Snowe and Voorhees

Reagan and Voorhees

We have heard a lot of Reagan quotes over the years, and being a Conservative I agree with all I’ve seen. When Olympia Snowe a Republican non Conservative quoted Reagan I took note. She did it in an oped in the NY Times.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/opinion/29snowe.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
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The quote was this. “We should emphasize the things that unite us and make these the only ‘litmus test’ of what constitutes a Republican: our belief in restraining government spending, pro-growth policies, tax reduction, sound national defense, and maximum individual liberty.” He continued, “As to the other issues that draw on the deep springs of morality and emotion, let us decide that we can disagree among ourselves as Republicans and tolerate the disagreement.”

Sen. Snowe of course was talking about the defection of Arlan Spector from the Republican to the Democrat ranks. As has already been blogged to death, she missed the first point about being fiscally conservative and how Snowe’s and Spector’s bailout vote didn’t pass the litmus test quoted above.

As this seems like a waste of a good quote, I think it only fitting for me to find a more appropriate place in which to use it. You guessed it. I would like to throw it at Joanne Voorhees Chair of the Kent County Republican Party. Below is a quote from MLive to explain the situation.

“Kent County Republican Chairman Joanne Voorhees uninvited Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. to town because he came out in favor of civil unions.”

Governor Huntsman Jr. seems to fit the “litmus test” part of the above Reagan quote. I would now like to remind Joanne Voorhees of the rest of the Reagan quote.
“As to the other issues that draw on the deep springs of morality and emotion, let us decide that we can disagree among ourselves as Republicans and tolerate the disagreement.”

I am a Republican because I am devoted to individual freedom. With that comes an abhorrence of Political Correctness. I will chose what I believe and how I will behave and act. Thank you. I believe Reagan drew the line in the sand correctly and Voorhees and Snowe did not; albeit for seemingly opposite reasons. While I admit to not knowing either person, nor Reagan for that matter; it seems pretty clear that Voorhees and Snowe were both trying to make what Reagan called, “the other issues that draw on the deep springs of morality and emotion” part of the new Litmus test for their idea of what a Republican should be.

The majority of American Republicans don’t think so. The majority of American Independents don’t think so either. This majority is what Reagan pulled together with the quote above. He called it the Silent Majority. The media dubbed it the Moral Majority and some dupes like Snowe and Spector fell into it. From the other side perhaps Voorhees would fit into that hole too.

Read the quote again and you’ll see that as far as the moral issues he lumped them all together not naming them, and saying basically we should agree to disagree on any or all of them.

By placing the emphasis on individual freedom vs government control, through cutting its spending and ability to tax; Reagan knew that the moral issues would work themselves out better by a free people than by government fiat.

As I told our County Chair David Farhat, perhaps this controversy will raise our turnout and make our fundraiser successful.

The Muskegon County Republican Party is still having Jon Hunstman Jr. Governor of Utah coming for lunch at noon Sat. May 2nd at the Oakridge Country Club. Catered lunch by Above and Beyond will be served during the program. The cost is $25 .
From 10:30-11:30 there will be a Precinct Delegate Workshop. Any PDs attending this free workshop will be able to attend the Huntsman luncheon for $15.

A busy political weekend as Friday, I will be going to the Hart (Oceana Lincoln Day Dinner) and hear Pete Hoekstra and Geoff Hansen give their talks. The information for all the above and more you can find on my side bar, scroll down to Calendar of Events, then date.

Feel free to attend any one or all.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative