The Republican purity test

The Republican purity test

Eleven members of the Republican National Committee are circulating a resolution designed to keep Republicans conservative. Under the proposed plan, any candidate getting Republican party funding must agree to at least 8 of the 10 principles:

(1) Smaller government, smaller national debt, lower deficits and lower taxes by opposing bills like Obama’s “stimulus” bill
(2) Market-based health care reform and oppose Obama-style government run healthcare;
(3) Market-based energy reforms by opposing cap and trade legislation;
(4) Workers’ right to secret ballot by opposing card check
(5) Legal immigration and assimilation into American society by opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants;
(6) Victory in Iraq and Afghanistan by supporting military-recommended troop surges;
(7) Containment of Iran and North Korea, particularly effective action to eliminate their nuclear weapons threat

(8) Retention of the Defense of Marriage Act;
(9) Protecting the lives of vulnerable persons by opposing health care rationing and denial of health care and government funding of abortion; and
(10) The right to keep and bear arms by opposing government restrictions on gun ownership

These don’t sound particularly radical, onerous, or even ideological, though they are being portrayed that way in the media. Questions: (1) How would you Republicans measure up? (2) How would you Democrats measure up? (My impression is that some Democrats probably agree with lots of these.) (3) Could you propose some more revealing propositions? (4) Is this a good way to make sure that Republicans stand for something specific, or would this further consign Republicans to a tiny pup tent of Southern right-wingers, thus dooming the party?

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