Rep. Mark Walker, the chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, on Saturday urged grassroots activists to take their message to new places and told them to remember that “your fellow man is not your enemy.”
“The best policy in the world — if no one hears it, if no one sees it, if it never reaches our audience, then it’s worthless and it’s futile,” Mr. Walker, North Carolina Republican, said on the final day of the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference.
“Effective conservatism starts with the right policy, but to be successful in the long term, it must have the right approach and the right voice,” he said. “Tone matters. Love the people.”
“Let’s be honest: it took a few years for our nation’s words to match our actions that all men are created equal,” he said. “But your generation — you see without discrimination and without prejudice.”
“Make time for those who disagree with you,” he said. “It’s easy to preach to the choir. But we must take our message to new places, to new neighborhoods and new communities.”
“Learn to listen,” he said. “There is real pain and real fear out there. Hold your leaders accountable, but remember: your fellow man is not your enemy, whether Democrat, Muslim, minorities or those who identify with the LGBT community.”
“Every American deserves the opportunity to pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, even those that are unborn,” he said to applause.
Mr. Walker’s message was similar to part of what former presidential candidate Carly Fiorina told CPAC on Friday. Mrs. Fiorina said that while a good fight can be fun, it’s now important to “bring people along” to ensure substantial change is sustained.
Some Republicans, meanwhile, have favored a more confrontational approach with President Trump in office and with GOP majorities in Congress.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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