McDonnell’s rise in the Republican Party: a move that will cost the GOP

With all of the controversy surrounding Gov. Bob McDonnell over the past year alone, you’d think that the Republican Party would wish to shelter itself from McDonnell, the individual rights transgressor. As usual though, the Republican Party defied logic by appointing Bob McDonnell to chair the platform committee at next month’s Republican National Convention.[1]

McDonnell admittedly has an appeal that stretches beyond the ultra-right of the Republican Party base, making him a better than normal candidate to front Republican brew-ha-has. But McDonnell will also be a target for liberals and some libertarians who’ve seen his governorship in Virginia as little more than a continual crackdown on the democratic process and the rights of individuals, be they men or women.[2]

This political baggage obviously hasn’t stunted McDonnell’s shining star in the eyes of the Republican National Committee chairman, Reince Priebus. I believe this assessment of McDonnell is, however, a mistake that will cost the Republican Party the approval of Independents, at the very least.

McDonnell has portrayed himself as the quintessential “pragmatic” conservative politician[3] for as long as I can remember. But is America ready for a pragmatic conservative politician? Is America ready for a conservative politician who wants to put police drones in the sky or limit the rights of women to their own bodies?[4]

Just as McDonnell sought the national spotlight to elevate his political resume, his policy positions have prompted fierce backlashes from individuals across the political spectrum all over the country. Thus, McDonnell’s strategy to promote his political image has largely failed among many Americans.[5]

McDonnell can play an important role in the Republican Party, but his visibility among the upper echelons of the GOP only reinforce suspicions that I have about the GOP itself: the GOP doesn’t take women’s rights seriously and establishment Republicans don’t truly respect individual rights.

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[1] http://www.wric.com/story/18938872/mcdonnell-to-head-gop-convention-platform-panel

[2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/29/bob-mcdonnell-drones-virginia_n_1554179.html

[3] http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jun/29/mcdonnells-pragmatism-translates-to-popularity/

[4] http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/03/obama-campaign-targets-romney-mcdonnell-women-voters/

[5] http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/05/va-gov-mcdonnell-approval-rating-drops/