A LONGTIME REPUBLICAN
AND PROUD OF IT

As a Colorado native who turned 21 in 1948 (the voting age was lowered to 18 in 1971), I chose the GOP and have never regretted it. But right off the bat, and much to my disappointment, the American electorate turned away the "invincible" Tom Dewey-Earl Warren ticket. The Republican/Dewey combo had lost again in its second pursuit of the presidency, this time to the Harry Truman-Barkley ticket, despite the Chicago Daily Tribune’s assuring headline proclaiming “Dewey Defeats Truman.” Of course, it was only four years earlier that the GOP’s Dewey-John Bricker ticket had lost to the Franklin D. Roosevelt-Truman duo.

So, after seeing our ideal candidate humiliated twice, one might think that we Republicans should have folded our tent and gone home. But we stuck to our principles and in 1952 came trumpeting back with a Dwight Eisenhower-Richard Nixon ticket to “landslide” the highly touted Adlai E. Stevenson-John Sparkman ticket, and again in 1956 when the surely electable Stevenson was paired with Estes Kefauver, in sort of a joyful Dewey retribution.

I notice that the post-election advice to Republicans when they fail hasn’t changed much in 60 years. Critics are always quick to point to the Party’s right wing, but when Democrats lose, scarcely anyone ever blames their left wing, an uncompromising force to which president-elect Barack Obama is now so deeply indebted politically that their demands will be extremely difficult to appease. Only time will tell us when the serious infighting occurs, but it is bound to come when our new president discovers, as he inevitably will, that contrary to his campaign promises the government cannot be all things to all people.

Wasn’t it Lord Acton who said power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely? All the elements are now be in place in Washington, D.C. for the perfect storm. The GOP will be ready, willing and able to go in and pick up the pieces afterwards, as usual.
P.