The mistake of moderation

Last night I was watching the Heritage Foundation's webcast of Karl Rove speak to a number of their members in Southern Michigan. It was an hour and a half long video, but I have to say, it was quite worth it. It reminded me a lot of Rush's speech to CPAC, it was a rallying cry for the conservative movement. Check it out:

http://www.myheritage.org/media/?bcpid=18808669001&bclid=17841328001&bctid=23821412001

He made a very interesting point about 3/4 of the way through his speech - one that I wanted to write a little about. I think it puts the argument about moderating the GOP to rest. People say (like Meghan McCain and Colin Powell) that the party needs to drop some of its conservative principals in order to appeal to more voters. They say that Obama won for a reason, and in order for the GOP to win back these voters, we need to abandon the legacy of Reagan and forge a new path. It all sounds very logical on paper. The other night I went to a speech hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition, and I listened to Michael Barone discuss the election and the future of the party. This guy wrote The Almanac of American Politics, and I think he has all of the statistics found within memorised. McCain did not energize many traditionally Republican voters, who did not show up. If the vote had shifted even 1.65% - this election could have been a lot different. This election wasn't about Democrats losing faith in the Republican party, it was about Republicans losing faith in the Republican party.

Back to my original point about Karl Rove, the Architect. He said, paraphrasing, if we move to the center and become more like liberals, voters will be given a choice between real liberals and fake liberals. And if it's liberals that they really want, why would they vote for the fake ones? And if it's conservatives they really want, they won't turn out at all. It's a lose-lose scenario for the Republican party.

Meghan McCain has been quoted saying she almost voted for Gore & Kerry - or did she? That is the beauty of the secret ballot, a freedom which Obama would like to take away from unionised workers (found within the Employee Free Choice Act). It is "moderates" like McCain that think that the social issues of the Republican party (like abortion) should be dropped off the table. For the first time since Gallup started polling about the topic, the majority of Americans self-identify as pro-life. Why would we drop the issue of Life when, for the first time in history, the majority of Americans fall to the Right on this issue? Listening to Rove last night and Rush during CPAC reminds me of why I'm conservative, and gives me faith that the GOP will find its voice and its path.