July 23, 1997Jim Nicholson, Chairman
Republican National Committee
310 First Street, S.E.
Washington, DC 20003RE: A former loyal Republican checks in
Dear Mr. Nicholson:
I read on the front page of today's USA Today the following headline:
"Gingrich: All is well in GOP -- for now"
I am writing this to let you know that if you guys believe this, you're probably smoking something. Or as my daughter would say, "Not even!"
The fact is, you are rapidly losing your base. Repeat. YOU ARE RAPIDLY LOSING YOUR BASE. And I am only one of many recognizing what appears to be the moral and intellectual inability of the Republican party to lead our country.
Let me introduce myself. I used to be a liberal, having grown up in the 1960's. Along with many in my generation, I was caught up in the cultural turmoil of the age. Though I became a Christian at the age of 20, I was still uncritical politically. But as I studied intellectual history at Stanford and watched the leftist assault at/on the campus during the so-called anti-war protests, I came to reject liberalism as bankrupt.
Indeed, and I do not say this in the least bit metaphorically, liberalism is essentially theft and deception. I call it the "tomato-seed philosophy" -- when you go to put your finger on it, it "ain't" there anymore. Unprincipled by its very nature, liberalism uses any available means to gain and hold power.
Politically, liberalism has found statism its vehicle of choice. As the protective power granted the states in the Constitution has been destroyed or eroded, the powerlust of the liberal is more easily fed by increasing the scope of, and then controlling, federal power.
This is in sad contrast to the vertical separation of powers established in the Constitution. With the passage of the 16th amendment (direct taxation of individuals rather than States) and 17th amendment (direct election of Senators rather than by state legislatures), the States no longer serve as the protective gatekeeper on the federal government's funding and decision-making. Left thus unprotected, the liberty of every citizen has suffered.
And Congress, emboldened by the reduced accountability for its actions, has found it easy to evade the spirit of the 10th Amendment. The states have willingly prostituted themselves by waiving the protection of the 10th amendment in exchange for federal money. As soon as the federal government "dragged a $100 dollar bill" under their noses, the states sold their birthright. Now federal law controls many aspects of American life for which the federal government has no constitutional power. But who needs legal authority when the states eagerly accept the puppet strings attached to federal money?
So what does all this have to do with the Republican party? Well, unfortunately, the Republican party has the same unprincipled powerlust as the liberals. Dominated as it has been by the Rockefeller wing of the party (we call them "Evans Republicans" in Washington State), these Republicans espouse principles and values as an opiate for the conservative masses. The campaign talk brings in the volunteers, the dollars and the votes. But these controlling "moderates"--easily as statist as the liberal Democrats--then do nothing to attack the fundamental problem of statism. The late Hon. J.T. Quigg had it right when he told me, "Republicans in power are more dangerous than Democrats because they run government efficiently."
I can now see the truth in that old Democrat bromide (which is at least as applicable to them as well) that the Republican party is the party of the rich. The statist rich, that is, who profit from a big-spending, centralized, subsidizing government. In contradiction to the vision of the founders of both the nation and the Republican party, both parties are now wedded to an unholy alliance of big government and big business.
So the question for me and others is: At what point does my voting Republican merely perpetuate a system that will always default on the side of restricting liberty. When I met with Linda Smith recently to pose that question, she urged me to stay with the party. And she made a convincing argument. But my confidence in the Republican party continues to wane.
The time is fast approaching when my Republican vote will serve only to prolong the inevitable collapse of the party--whose usefulness to the sweet land of liberty has faded and whose continued existence hinders what liberty yet remains.
And the time is fast approaching when I, along with many other Republicans, will embrace some other organization willing and able to stand true to the American principles articulated by those who, with a "firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence", mutually pledged to each other their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor.
Very truly yours,
GARY A. PREBLE
Attorney at Lawcc:
The Hon. Strom Thurmond, Pres. Pro Tem, US Senate
The Hon. Trent Lott, Maj. Leader, US Senate
The Hon. Don Nickles, Ass't. Maj. Leader, US Senate
The Hon. Connie Mack, Chmn, Conf. of Majority, US Senate
The Hon. Larry Craig, Chmn, Sen. Repub. Policy Committee
The Hon. Mitch McConnell, Chmn, Nat'l. Repub. Sen. Committee
The Hon. Newt Gingrich, Speaker, US House
The Hon. Dick Armey, Maj. Leader, US House
The Hon. Tom Delay, Maj. Whip, US House
The Hon. John Boehner, Chmn, House Repub. Conf.
The Hon. Jennifer Dunn, Vice-Chmn, House Repub. Conf.
The Hon. Christopher Cox, Chmn, House Repub. Policy Committee
The Hon. Slade Gorton, US Senate
The Hon. Linda Smith, US House
The Hon. Steve Largent, US House
The Hon. Dale Foreman, Chmn, WA State Repub. Party
The Hon. Dan McDonald, Maj. Leader, WA State Senate
The Hon. Clyde Ballard, Speaker, WA State House
Mr. Rick Forcier, Chmn, Thurston County Republican Party
Mr. Howard Phillips, US Taxpayers Party
Preble Law Firm
2120 State Ave NE
Olympia, WA 98506http://www.olywa.net/PrebleLaw
preble@olywa.net
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