The internal battle over the future of the Republican Party is in full swing, as we come up to the 160th anniversary of the Republican Party in Ripon, Wisconsin, in 1854, which actually took place on March 20. with a formal organization in Jackson, Michigan, on July 6.
For a long time, the Ripon Society has existed as an organization for “liberal,” mainstream Republicans, but of course, there is no such thing anymore known as “liberal” Republicanism. Even those who might consider themselves “liberal,” avoid use of that term like a plague!
The Wisconsin GOP, which once included “Mr. Progressive” Robert La Follette, Sr., and his brilliant sons Robert La Follette, Jr. and Philip La Follette, now, however, has become an extremist group on the far right, under Governor Scott Walker and Senator Ron Johnson, and the proposal is to add to their state party documents the concept of the right of the state to promote “secession’ if felt necessary, a sign of the old, ugly language that led to the Civil War and the loss of two thirds of a million men in combat, the greatest single tragedy in the nation’s history!
At the same time, the Nevada State Republican Party has made the decision to remove from its platform for 2014 two issues that the Christian Right has been promoting since their rise in the party apparatus nationwide since the late 1970s—abortion and gay rights and marriage. No longer will the party promote government intervention in the lives of women and their personal decisions about their bodies and reproductive rights. And no longer will they get in the way of a person’s happiness, as to his or her basic human rights, including marriage, and the right to one’s sexual orientation without any discrimination by government!
In the long run, what Nevada Republicans are doing will, if pursued elsewhere, lead to a long term revival of the GOP, while if Wisconsin is followed, it is the death knell and demise of the party of Lincoln, TR, and Ike!
I hear the Wisconsin GOP is voting next week to include secession in their platform.
I guess those idiots don’t realize that once they secede they will no longer be US citizens, no longer having the benefits of US citizens.
That’s this week Southern. It’s odd to me that the state has these views considering that they elected the first openly gay U.S. Senator.
Wisconsin is the state of Robert La Follette, Sr, “Mr. Progressive”, and Senator Joseph McCarthy in its past, so not surprising, JOB!
Rustbelt Democrat, there is a lot of ignorance in America, particularly among Republicans!
@Southern Liberal
It looks like history has officially come full circle.
Exactly right Princess Leia. The GOP initially started out as pro-Union. The Civil Rights era seems to be when the two parties played switcheroo.