Posted with permission of the author
The Jefferson Report -- 8/30/96
Thou Shall Not Covet
The GOP Vice-Presidential nominee, Jack Kemp, told a Hispanic family the
other day that the Republican Party coveted their support. "It's not the
same old Republican Party", he said. "It's going to be new." Too bad
Kemp didn't say when this new Republican Party of the future was going to
emerge. It certainly wasn't present at their convention.
As one Democratic Congressman told me the other day, "in San Diego we saw
rich American's. In Chicago we see the richness of America." Now this is
more than just a play on words. According to a friend of mine, Jock Gill,
this rich makeup of the Democratic Party gives it diversity of ideas. As
we shared a very late night Chicago cab ride, Gill pointed out that
"intellectual diversity is as important as biological diversity in terms
of evolutionary competence." And that's exactly why Jack Kemp's promise
of a new Republican Party will have a hard time evolving.
The GOP has no tolerance for diversity of people or ideas. It is the
party of devolution, not evolution. Its Presidential candidate is the
self-proclaimed bridge to the past, not the future. As I wrap up my visit
to Chicago, it's clear that the words "new" and "future" belong to the
Democratic Party and can only be coveted by Jack Kemp and the GOP.
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