Digging in the Heels on Core Principles

“Dems Back Off On Family Planning Provision,” by Brian Montopoli, CBS Political Hot Sheet, 1/27/09 11:47 a.m.

It appears that Nancy Pelosi and Congressional Democrats are backing away from their disgraceful attempt at eugenics and are removing hundreds of millions of dollars in "family planning" (read "abortion") funding from the latest economics stimulus package. This funding targeted the poor in an attempt to prevent them from breeding because, according to Rep. Pelosi, reducing the number of babies that are born "will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government." Republicans stood their ground and appealed to their core constituency, creating a public outcry over this disgraceful and unnecessary spending and causing the removal of it from the legislation. A small but important victory.

This episode should be a lesson to Republicans in how a minority party in American politics regains power:

1. Identifying their core principles
2. Picking their battles
3. Digging in their heels

This episode demonstrates that winning an election does not mean you get to do whatever you want. Republicans in Congress must stand firmly on the side of life and liberty. When Democrats propose legislation that violates these core principles, Republicans must stand firm, even if they eventually lose a few battles. Let Republicans compromise on lesser issues if they must so as not to appear as simply obstructionists, but they should not yield on core moral principles.

If Republicans continue to pick their battles well and stand on core principles, they will position themselves to regain power in 2010 and 2012 just as it did in 1994.