Questionnaire | Q #1 | Q #2 | Q #3 | Q #4 | Q #5 | Q #6
 

Answers to Question 3 (of 6) by the 2009 candidates for NC GOP Chairman & Vice-Chairman

 

[ncgop-exec]
Date of questions: Saturday, May 30, 2009
Answers were accepted May 30 thru June 9, 2009.

 

Question #3:  The Republican Party is America's "conservative" party. We are the Party of limited government, the Party of robust capitalism, the Party of strict & honest Constitutional interpretation, the Party of individual liberty, and the Party of strong national defense.

But, most of all, we are the party of traditional ethical and moral values. In fact, the Republican Party was founded as a "social issue" party, created by Christian "radicals" in a moral crusade, to fight the gravest social injustice of that age: slavery. (The Democratic Party is the ancestral home of Jim Crow and the KKK.)

The 1828 Webster's defined "politics" as "...that part of ethics which consists in the regulation and government of a nation or state, for the preservation of its safety, peace and prosperity; comprehending the defense of its existence and rights against foreign control or conquest, the augmentation of its strength and resources, and the protection of its citizens in their rights, with the preservation and improvement of their morals..." Likewise, Lord Acton famously wrote, "Liberty is not the freedom to do what you wish; it is the freedom to do what you ought."

Today, the NC GOP is still the Party of social justice, with a platform that calls on our political leaders to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, and which strongly proclaims our belief in equality under the law for all Americans.

However, some factions of our Party want to tone down the Party's stand for traditional ethics and morality. For instance, the RLC takes no stand on abortion, and the Log Cabin Republicans & Richard Morgan factions want to make the Party "more progressive."

Do you support the NC GOP Platform's current strong stand for traditional ethics and morality, or do you think such issues should be deemphasized?

The six candidates' answers follow. The four candidates for chairman are listed first (alphabetically), followed by the two candidates for vice-chairman. (Each candidate's name is a clickable link to his web site.)
 

Chad Adams (for Chairman) wrote:
    Equals rights for all, special privileges for none! But more importantly, in spite of our shortcomings as individuals, yes our party needs to be the one of traditional ethics and morality. There needs to be no de-emphasis. The platform is strong and should be upheld!

Tom Fetzer (for Chairman) said (paraphrased):
    Yes, retain strong stand.

Marcus Kindley (for Chairman) wrote:
    NO! NO! NO! WE MUST not compromise our principles! We must take a POSITIVE stand for the values we put forth. Be proud of the platform we have and stand on the solid foundation of our Party.

Bill Randall (for Chairman) wrote:
    Yes, I support the NCGOP's platform emphasis and strong stand for traditional ethics & morality. Answer to Q-2, germane.

 
(Note: Tim & David are candidates for Vice-Chairman, not Chairman, but since Vice-Chairmen often eventually become Chairmen I asked that they answer the questions as if they expected to become chairman.)

Tim Johnson (for Vice-Chairman) wrote:
    Social issues are extremely important to me, but when it comes to our party platform, I get only one vote just like everyone else. Our Republican Principles don't change. Our Platform changes every year as we take a stand on issues based on the times. It should come as no surprise that in times of economic struggle, the priorities of many of our fellow Republicans will shift toward economic issues and new people will join our party out of a deep concern over the economic prosperity of our country. We should not be afraid of these shifts. When our country returns to prosperity, Republicans will likely change their focus again. I welcome all Republicans who believe in our Republican Principles even if they do not agree with me on every issue and I welcome their input on the platform or any other party business.
    Slavery is an interesting example because it involves two conflicting principles at once states rights (limited government) and social equality. Obviously I am very glad that the social issue won out in this case. Few would argue that the moral component of the slavery debate should have been deemphasized.

David Sawyer (for Vice-Chairman) wrote:
    I support the NC GOP Platform.

 

The other five questions can be found here:
http://www.mooregop.org/chairman_questionnaire.html

Dave Burton
Cary, NC
H: 1-919-481-0098
M: 1-919-244-3316