The GOP Has Evolved to MAGA, as It Should

(Editor's Note: The following opinion column does not constitute and endorsement of any political party or candidate, on the part of Newsmax.)

Since its early stirrings as a political party, the organizing principle of the Republican Party has always been freedom.

In fact, it was created as a political force opposing the slavery of African peoples much enjoyed by the Democratic Party.

It was the reason for the Civil War.

President Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, summing up the sentiment of many in America at the time, would proclaim a "new birth of freedom" during his 1863 Gettysburg Address.

Republicans championed the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote over Democratic opposition and Republicans opposed Prohibition (the 18th Amendment), again over Democrats disagreement, believing all adults had a right to drink as they saw it.

The 18th Amendment would later be wisely repealed, by the 21st.

As the GOP has evolved, freedom is still at the core of the party, despite the misrepresentations of the collectivist Gov. Tim Waltz, D-Minn.

Excuse me governor, and others, taking freedom from one person and giving it to another is not freedom. It's despotism, or fascism, if you prefer.

But as Ronald Reagan said about the GOP in 1964, "maximum freedom consistent with law and order." On other issues however, the party has evolved.

On the matter of trade, it has gone from a high tariff party to a free trade party back to a protective trade party.

In 1970, two Democrat senators, Walter Mondale of Minnesota, and Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts proposed tax cuts as a way to stimulate a torpid economy, but the Nixon administration said no, the way to prime the pump was through massive federal spending.

The party began changing dramatically in 1964 when Barry Goldwater chose the equally conservative congressman Bill Miller of New York, eschewing the usual "ticket balancing" that had dominated the GOP previously. Eisenhower-Nixon, Nixon-Lodge and so forth.

This action by Goldwater began the process of driving liberals out of the party while attracting conservative Democrats.

Thus, GOP mayor John Lindsay of New York becomes a Democrat while Texas Democratic Governor John Connolly becomes a Republican.

Others followed suit.

And so it has gone with George McGovern in 1972 and Reagan in 1980.

Both furthered along the polarization of both parties. And the evolution continues.

Donald Trump has also changed the GOP making it more populist which means anti- excessive corporate power, anti-excessive government power, more blue collar more faith based, more prolife, more anticorruption, mor anti-establishment, more anti neocon.

Neocons really are a group without a party.

They have floated between the two parties for years and now are in high dungeon as neither party want these warmongers.

Meanwhile, establishment Republicans like Mitt Romney supporters are moving to Harris sycophants while anticorporation Democrats such as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Fmr. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii become Trump supporters.

Establishment Republicans find themselves on the outs with the MAGA movement.

While the Democrats have been arguably static since the New Deal as the big government party, the Republicans seem to be on a more logical path.as the anti-corruption, pro freedom party of federalism.

MAGA will be with the GOP for a long time, and at this there should be no surprise at all.

Craig Shirley is Chairman of Citizens for the Republic, as well as a Ronald Reagan biographer and presidential historian. He's authored six books on Reagan. He's also written The New York Times bestseller, "December, 1941" and also published the companion book, "April, 1945." He's also the author of "Mary Ball Washington," which won the People’s Choice Award from the Library of Virginia. His book on the 1980 presidential campaign, "Rendezvous with Destiny" was named by The Wall Street Journal as one of the five best campaign books of all time. Shirley is also the author of the newly released bestseller, "The Search for Reagan."
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