Thursday, February 18, 2010

The Mount Vernon Statement

Republicans/conservatives are oh so proud of themselves, as they have signed yet another proclamation of their principles:

http://www.themountvernonstatement.com/
Look, Wm F. Buckley they are not. It is all well and good that these people have chosen to write down their principles of conservative thought. Do we really need it? Of course not. Huffing and puffing and making more lists of what is and isn't conservative principle is what makes a party shrink, not expand. It is narrow and exclusive. It is not a welcoming exercise.

While recommitting to conservative ideas is admirable, providing cover to the religious right of the party in the name of this commitment is not. For too long, the far right of the Republican party - the conservative party - has allowed the political principles to be hijacked in the name of religious purism. It is small minded and simply not right. Separation of church and state is what this country was founded upon. To proclaim yourself holier than your opponent is not a substantive argument.

I listened with interest to some of the CPAC speakers during this opening day of their annual convention. Yes, it is a convention. Many livelihoods depend upon the loyal and stalwart of the Republican party. To deny that the conservatives are not Republican is inane. Some, like talk show and tv show millionaire Sean Hannity enjoy stating that he is conservative but not necessarily Republican in political thought. Really? Listening to those who quote bible verses while addressing the crowd simply made me cringe.

It is easy to ride the wave of unrest now present across the country. William F. Buckley, however, had no such luxury. He was a man ahead of his time. To now see the likes of some who are loudly patting themselves on their collective backs to sign this document is just a bit much for those of us of a certain age.

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