Resurrecting the pursuit of justice as a Republican principleby State Representative Paul Froehlich (R, Schaumburg) – December 2006

Resurrecting the pursuit of justice as a Republican principleby State Representative Paul Froehlich (R, Schaumburg) – December 2006

In the 2006 election, the Republican Party lost control of Congress, lost ground in the Illinois General Assembly, and was completely shut out of statewide offices for the first time in generations. Demographic math makes it clear that Republicans in the blue state of Illinois will not regain majority party status until the GOP attracts a sizable segment of minority voters. It isn’t happening at the moment, so the party has to change. The question is how?

I propose bringing back the traditional Republican emphasis on justice and protecting the weak. Lincoln said the Republican cause is “to elevate the condition of men – to lift the artificial weights from all shoulders – to clear the path of laudable pursuits for all – to afford all an unfettered start and a fair chance in the race of life.”

The GOP has a relatively proud lineage as the party that ended slavery, gave black men the vote, and passed the Fourteenth Amendment to protect against state violations of civil rights. By contrast, Democrats opposed the civil war amendments, created the KKK, and prevented federal laws against lynching.

We cannot, however, rest on our laurels from previous centuries. Too many Republicans today have lost their sensitivity on issues of justice and injustice. We have other priorities nowadays than ensuring that all Americans have “an unfettered start and a fair chance in the race of life.”

One barrier to attracting more minority voters is the perception among many of Republican hostility to minorities. One cause for this perception is the fact that most conservative Southern white Democrats have become Republicans; not many years ago some of these converts opposed federal laws to protect civil rights. Former RNC Chairman Ken Melman spoke before the NAACP on July 14, 2005. He apologized for the Nixon Southern strategy to “benefit politically from racial polarization. I am here today as the Republican Chairman to tell you we were wrong.”

Other things that reinforce the perception of GOP hostility to minorities are the following:
Blunt crusades against illegal immigrants and affirmative action, which are easily (mis)interpreted as racist.

A blind attachment to the death penalty, despite the high wrongful conviction rate of minority defendants.

The lack of serious Republican effort (except for Ken Melman) to earn support from African-Americans.

Opposition or indifference to issues important to Latinos, Asian-Americans and African-Americans, such as closing the nation’s biggest disparity in public education funding. Indifference can appear like hostility.

Immigration, like affirmative action, is an issue that must be addressed carefully. Appeals to racial resentment and fears regarding either issue should be verboten. It’s one thing to advocate better enforcement of our immigration laws; it’s another to equate illegal immigrants with terrorists and to depict immigrant hordes in campaign ads.

Anyone who studies the issue recognizes that the death penalty needs serious reform. When Republicans resist reforms, such as videotaping interrogations and confessions in capital cases, we exhibit insensitivity to a status quo in Illinois that has been rife with errors. Some Republicans reinforce the stereotype by opining that the men released from death row were really killers or thugs so their wrongful convictions don’t matter.

Only those willfully blind to reality fail to recognize inequality and injustice in our nation. Republicans need to make it a priority to alleviate that injustice. There is ample precedence for doing so.

The Declaration of Independence makes justice a priority when it states “all men are created equal” and that securing rights is the supreme purpose of government. (Justice means equals should be treated equally.) We pledge allegiance to a country “with liberty and justice for all.” One purpose of the Constitution listed in the Preamble is to “establish justice.” Among the purposes of the Illinois Constitution stated in the Preamble are to “eliminate poverty and inequality” and to “assure legal, social and economic justice.” Barry Goldwater said that “Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” The Bible repeatedly instructs us to help those in need and to seek justice. (Proverbs 24:11, for example, instructs us to “Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death. Don’t stand back and let them die.”)

When Republican leaders work on issues that matter to the groups whose support we seek, then we’ll earn credibility with minorities who too often feel unwelcome in the party. The opportunity is there, but it will require recapturing the original vision of our party as we once again become champions for the oppressed, so we’re not seen as protectors of the comfortable. ###

www.ruffcommunications.com