I wrote a while ago that there were two main groups within the ‘tent’ of the GOP...the Religious Republicans and the Rational Conservatives.  Of course, there are different groups than those, but the point remains....the GOP is a coalition party. 

Now, the Republicans pale in comparison to the Democratic Party, which is comprised of pro-abortionists, the homosexual lobby, the political leadership of the African-American interest (Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and the CBC), the unions, the socialists, the peace movement, etc.  Most of the groups that work within the national confines of the Democratic Party favor three main things…

1.  The expanded role of government in forcing social equality.

2.  The strengthening of the central government

3.  The curtailing of large captialist ventures in favor of collective (governmental) efforts.

Now, the problem is that these things don’t capture the American interest...they tend to put people off.  who wants a more invasive central government?  Who wants business to be hamstrung?  Who wants to be told by the government what to do, and how to speak?  Well...there is a national governmental party that has that as an unspoken plank in their platform...and it is the Democrats.  Period.

Let’s look at the recent Republican moves in a moment.  First, let’s set things up as they really are, not as the media draws it, or as our emotions dictate. 

There is only one party that looks at Christianity with distain...even though the COTUS clearly says that the government can’t do so.  There is only one party that forces behavioral change in order to suit their ideas of social rightousness.  There is only one party that demands that people are silenced, in order that their message is the main one broadcast. 

The Democratic Party is the one of censorship, of mandated hamstringing of business, of the raping of economic freedoms, and of the rejection of traditional values.  what they do isn’t libertarian...it’s anti-traditionalist.  And, I fear that many people are falling into the trap. 

It cracks me up that anarchists follow and vote for the Dem candidates (on the national level) when those same candidates would be more restrictive of free speech and the like than their conservative opponents.  Oh...sorry.  They would only be more restrictive of traditional, Christian speech and conservative expression. 

However.....if we view that censorship as wrong, then we must view all censorship as wrong.  And, this is where the RR’s of the Republican Party must pay attention. 

The libertarian part of the base....what I have called Rational Conservatives(RC’s)....is fed up.  Cable TV and Internet censorship, Terri Schiavo, and big-government....this is all grating on their nerves.  And mine.  I’m 80-20 RC, as opposed to RR.  You want a split in the Republican Party?  Keep going like you are. 

The problem is, there is no viable alternative.  The Democrats are spiraling into nuttiness.  There is no real non-religious conservative party.  The Libertarian Party is not able to win a national election, and the Ross Perot move turned out to be a flash in a pan, with one governorship going to a Reform candidate (Jesse Ventura, and Minnesota).  That being said, there is a question or two whether or not the Reform platform was conservative or not.  Gone are the days of the Federalist Party, though that is what we need now.  We need a party that represents the RC’s...a true Conservative Party....those that think that way could leave the republican Party....

...and then, the true minority party, the Democratic Party, would win, a la 1912.  We are in a coalition for a reason...so that the Leftists cannot come into power.  Everyone that is not a ‘moderate’ or a leftist voted for Bush this last election...and he won.  Split that vote, and President Kerry would be pulling 75,000 troops out of Iraq, sans the Iraqi election, which he said would not happen.  We would be talking about the loss that Bush went through, as Kerry won 390 EV’s, Bush won 100, and the Conservative candidate won 48.  Face it, there are benefits to a coalition party. 

I think that there is a natural tendency to gravitate towards two parties in our system...a right-of-center party and a left-of-center party.  And, they will be coalition parties, because not everyone will be represented by a broad-based coalition party.  We have these parties because it is near impossible to win a national election as a third-party candidate.  You need something approaching a majority to win in the Electoral College, so the creation of a third party from a group that historically voted in another party actually hurts the cause. 

Proof?  Well, In the elections between 1800 and 1840, no party other than the Democratic-Republicans won a Presidential election, even though the famous George Washington and John Adams were Federalists (the other party at the time).  It was only because of Martin Van Buren’s massive incompetence in the Panics of 1837 and 1839 that the Whigs won.  Oh, the Whigs?  They were the replacements for the Federalists....and, if I am not mistaken, the direct ancestor of the Republican Party.  So, a full generation passed before the fractured shell of the Federalists could work back up to a win....and that was only because of massive incompetence.  40 years.  Ten elections. 

I’m no Republican....but I know what I don’t want.  I like GWB; I love his WoT policies more than I dislike his spending.  Therefore, I voted for him.  I know what side the bread is buttered on...and I know which side isn’t buttered.