The Identity Crisis of Republican Leadership
/As Republicans braced for a red wave to sweep over the United States during the 2022 midterm election, I was cautiously optimistic yet lived with a small—but pungent—sense of dread. I told my listeners several times: “I hope if Republicans win the majority that we are worthy of the win.”
I was very concerned with Republicans passing ridiculous spending bills and caving to the Democrats on important cultural issues. Of course, the red wave didn’t overtake the country but my concerns, nevertheless, have begun to manifest.
Back in July, 47 House Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the Respect for Marriage Act. On the Pennsylvania Senate campaign trail, Dr. Mehmet Oz signaled he would be in support of it. Oz lost, but his vote wasn’t needed. 39 House Republicans and 12 Senate Republicans joined the Democrats to redefine marriage on a federal level without Senator Mike Lee’s amendment protecting religious convictions.
Now, this has sparked debate. Many Republicans are asking what the purpose is of upholding the traditional view of marriage and if it’s politically advantageous. Though many conservatives see the preservation of marriage as preserving the backbone of civilization—the nuclear family—some Republicans believe in a more modern family and want to get away from culture wars altogether.
I noticed an uncomfortable amount of apathy on the abortion issue. There was such fear after overturning Roe v Wade. Mind you, it was something the pro-life movement has been working toward for decades. It did cost Republicans in the election (particularly in my home state of Michigan) but getting funding to fight against the Democrats’ misinformation campaign was like pulling teeth. I wouldn’t say the pro-life movement was outworked, but they were certainly at a financial disadvantage. Some donors were generous, but others wished the abortion issue would be dropped and refused to give a penny toward it.
And it didn’t help that after abortion was kicked back to the states, Senator Lindsay Graham proposed a federal fifteen-week abortion allowance. He thought he was offering a good compromise. The Democrats defined it as a national ban and wouldn’t take him up on the generous offer. After such a historic win at the Supreme Court, it also wasn’t appealing to the pro-life movement. Senator Graham created needless drama and made the Republicans look disingenuous since abortion being a “state’s rights issue” was a lead talking point.
March for Life 2022
But even if Republicans stepped away from a fundamental human rights issue such as life, which is an inalienable right, and focused on meat and potatoes issues like the economy, what exactly would we have to be proud of today?
“Vote for us and we’ll fire 87,000 IRS agents” wasn’t the resonating message House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and other Republicans hoped for. I’m glad Republicans tried to stop the poorly named “Reduce Inflation Act” but they’re certainly not doing their part when they don’t reign in spending themselves. Democrats on social media accuse Republicans of not having a plan to stop inflation, but Republicans know putting a pause on tremendous spending is a good start. But how can Republicans convince the public they’re serious about spending if 18 Senate Republicans sign onto a $1.7 trillion omnibus bill full of pork and woke projects? It even ties hands on how you can spend money delegated to border security. It can’t be used to hire permanent federal employees to manage the border or to “acquire, maintain, or extend border security technology and capabilities, except for technology and capabilities to improve Border Patrol processing.”
Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and former Democrat Senator Kristen Sinema (I-AZ) have already joined together to pitch granting amnesty to Dreamers, which will continue to incentivize illegal border crossings, including unaccompanied minors. Nearly 130,000 entered the US shelter system in 2022.
I understand Senator Mitch McConnell didn’t want the government to be shut down, but last-minute budgets should be embarrassing for our legislature, not a game to get the most funding for your projects. Democrats wait until the last minute because they expect Republicans to be punks in the game of chicken. It’s not fair for Americans to struggle and to have lived throughout the pandemic with a forced shutdown of their businesses by the government, yet they have to blow $1.7 trillion to keep themselves funded.
While families are struggling with the price of beef and chicken, our government is spending millions on LGBTQIA+ pride centers and museums, $3.6 for a Michelle Obama Trail in Georgia, and $791,200 for “equitable energy resilience and EV infrastructure” in California.
Republicans were even betrayed earlier in the year when Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) compromised with Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) on gun legislation, including funding red flag laws.
So, if Republicans aren’t going to conserve traditional marriage, fight for the right to life, be fiscally responsible, properly fight against identity politics, defend our border, and protect our second amendment rights, what exactly are we standing for? What is the point of our party? To fund wars? Democrats are perfectly fine doing that themselves. We have to be more than the party of tax cuts. After all, plenty of Americans who received a tax cut and benefitted didn’t even make the connection to Trump’s tax cuts.
After the 2022 midterm loss, we’ve heard the loss blamed on the quality of our candidates. That is true. Dr. Mehmet Oz was a carpetbagger and Republican doorknockers on the ground have said a common problem they ran into with promoting Hershel Walker was that he was seen as a deadbeat dad. You can’t call yourself the party of family values and be upset when your base is bothered by an absentee dad who allegedly paid for two abortions.
However, the quality of our leadership should also be questioned.
If Republicans are hoping Americans will be in such dire straits that they’ll run to the Republicans with open arms, they’re sorely mistaken. Despite how many voters felt like America was on the wrong track, Democrats were still competitive in the midterms and obtained Senate control. The truth is people can get used to bad situations. Republicans have to make voters feel secure in making a shift. There has to be a clear alternative, and that alternative has to be unquestionably better.
Republicans are facing an identity crisis. Abandoning moral convictions won’t win over more voters; it’ll only create more Democrats and tell conservatives to stay home. Competency is the answer. We need competency in governing and competency in communication. Give the voters an opportunity to understand your positions rather than surrendering the narrative to the Democrats, or abandoning them altogether.
Lastly, I’m frustrated because Democrats come to win, and Republicans just come to participate. I’ve heard my father say, “Michigan never loses; we just run out of time.” Democrats don’t see losses. They see new opportunities. Even if they have to rewrite history, they’ll win. Democrats didn’t lose on the slavery or Civil Rights issues, “the parties switched.” President Donald Trump didn’t win the 2016 election, he was “installed by Putin and is a Russian agent.” I don’t want Republicans to be dishonest, but I at least want them not to accept an omnibus package full of Democrat-woke projects, so you can avoid bad press from a shutdown, even though Democrats have control.
Joe Biden is an unpopular president who is divisive, often rambling, confused, and has a terrible VP, yet he’s received wins on the American Rescue plan, infrastructure, repackaged “Build Back Better” as an inflation reduction, gun control, same-sex marriage, a woke lifetime appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the political prosecution of his political rival through the January 6 committee. He’s so confident, he’s gearing up for reelection.
As Ben Shapiro pointed out, former Republican Speaker John Boehner crying and praising Speaker Nancy Pelosi, noting his daughters are Democrats and admire her, sums up the state of Republican politics today. Shapiro thought it went deeper than the general disconnects of younger generations who typically tend to be more liberal and then become conservative when life smacks them in the face. Shapiro argued these Republicans are simply bad at carrying over their values to their kids. “And I don’t think it’s because of the shortcoming in values. I think it’s because of the shortcomings in them. I think it's because Republicans do not believe many of the things they say, and Democrats believe nearly everything that they say.”
Republicans can win again, but they have to make the victory worth the battle if they expect to lead troops forward. But if there is no vision, this party will perish.
