In a recent letter, Neil Snyder wrote that
“today’s party is not your daddy’s Democratic party,
and you’ll have a hard time attracting conservatives to
support it” (HCN, 5/24/04: This isn’t your daddy’s Democratic
party). His arguments were disingenuous on at least two counts. He
alluded to the fact that two Democrats got us involved in Vietnam,
while a Republican president extricated us. This begs the question:
How many years did Nixon and Kissinger prolong the Vietnam War, at
the expense of countless Vietnamese and American lives? Mr. Snyder
also conveniently ignored a more contemporary example, in which a
Republican president started a war on false pretenses that has
become a debacle.
I’m afraid the term “Republican
environmentalist” has become an oxymoron. For example, John McCain
has reasonable environmental credentials. However, he is also the
head of the Bush re-election campaign in Arizona. If McCain
contributes to a Bush victory in Arizona, and hence nationally,
this will negate any positive contribution to the environment that
McCain may have made as senator.
This isn’t your
daddy’s Republican party, either, and environmentalists
shouldn’t support it. Economic libertarians and religious
fundamentalists have taken over the GOP. Their agenda is a
cornucopia of astoundingly inconsistent positions, but
doesn’t include any meaningful protection for the
environment.
Stephen Jenkins
Reno, Nevada
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline This isn’t your daddy’s Republican party, either.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
