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Tag: unity based on a principled platform

Approaching the Gay Marriage Debate Constitutionally

By Kevin Rex Heine, Section News
Posted on Fri Mar 29, 2013 at 02:47:01 PM EST
Tags: "You Shall Not Commit Adultery", gay marriage debate, reasoned philosophical discussion, Abraham Lincoln, shifting public perception of the "central idea", constitutional premise, enumerated federal powers, enumerated federal authority, enumerated federal jurisdiction, checks and balances, separation of powers, state sovereignty, California Proposition 8 (2008), Dave Agema, Michigan's Republican National Committeeman, unity based on a principled platform, Dennis "the Menace" Lennox (all tags)

To say that the gay marriage debate has heated up in Michigan, especially in Republican political circles, is perhaps an understatement. All that RNC Committeeman Dave Agema did was repost a medical journal article (written by Frank Joseph, M.D.) to his FaceBook page, and the next thing you know, all manner of media-funneled venom is targeted at the man. The national party, which has not one, but two sections in their 2012 National Platform speaking about defending traditional marriage, has gone on record as keeping their distance on this one (even though it's been shown, on this website, that the "filthy homosexuals" headline was intended as a sensationalistic distortion of the facts), and the state party is leaving Dave to defend himself on his own. Why they're doing so is a matter for discussion another day.

It occurs to me, though, that a key reason for the discoherent response from social conservatives in this debate is because we are allowing the pro-homosexual advocates (even within our own party) to define the terms of the debate. In doing so, we're allowing them to preemptively neuter every argument we're advancing, because we're allowing their premises to stand unchallenged. I think that, if we're going to have a reasoned philosophical discussion of this matter, then a constitutional premise is a more useful way to handle this.

(3 comments, 2116 words in story) Full Story

It Was About Sending A Message

By Kevin Rex Heine, Section News
Posted on Wed Feb 27, 2013 at 10:16:18 AM EST
Tags: Michigan Republican Party 2013 State Convention, blueblood elites, liberty movement coalition, backroom shenanigans, serving notice, sending a message, unity based on a principled platform, Schostak Must Go, Donation-Gate, Dele-Gate, Mortgage-Gate, Convention-Gate, 62% failure on Election Day, inattention to results, disingenuous hypocrisy, memory holes, Courser 4 Chair, causa provocare, praesto explicare, empowered grassroots operation, State Convention Rule 20, acta non verba, shenanigans and skullduggery, YAFWYALF (all tags)

"It's not about money ... it's about sending a message."

That quote is from "The Dark Knight," specifically, the Joker (played with disturbing perfection by Heath Ledger). Without going into a level of detail that will break the analogy, the point behind that line is that there are some people whose principles are not for sale, regardless of whether for good or ill. Those who subscribe to the all-too-common philosophy that everyone can be bought, the only question being one of price, don't have the clue before the first clue how to deal with people of principle.

That philosophical disconnect was on full and open display this past weekend at the Michigan Republican State Convention, and the elites in the establishment plainly didn't know what to do about it.

(1 comment, 2363 words in story) Full Story

A Message To Our Legislators - Beware False Choices

Comparison Shopping for State Chairs - What the Challenger Offers

By Kevin Rex Heine, Section News
Posted on Mon Feb 11, 2013 at 08:25:59 AM EST
Tags: Schostak Must Go, Courser 4 Chair, causa provocare, praesto explicare, unity based on a principled platform, advanced voter identification, empowered grassroots operation, improved strategy and technology, fundraising and spending efficiently (all tags)

The core purpose behind challenging an incumbent elected official (whether in a primary campaign, a general campaign, or even an internal party contest) is twofold: first, to draw attention to the assertion that the status quo is unacceptable, and second, to offer solutions to the problems presented as cause for challenge. Regardless of any other factor, these two postulates must be firmly established ab initio, otherwise the challenge is pointless. A challenger who's perfectly comfortable with things as they are, save that he can run it better, is worthless if there's no actual vacancy to be filled. Similarly, a challenger who can point out in detail what's wrong with the way things are, but offers no practical solutions . . . infinitus est numerus stultorum.

However, in the case of the question that will be put to the Michigan Republican State Convention delegation about two weeks hence, we have a challenger to the state chairman who not only can honestly, frankly, and fairly point out what's wrong with the situation in which things are, but who also offers some fairly usable solutions to correct things so that the MIGOP can do more than just hold their ground in tight elections.