“The Republican Party is one struggling to find an identity, and now is not a time for a schism.”
Eric Stubben
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“I don’t think there’s really this vast civil war in the Republican Party like many in the left like to suggest there is,” Republican Representative Paul Ryan said last week. However true that may be, Republicans are in dire need of patchwork to cover the rift between Tea Party and establishment Republicans.
The Republican rift certainly isn’t an end-all for the party. But by putting candidates and elected officials at a crossroads between compromising to pass legislation and standing their ground to block legislation, the rift is dangerous. With important midterm elections coming up and a very realistic chance to take the majority in the Senate, Republicans need to stand together and campaign for their policies.
In reality, establishment Republicans and Tea Partiers don’t really differ on policies as a whole, it’s just the tactics that significantly differ. As Paul Ryan went on to say, “We are not having this agreement with each other on principles or even policies. The biggest disagreements that have occurred have been really over tactics.”
Take, for example, the recent government shutdown. Republicans were rightfully infuriated with President Barack Obama’s out-of-control spending and the left’s inability to budge on a budget deal. As the deadline drew near to strike a budget deal, establishment Republicans offered budget meetings to Congressional Democrats and even attempted to pass budget bills through the House.
The debt limit debate was a great opportunity for Republicans to paint the left as over-spenders invoking a crippling debt, but Tea Party activists had other ideas. The now-infamous Ted Cruz quasi-filibuster 21-hour standoff killed any opportunity at passing a budget deal. Cruz was blasted by many Congressional Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and was criticized by John Boehner. Not only did Cruz end hope of any compromise, he also made himself a bull’s-eye for media criticism. Ted Cruz and his Tea Party backing took Republicans from having the upper hand in the budget debate to having their hands tied behind their backs from excruciating criticism.
Though Tea Party activists often raise awareness and red flags against the left, they’ve seemed to make their own party members their primary targets. Tea Partiers are pitting their candidates against Republican powerhouses such as Mitch McConnell while trying to defeat several Republican incumbents in primaries across the country, especially in the South. These races detract attention from the overall message of conservatives, while allowing a united Democratic Party to get a leg up on the right. Internal battles between the Tea Party and the establishment cannot happen if Republicans want the Senate.
On the heels of last week’s Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) Convention, the Republican schism is painfully present. After a conference dominated by Tea Party and Libertarian speakers, Senator Rand Paul cruised to a big victory in the straw poll. Though the conference historically tends to side with the Tea Party and far-right conservatives, the fact that a large-scale, nationally recognized conference supports their values is enough to display their prominence.
Now, while I’ve pointed out the downsides to the Tea Party, it’s important to note they do have their place in the Republican Party. Grassroots campaigns, much like the ones conducted by the Tea Party, often bring attention to different issues, especially ones relevant to the blue-collar working class.
However, the Tea Party has extended beyond their accepted roles, trying to paint themselves as flag-wavers and whistle-blowers against the establishment, both on the right and left. In a time of negative public perception of the Republican Party, these tactics are dangerous. Gone are the days of Karl Rove’s brilliant Republican campaigning schemes, including former President George W. Bush’s “Viva Bush” campaign to appeal to Latinos.
The Republican Party is one struggling to find an identity, and now is not a time for a schism. Rather than bickering over small ideas such as whether to raise the debt ceiling, the establishment and Tea Party need to come together to create a long-term debt reduction plan. Immigration reform, lower taxes, lower spending and a strong private sector are things all conservatives believe in.
Establishment Republicans and Tea Party Republicans alike must rally around common conservative values for the collective good of the Republican Party and American people. Tea Partiers need to do a little less talking and a lot more acting, using their hard-right principles to drive home conservative values rather than using the principles to stop every legislation that may contain a compromise
For a group so entrenched in grassroots conservative values, you’d think the Tea Party would take some lessons from former President Ronald Reagan. He once said, “I’d rather get 80 percent of what I want than to go over the cliff with my flag flying.” Now more than ever, it is time for the Republican Party to take that advice to heart.