Astride the Train Tracks, Facing Which Way?

I wrote recently that the United States is facing a sort of 'battle for it's soul' in this upcoming presidential election. I stressed then, and continue to stress, that this is not meant to be melodramatic, rather this is a framework to explain the particular challenge of this election season. I think also that the Republican Party is facing the same challenge as it grasps for relevance in the twenty-first century.

The seeds of the modern Republican Party were sown at their 1964 presidential nominating convention. At that time, conventions still served a functional role in the selection of candidates for president. The favorite in 1964, Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona, embodied a hard turn rightward for the Party. His top challenger, Governor George Romney of Michigan, advocated a moderate position, including support for civil rights for black Americans. At the convention, Gov Romney's positions were repudiated, and Sen Goldwater went on to lose the general election to President Lyndon Johnson. In the aftermath of 1964, the radical right wing of the Republican Party rallied behind Goldwater supporter Ronald Reagan, who was elected governor of California in 1967, and president in 1980.

The always-uneasy alliance between economic and social conservatives within the Republican Party is coming to a head in 2012. Representative Todd Akin of Missouri, who is running for Senate, dragged social issues to the top of the discussion when he articulated his peculiar views on biology. Social issues are among the last things 2012 Republican nominee for president, the former governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney, wants to discuss, as his previous positions on these matters are, one could say, all encompassing. As this Gov Romney seeks to focus on economic issues, the attention paid to social conservatives like Rep Akin, former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, and Representative Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota has been a millstone.

As Gov Romney seeks to self-identify as a 'true conservative,' and seeks to convince much of his party to identify him in this manner as well, he faces also an unusual challenge from his right flank. Representative Ron Paul, in addition to representing the 14th district of Texas, represents a peculiar, some might say unique, brand of conservatism. While many modern conservatives are content to adhere to William F Buckley's command to stand astride the train tracks of history yelling 'stop!', Rep Paul is so enchanted with the simpler time of the the eighteenth century that he seeks to repeal nearly everything that followed it. Chief among these are modern government and central banking. While it remains unclear if Gov Romney shares his views, the Republican Party has endorsed a return to the gold standard, a mainstay of Rep Paul's talking points, in it's 2012 platform.

If the Republicans are to remain viable in the new century, these nebulous positions must be resolved. While it is certain that, given enough time, this Gov Romney will come around to any position imaginable, it's not at all clear that the Republican Party has that much time.