No matter how persuasive or accurate their claims, when a Democrat insists that Republicans are overly influenced by far-right theocratic conservatives, it falls on deaf ears. But when Republicans say the same thing about their own party, it’s time to take notice.
Connecticut’s Chris Shays (R), for example, sounded pretty disgusted when he told the New York Times, “This Republican Party of Lincoln has become a party of theocracy.” Former New Jersey governor and former EPA administrator Christie Todd Whitman (R) has been making similar comments for months.
But, much to my chagrin, these two are dismissed as New England RINOs whose opinions aren’t relevant to the party or its leaders. What Republicans really need is a respected figure who has offers a similar message, but whose judgment carries more weight.
John Danforth, who had an incredible op-ed column in the New York Times today, fits the bill perfectly.
By a series of recent initiatives, Republicans have transformed our party into the political arm of conservative Christians. The elements of this transformation have included advocacy of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, opposition to stem cell research involving both frozen embryos and human cells in petri dishes, and the extraordinary effort to keep Terri Schiavo hooked up to a feeding tube.
Standing alone, each of these initiatives has its advocates, within the Republican Party and beyond. But the distinct elements do not stand alone. Rather they are parts of a larger package, an agenda of positions common to conservative Christians and the dominant wing of the Republican Party.
The essay gives every indication that this is a man who’s not only disappointed, but is stunned to see his party stray so far from its foundation.
It’s important to note that Danforth is not just some Rockefeller Republican from the northeast. He’s an “elder statesman” in the GOP after a career that’s included stints as Missouri’s attorney general, a three-term U.S. senator, and Bush’s Ambassador to the United Nations. Perhaps more importantly, Danforth is not a secularist, anxious to separate Republicans from matters of faith — he’s an Episcopal minister.
Bush recently described Danforth as “a man of strong convictions, unquestioned integrity, and great decency. He is a man of calm and judicious temperament.” That’s an assessment that is shared broadly throughout the GOP establishment, which is what makes his op-ed today all the more significant.
[I]n recent times, we Republicans have allowed this shared agenda to become secondary to the agenda of Christian conservatives. As a senator, I worried every day about the size of the federal deficit. I did not spend a single minute worrying about the effect of gays on the institution of marriage. Today it seems to be the other way around.
The historic principles of the Republican Party offer America its best hope for a prosperous and secure future. Our current fixation on a religious agenda has turned us in the wrong direction. It is time for Republicans to rediscover our roots.
Notice that it may have been the Schiavo matter that brought these concerns to the forefront, but Danforth sees his party taking its marching orders from the religious right on a host of policy issues, including conservatives’ beloved constitutional amendment on gay marriage.
The question then becomes whether the Republicans will heed Danforth’s advice. Since far-right Christian conservatives call the shots with the GOP at the federal level and in state parties nationwide, it seems unlikely we’ll see changes anytime soon. At a minimum, however, Danforth’s shot across Tom DeLay’s bow should generate some necessary discussion about the guiding principles of the party.