OPINION:
In his column “Coming in 2016 — a third way for the GOP,” Joseph Curl makes it very clear that many in the Republican Party don’t have a clue about how to win the next election. Unfortunately, he seems to be committed to a losing philosophy himself.
He focuses on the pro-life “blunders” of W. Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock in the last election and conveniently doesn’t notice that some pretty significant GOP “moderates” such as Tommy Thompson in Wisconsin also didn’t win — and that some pretty strong conservatives such as Ted Cruz did win.
In fact, Mr. Curl concludes that the GOP has to jettison its pro-life supporters and pro-family supporters since “a new wave of Republicans is coming, a wave that looks past the pro-life, traditional-marriage planks of the Grand Old Party.” Remarkably, he considers ignoring and even silencing some of the GOP’s most consistent supporters as the way to establish the famous “big tent.”
The GOP can’t really expect to win elections by ignoring some of its most loyal supporters. The real “big tent” can be established only by positively presenting and defending conservative beliefs (e.g., being proactive about all the great things that we do believe in). It certainly can’t be established by insulting infighting.
MARGARET M. WHITEHEAD
Falls Church
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