favors, the party could come back. As for the democrats, they have so many family members and people to pay back with jobs in government, it's ridiculuse. They kick out someone who passed a test, went to college, etc., and has been doing the job, for an unelected relative or party member always for a nice paying job like town engineer who passed no test, barely got through high school, but has the right last name.
Peter Groen
Everyone should take the time to read the platforms of our major political parties. The following are a couple of key comparisons based on excerpts from the two party platforms. • Both parties stress the importance of national defense. Republican put defense as their highest priority for the country. In their platform, they state that our first obligation is the security of our country. On the other hand, Democrats primarily stress meeting the needs of our people and improving the economy, in addition to supporting national defense. • Both parties express support for many of the same things, e.g. veterans benefits, energy independence, education, crime, terrorism. They just have very different approaches to handling these issues. The key is to truly read the platforms of the two parties.
K S
I have been so frustrated in recent years by the conflation of Republicanism and Evangelicalism. It only serves to further separate us from those we may be most called to reach and leads many to distrust the very faith of other Christians who may simply have different political philosophies. And honestly, it's not as though the Republican platform is without inherent sin. When we yoke ourselves so closely with a secular political party we run the risk of even unintentionally supporting the ungodly things they will do in power, due to the highly partisan nature of American politics. (How many Christians would have supported "enhanced interrogation techniques" if they had been committed under a democratic president?) Even blatant sin gets spun so that our side looks good. And the cause of Christ is lost as we win the news cycle.