"Winging" the American Taliban

It is time for the Republican Party to drop the fringe right-wing like a bad habit. 

Hero to both libertarian and cultural conservative, Ronald Reagan coalesced these disparate groups using the common thread of limited government. Post-Watergate Republicans were desperate for success, no matter how dangerous the Faustian bargain. The unholy combination has been at odds ever since.

Who is the fringe right-wing, the radical socially conservative, the cultural warriors? They are not simply principled or religious people who hold strong positions or beliefs. They are those people who would use political clout, or the coercive force of government, to impose their personal morays on consenting adults engaging in behavior that does not violate the rights of others.

I call them the 'Taliban wing' of the Republican Party. Whatever you call them, they do not play well with others. 

Taliban Republicans frequently prefer to lose on principle, rather than compromise for success. They frequently turn their backs on Republicans they perceive as not perfect social conservatives. Yet they frequently allow for big-government statist candidates as long as those candidates talk tough on abortion, gay issues and immigration.

Why does the Republican Party pander to a special interest group at the expense of those who refuse to affiliate with people of such extreme views?

Taliban Republicans demand unconditional support for their chosen few - Gary Bauer, Pat Robertson, and at one time Pat Buchanan. And yet when it comes time for them to step up to the plate and deliver a hit for the libertarian (Goldwater) / centrist (Ford) / country-club (Rockefeller) Republicans, they instead take their ball and go home.

Taliban Republicans need to take stock of their relationship with the Republican Party. One need look no further than the 2003 California Recall to see the front lines of the internal GOP war. A recent poll shows that 2/3rds of Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom McClintock's supporters are seriously considering voting 'no' on the California Recall. They refuse to support the front-running GOP candidate, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The leader of the conservative California Republican Assembly was quoted as saying 'Why elect a Republican who might...declare war on conservatives.'

These California "Republicans" would allow their state to be destroyed by Democrat Gray Davis, before they supported a socially tolerant Republican. I suppose they cannot be blamed. These political dinosaurs have antiquated ideas which are going the way of buggy whips and typewriters. They are a dying breed, being replaced by libertarian and "South Park" Republicans, fiscal conservatives whose tolerance for social and cultural differences they find distasteful.

My religious beliefs are Deist, but I am certain some people will accuse me of atheism or secularism. This messenger is simply pointing out the disparity between political party support within the Republican Party. An ongoing struggle currently being won by default by those who refuse to play by the rules. The "marriage" of Republicans and social conservatives is in serious need of a divorce.

It is time to cut the cord with the fringe right - let them go to the erroneously named US Constitution Party. It is a great place for those who prefer a "perfect candidate" to a realistic political opportunity.