Republican Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal, was the keynote speaker at this week's meeting of the Republican National Committee in Charlotte. He is quoted as saying:
We must stop being the stupid party. It's time for a new Republican party that talks like adults. It's time for us to articulate our plans and visions for America in real terms. We had a number of Republicans damage the brand this year with offensive and bizarre comments. We've had enough of that.
Too bad this will never happen, because for the Republican Party to stop being the "stupid party", this is what it would have to do:
1. Admit that the earth is billions of years old, that life began on this planet billions of years ago, and that all life evolved from the same beginning.
2. Admit that global warming is occurring, that human activity is causing it, that it is accelerating at a faster pace than most scientists expected, and that we need to start reducing green-house gas emissions now to prevent large-scale global disaster.
3. Admit that our diversity - our variety of race, ethnicity, culture, beliefs and identity - makes us stronger, not weaker, that we should not despise each other for our differences and that it is not even enough to "tolerate" each other, that we must welcome and take joy in our differences and learn as much as we can from each other.
4. Admit that our country is founded on the principle that we are all free to worship God or not worship God as we choose and that this right requires government in all its forms - federal, state, municipal, military, education, etc., to avoid endorsing or promoting any religion and to avoid even the appearance of endorsing or promoting any religion.
5. Admit that from a scientific view a human being does not exist at the moment of conception and that government must honor the scientific view and must not impose restrictions on abortion or health care based on a religious view of when human life begins.
6. Admit that free and universal access to quality health care is a basic human right, not a luxury, and that a just and democratic society ensures that its citizens have such access.
7. Admit that another basic human right is the right to work, the right to be paid a livable wage, the right to organize and bargain collectively with employers and the right of all who contribute to our prosperity to share meaningfully in that prosperity.
8. Admit that government must offer its citizens a quality public education that provides them not just with critical knowledge but also with critical thinking - the ability to reason, analyze and discern, and that higher education must be affordable and accessible to all who have the talent and desire for it.
9. Admit that government is not the enemy of a free and just society but rather a properly functioning government is the guardian of a free and just society, that government is the way in which we achieve collectively what we cannot achieve individually and that rather than destroy or diminish government, we must ensure that it functions properly by ensuring that its citizens are well-educated, are well-informed about what its government is doing and are provided full and equal participation in the political process.
How I wish that the Republican Party would stop being the "stupid party". How I wish that it would stop endeavoring to keep its citizens ignorant and fearful. How I wish that we had at least two political parties that viewed us and spoke to us as intelligent human beings who can be trusted to make wise decisions when choosing our representatives in government. How I wish that the only differences between the Republican and Democratic parties were not differences over these basic truths and these fundamental principles but rather were differences over how best to act on these truths and how best to implement and protect these principles. It saddens me that this will never happen.