RIGOP is a Big Tent

RIGOP is a Big Tent

Reading "Who Wants to Go Back into the Big Tent?" last week, I was disappointed to realize that the question was rhetorical and that the column argued against my fellow "John Chafee Republicans" supporting the RIGOP.  

 

I am disheartened not only because I have both feet planted firmly within the "big tent," but also because I have no doubt that John Chafee himself would make the same decision.  How can I know?  I learned an important lesson almost fifteen years ago as a young staff member for Senator Chafee.  In the mid 1990's, having been ousted from his Republican leadership position and having his Chairmanship of the Environment Committee threatened, on both accounts by the conservative wing of the Republican Party, Senator Chafee, after making a speech supporting strong environmental protections, remarked, "Sometimes, I feel like Horatius at the Bridge."

The message of that conversation is now clear to me, having re-read Thomas Babington Macaulay's Horatius numerous times since.  Rather than remain on the momentarily safe side of the bridge with his countrymen, Horatius and two others crossed over and held the enemy at bay long enough for the bridge to be destroyed, saving Rome.  In like manner, the more his Party sought to eradicate the ideals he held true, the more Senator Chafee was committed to championing those very ideals.  To remain "safely" on the edge of the fray as the enemy advances would be to abandon hope, which neither Horatius nor John Chafee could abide.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

There is only one option for those who seek balance, responsibility, honesty and civility in our State Government -- step up and join the fight!  The future truly depends on our response to the crises before us now.  The Moderate Party has neither the infrastructure nor the backing to remake Rhode Island's political landscape and even Linc Chafee's most ardent supporters must concede that one candidate alone, in one election, cannot impose the wholesale change necessary to salvage our State's future.

Legislation in other states to control illegal immigration and restrict abortion cannot justify abandoning the RIGOP (particularly when such efforts come routinely from Democrats in our General Assembly).  This year, the Rhode Island Republican Party will field and support a diverse slate of legislative candidates who, regardless of party affiliation, are committed to imposing fiscal responsibility on government, improving our economy, and creating a source of pride in our state -- in effect, we offer a Clean Slate for Rhode Island.

The RIGOP is a "big tent" and I call upon all of my fellow "John Chafee Republicans" to join us in supporting our slate of General Assembly candidates.  John Chafee, our standard bearer for decades, understood that there are only two sides in an election.  If we abandon the Rhode Island Republican Party, who will be left to stand against the perils of one-party rule that are destroying our state?