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.
[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/
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