Somehow, I ended up on the mailing list of the New York GOP. Found this in my mail last night:
“Since its founding, the Republican Party has stood for the time honored values and ideals of opportunity, personal responsibility, accountability and hope,” said Chairman Mondello. “Our nation has become the greatest society in history, because we have supported and rewarded individual energy and initiative, thereby allowing each individual to achieve the highest possible level of success and enriching their community and the entire nation. For our country and party to remain vibrant, we must abide by these core principles.”
Chairman Mondello also announced that he will be soliciting names of county chairs to serve on a Platform Committee at the next New York GOP Executive Committee meeting. The actived Platform Committee will serve to receive and initiate suggestions to ensure the statement of principles continues to remain growing and vibrant along with the party. The Platform Committee will make recommendations to the Executive Committee and full State Committee on an ongoing basis as necessary.
“As with all sets of goals, it is important to be constantly revisited and renewed,” said Chairman Mondello. “Establishing a permanent Platform Committee will keep the Republican Party in constant contact with its core principles and ensure that they remain an accurate reflection of the hopes and beliefs of our membership.”
Well, given what I’ve seen out of the NY GOP specifically, and the GOP in general, of late,it’s going to take some serious selling. Let’s see what you’ve got, Mr Chairman.
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As Republicans we believe that…..
There must be zero tolerance for waste, fraud and corruption in government;
Government exists to protect the freedom of the individual, not restrict it;
Effective government promotes individual initiative and responsibility. Hard work and ingenuity is the surest path to the successful attainment of the American dream;
Free enterprise, private entrepreneurship and individual incentive must be encouraged and fostered since they are the foundation upon which economic prosperity is always based;
All government must be accountable to the people it serves. When government becomes a self-serving entity that no longer meets the needs of its citizens it must be subjected to comprehensive reform;
Individuals who cannot provide for themselves deserve help and support along the path of becoming self-reliant citizens. However, government should never aim to foster a state of permanent dependency upon the poor and disadvantaged;
The proper role of government is to provide for the people only those critical functions that cannot be performed by individuals or private organizations. In all that government seeks to undertake we must remain mindful that the best government is that which governs least;
As the party of Abraham Lincoln, the Great Emancipator, the Republican Party must always be true to the cherished legacy of its commitment to civil rights. Promoting equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity is the very foundation of all government in a free society;
As a nation and party founded and supported by people of great faith and unwavering religious beliefs, the Republican Party firmly supports individuals who place their faith in a cause greater than themselves and will remain a tireless defender of individuals’ rights to worship and live their lives based on a high moral code and set of eternal convictions;
While individual members of our party may hold divergent opinions on key moral issues like abortion, the rights of same gender couples, or the definition of marriage the Republican Party remains a “big tent” that respects and welcomes diversity of thought on those issues that are, unfortunately, inherently divisive;
Government has a fundamental obligation to its citizens to practice fiscal responsibility and allow individuals to keep more of the money they earn;
Excessive taxation and out-of-control wasteful government spending are crippling our state, decimating its middle class, and imperiling the future prosperity of the next generation of New Yorkers;
New Yorkers are suffering under an unprecedented burden of taxation resulting from the voracious consumption of public funds by one of the most complex, multi-layered and duplicative systems of government ever instituted;
New York’s excessive tax burden and strangulating regulatory environment has lead our state’s business leaders to downsize, outsource or simply relocate their operations to states with significantly more rational tax and regulatory policies, costing New Yorkers thousands of jobs each year;
New York continues to experience an unprecedented migration of its younger citizens who simply can no longer afford to live here or who must relocate to other states in order to fulfill their career potential;
The onerous tax burden that state and local governments place on its citizens strikes at the heart of one of the most important foundations of our society: the family. Far too many older New Yorkers must seek tax relief in other parts of the country even if it means lengthy and painful separation from children and grandchildren;
New York’s renewal must begin with an unprecedented commitment to shrinking the size and cost of government. Smaller and less intrusive government is the only way to secure our state’s future;
The savings that results from this unsnarling and unraveling of New York’s massive, multi-layered bureaucracy must be passed on directly to overburdened middleclass taxpayers;
Lowering New York’s outrageously high business and corporate taxes, as well as creating a fair and balanced regulatory environment, is the only way to reestablish New York as the premier location for any thriving business;
New York’s massive debt must be brought under control. We are no longer just mortgaging our children’s future, our grandchildren will also be called upon to pay for the excesses of a state government that has lacked the courage and will to live within its means;
In order to keep our citizens safe at home and in their neighborhoods our state must enact, and our judges must enforce, tough, no nonsense criminal justice policies centered on the belief that the best way to prevent crime is to deter it through the establishment of swift and certain punishment that is commensurate with the severity of the offense;
As the primary target of the September 11th terrorists attacks, New Yorkers especially understand the importance of maintaining our Nation’s resolve to achieve victory in the war on terror. We believe in a strong national defense to ensure that Americans remain safe, terrorists are defeated and democracy flourishes throughout the world;
The threat of Islamic extremism is a threat to our way of life and our very existence as a people. We live in a dangerous world that demands constant vigilance and the willingness to make great sacrifice;
The United States must never waver in its strong support of the state of Israel and other freedom-loving democracies across the globe;
America has been and remains the greatest force for good in the history of the world;
America and New York’s best days are yet to come. Our party must always seek to lead with a sense of optimism that there is no challenge that our people cannot overcome;
As Republicans we believe that our party is the best vehicle for translating these ideals into positive and successful principles of government that will create a bright future for ourselves, our children and for generations to come.
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OK, I have to admit these are all the right noises, and well worded. But now, we come to it:
What do I have to indicate that this time is any different from the last several years, where the GOP has been making these smae noises and yet abandoning these principles in favor of going along with the Democrats to get along? See, there’s your problem, and the problem facing the GOP in general… what do you have to indicate that this new promise won’t end up in the trash bins like those of the last several years?
That question is exactly why I’m hearing that National Chairman Steele is about to get himself booted from his leadership role in a no confiedence vote [1]. Prove to us you’re not just another one.
Please.