If Republicans Want to Win, They Must Embrace Individual Rights

Although I am disappointed by Barack Obama’s reelection, I am not surprised by it. Despite the ailing economy and the deeply troubled foreign policy that epitomize Obama’s presidency, Mitt Romney always faced an uphill battle—largely because he and his party alienate many women, Hispanics, gays, and others.

Consider a report from ABC:

Independents are siding with Mitt Romney at the polls in nearly every battleground state—like Ohio, Virginia, Florida, Wisconsin—but President Obama has been able to make up for it with gains among Hispanics and women, according to exit polls.

That more women tend to vote for today’s Democratic party is no surprise; after all, women have the most to lose if Republicans successfully criminalize abortion. Notably, Romney’s running mate Paul Ryan endorsed a “personhood” measure that would outlaw abortion from the moment of conception and even criminalize forms of birth control and in vitro fertility treatments. Campaign mailers reminded many Colorado voters that various down-ticket Republican candidates support “personhood” measures; such campaigning helped feed the Democrats’ assertions that the GOP wages a “war on women.” Meanwhile, voters around the nation were continually updated about the latest outrageous comment by a Republican candidate regarding abortion, such as the infamous comments about rape from Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock.

Nor is it any mystery why various other voting blocks tend to favor Democrats. Many Hispanics tire of the nationalistic, xenophobic, protectionist, anti-immigrant stance of much of the GOP. And, of course, given the Republican determination to legally discriminate against gays, the party loses the votes of many if not most homosexuals.

In these cases, Republicans lose votes and elections because and to the degree that they advocate the violation of individual rights. Regarding abortion, the Republican establishment seeks to violate the rights of women for the sake of the undeveloped embryo inside her. Regarding immigration, many Republicans seek to violate the rights of peaceable people to move to America, and the rights of U.S. business owners to hire employees of their choice. Regarding gays, many Republicans seek to legally deny the rights of gay couples to marry; some even seek to deny the rights of gay couples to engage in sex.

In these cases (and others) the Republican Party would improve its electoral success throughout much of the nation by supporting the principle of individual rights. More importantly, it would champion the principle at the foundation of America—the principle on which life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness depend—and thus help re-establish the Land of Liberty that America is supposed to be.

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Related:

• The Assault on Abortion Rights Undermines All Our Liberties
• Immigration and Individual Rights
• Message to Gov. Christie and His Critics: Gay Marriage is a Moral Right

Creative Commons Image: Gage Skidmore

About Ari Armstrong

Ari Armstrong blogs at AriArmstrong.com, and he has written for publications including the Denver Post and Complete Colorado. He is the author of Values of Harry Potter: Lessons for Muggles, a book exploring the heroic fight for life-promoting values in the Potter novels.

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