Ripon Forum


Vol. 46, No. 4

View Print Edition

In this Edition

One of the challenges of publishing a quarterly journal is that you want to stay relevant to the issues of the moment without chasing the headlines of the day. This latest edition of THE RIPON FORUM is no different. 

“Today’s biggest problem is not ideology, but partisan politics.”

“Some in D.C. have lost the ability to disagree without being disagreeable – and that is unfortunate, because such heated rhetoric often stands in the way of compromise when it might otherwise be achieved.”

“Cooperation on issues does not mean compromising values.”

Kay Bailey Hutchison is retiring from Congress after 19 years in office leaving this word of advice for her colleagues, “You, the elected representatives of today, are just as smart, creative and patriotic as our ancestors and must take the mantle of responsibility to keep America strong.”

“There will have to be some courageous souls.”

Lugar Talks about Political Environment and Challenges Facing the Republican Party in Speech to The Ripon Society.

“Anger is not a substitute for good policy” – A Q&A with Jon Huntsman

An interview with the former governor, ambassador and presidential candidate about the current political environment and the challenges facing the country — and the Republican Party — in the coming years.

Breaking the Partisan Stranglehold

The Aspen Institute scholar and former Congressman discusses dysfunction in Washington and offers ideas for reform.

The New Electoral Math and What it Means for Polling

The man who Charlie Cook called “the one pollster Republicans should listen to” looks at the election results and what they mean for the GOP.

The GOP’s Forgotten Ones

A young Republican and former aide in the Bush White House argues that the GOP can no longer ignore young Americans.

Passing Tax Reform: The Devil is in the Deductions

“In recent days, the looming fiscal cliff has catapulted income tax base-broadening to the forefront of the tax policy debate. Fortunately, this is an area where Republicans and Democrats should be able to work together.”

The Longest War

A senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, talks on why the U.S. must not abandon Afghanistan even as it prepares to leave.

Ripon Society Marks Milestone

Coverage of a Dec. 11th reception The Ripon Society hosted to celebrate the season and mark the group’s 50th anniversary.

Ripon Profile of Cathy McMorris Rodgers

House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers talks about her new job as a member of Speaker John Boehner’s leadership team.

In this Edition

One of the challenges of publishing a quarterly journal is that you want to stay relevant to the issues of the moment without chasing the headlines of the day. This latest edition of THE RIPON FORUM is no different. 

The focus of this edition is the November general election and the challenges facing America – and the Republican Party — in the coming year. Just before we were scheduled to publish, 27 individuals were killed in a shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut. Among the dead were 20 children. 

On a Friday afternoon when people would otherwise be looking forward to a weekend of holiday shopping, or taking their kids to see Santa, or perhaps waiting for a college-age son or daughter to return home for winter break, the nation was paralyzed by a tragedy that brought the President of the United States – along with just about every other parent in America — to tears. 

Nowhere in the pages of the latest FORUM is there any mention of this tragedy. And nowhere in the essays and interviews included is there any mention of gun control, mental illness, or any of the other issues that will most certainly be explored and discussed in the wake of this event. Still, perhaps there is a lesson to be learned from this edition that can be applied moving forward. The lesson relates to the message of the election itself. 

As Jon Huntsman explains in our interview with him, Republicans were defeated on November 6th because they failed to present “an alternative vision” to the status quo when it came to “opportunity and growth.” Put another way, the GOP lost the election because the solutions the party offered were perceived as not being relevant to people’s lives. In the coming months, the party will likely be called upon to present another kind of alternative vision – one related to preventing another senseless slaughter from happening in our schools. 

The Republican Party has a long history of unflinching support for the Second Amendment. But if you are one of those parents whose child was shot dead in their classroom 12 days before Christmas, or if you are one of those parents who were moved to tears upon hearing the news, then it is likely becoming more difficult to understand how the party’s rigid interpretation of 27 words written 237 years ago is relevant to the world we live in today. 

The message of the 2012 election is clear – rigidity equals irrelevance in American politics. It is true on issues such as immigration reform and same sex marriage. And it is why in the coming debate over gun control, Republicans will have yet more soul searching to do.

Lou Zickar
Editor
The Ripon Forum
louzickar@clu.ccw.mybluehost.me