The GOP's battle for the White House finally kicked off this week in Iowa. Several Republicans with more than a fighting chance of winning the White House spent the week in a Des Moines making their case to the evangelical Christians who have historically dominated the Hawkeye State's crucial first-in-the-nation caucuses. The topic at hand was the proposed "truce on moral issues" this, the brain child of Indiana Governor and possible Republican presidential candidate Mitch Daniels gave plenty of ammunition to the Republicans who have for years now believed that they hold the mantle for so called "family values". At Monday's Faith and Freedom Coalition forum in Iowa former Pennsylvania senator and all-but-declared candidate for president Rick Santorum told the audience "you can't" call a truce on moral issues. Ralph Reed took the opportunity that republicans seem not to be able to resist, evoking the name of Ronald Regan. Reed said this "I seem to remember Ronald Reagan fighting and winning the cold war at the very time he was restoring values and growing the economy the economy." Former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) told the audience in Des Moines, "These moral issues that everyone says we should set to the side and have a truce on, we can't. It's who we are. It is the purpose of our country."
Mr. Santorum I believe the purpose of our country is the right to civil liberties and the separation of church and state. When did the purpose of our country become galvanizing evangelicals to the polls by having them rally around issues of individual rights? The right to have an abortion or marry and individual of the same sexual origin is the right of the individual. The allocation of tax payer dollars to support these social issues is another issue entirely. Should taxpayer dollars be used for abortions? In my opinion, no they should not be used for these purposes. Especially if they tax payer disagrees with how these funds are allocated. This is an issue to be taken up in government. It is part of our political process. After all it is their hard earned money going into a system that should be re-allocating these funds back to the needs of the community.
With the US facing a historic deficit there are several budgetary cuts that must be made. These cuts should be made as soon as possible in order to get the economy back on track, restore confidence in the consumer and to quell some of these issues coming from the right and other organizations that are demanding an explanation for where trillions of dollars of tax payer money is being spent and why. We are a third of the way into 2011 and by this summer campaign season will be in full swing. Now that Republicans control Congress and are looking into government waste and spending. Democrats who controlled Congress for the past six years are going to have a lot of explaining to do in 2012 in regard to where and why this money was spent. If Dems don’t step up to the plate soon and separate moral and social issues from fiscal issues. Democrats are going to head into campaign season on the defensive and may not be able to level the playing field in time for the elections. The one saving grace that Democrats have working in their favor is that the same republicans who have cornered the market on morality may not be able to get their craigslist profiles down before operatives start looking for political capital on “morality.”