As Democrats Take Over Congress, Conservatives Seek Silver Lining
by Jeff Johnson and Jenni Parker
November 9, 2006
(AgapePress) - - In the aftermath of the U.S. midterm elections, many conservative analysts are concluding that the Democrats' takeover of the House -- and possibly also the Senate -- had less to do with waning support for the Republican Party and more to do with many voters' disillusionment over Republicans who have failed to live up to their word or to conservative ideals. Gary Bauer of American Values is calling attention to the fact that many of the Republicans who lost in the November 7 elections were liberal Republicans. "For example," he notes, "seven GOP losses came in New England alone." The likely effect of this, Bauer predicts, is that the Republican minority will become ideologically conservative, while the number of centrist Democrats has grown.
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Gary Bauer |
"Isn't it interesting," the conservative pro-family advocate observes, "that Democrats who ran as 'conservatives' won, while Republicans who ran as 'moderates' lost?" But, even in states where the Republican "brand name" took a beating, he points out, in most cases conservative issues that stood alone, as in several ballot initiatives, found strong support among the electorate. For instance, Bauer notes that incumbent Republican Senator George Allen of Virginia lost the race for his Senate seat. However, the Virginia marriage amendment, which enshrines the definition of marriage as a union of one man and one woman in the state constitution, passed overwhelmingly -- just as similar marriage protection measures did in six other states.
Although sanctity-of-life issues did not fare as well at the polls on Tuesday, Bauer feels the American people overall affirmed their support for conservative values, even if they did not affirm support for some conservative candidates.
Parshall: Midterm Vote Repudiated Candidates Who Abandoned GOP Principles
Christian author, talk-show host, and political activist Janet Parshall is encouraging fellow conservatives not to be overly disheartened by the Democrats' victories in the House and Senate races. "This was not a repudiation of conservatism," she contends. "This was a repudiation against some Republicans who lost their way and forgot first principles."
Another thing many of these politicians have forgotten, Parshall adds, are "some of the core concepts written within the planks of the Republican platform." She believes the failure of some Republicans to act on their pro-family campaign promises created a window of opportunity for their Democratic opponents, and a number of them made the most of that opportunity by campaigning on pro-family issues.
"Apparently the Democrats were smart enough to pick up on the fact that the values voters still are the backbone of the electorate in this country," the conservative spokeswoman points out. The challenge for these new Democrats now, she says, will be to live up to their conservative campaign promises by standing up to their party's ultra-liberal leadership and working with Republicans to combat the leftist leadership of the Democratic Party.
If that happens, Parshall notes, then pro-family, bipartisan alliances may become possible. "If a new coalition gets created by conservative Republicans partnering with conservative Democrats," she says, "then, in the final analysis, this might turn out to be a very positive thing for values voters and for conservatives in general in this country."
Tony Perkins | |
Perkins: Can 'Conservative' Democrats Withstand Pelosi's Extremist Agenda?
However, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins is not optimistic about the likelihood of that scenario. "Although pro-family Democrats may have tipped the election," he notes, Perkins expects to see these Democrats get caught in the riptide of presumed future House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's more radical liberal agenda. The American public need only stay tuned and "watch for them to be marginalized in positions where they have little influence," he says. "As Pelosi prepares to lead the House, it will be painfully obvious that the values of her hometown, San Francisco, are not the values of Middle America," the FRC spokesman asserts. Pro-family citizens must get ready to face big battle over their core beliefs, he says, as "the assault against abstinence, marriage, life, good judges, and cloning may be the fiercest yet."
Perkins says Pelosi and "the old guard of extremists" can be expected to "pounce on the opportunities that their new committee chairmanships will afford them." This, the pro-family advocate suggests, is where congressional Democrats who campaigned on pro-family issues will have an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to those issues and to deliver on the promises that won them their seats.
Conservative voters that withheld their support from Republican candidates who have not delivered on pro-life promises will be an important force on the political scene in the future, Perkins says. These "integrity voters," as he calls them, saw that Republicans had abandoned their principles, and these citizens responded, ultimately, by abandoning the GOP.
And those "integrity voters," who overwhelmingly held the GOP accountable in the 2006 elections will be back in 2008, the FRC spokesman emphasizes. And at that time, he contends, "the Democrats will have to prove that their conservative credentials are based on more than rhetoric."
The Democrats have two years to convince the electorate they belong in power, Perkins notes. Meanwhile, he says, the pro-family movement must have all hands on deck as the battle for the family and for the culture continues.
