The Conservative Push and Why it is Doomed to Fail

            To say that the Conservatives in the United States are upset and unrelenting is an understatement. The recent destruction of Eric Cantor’s bid for representing the Republican Party is evident of that. A seat which appeared to be a safe victory for Cantor was taken out from under him by David Brat, the perfect epitome of far-right conservatism and how it is swarming the political field.

            The midterm elections of 2010 brought about a fervor within the Republican Party. The Tea Party installed multiple candidates in key positions of government and elected many to Congress. Most of these candidates won based on their promise to do one thing: say NO!! The anti-Obama sentiment was already in full swing by 2009 and the build-up of anger and resentment against any and all of Obama’s policies (despite the actual nature of the policies) still resonates today, with alarming thunder. That is how Eric Cantor lost his seat and it is also how the Republican Party is failing.

            When I say the Republican Party is failing I do not mean by some obscure standard of moral integrity. I say they are failing to recognize and adapt to the new political demographics. This Conservative Push which has picked up the Republican Party and set it down further to the right is not going to win it elections or help their approval. Instead, it will build a larger base of voters who will either turn Democrat or will enter as Democrats in their first ballots (often a symbol of ballots to come).

            Let us take David Brat as our example. He repeatedly promised to vote against raising the debt ceiling. While many may still believe this is an actual legitimate option they would do well to inform themselves over what the debt ceiling actually is. He also criticized Cantor on voting to end the government shutdown which practically crippled all decision making and made a mockery of us as a nation. To take it a step further to the left, he advocates interpreting economics through a Christian perspective and believes that it is Protestantism which helps refine capitalism. He, of course, opposed same-sex marriage, abortion, and Obama Care because where would the Tea Party be if not for these issues?

            These candidates do not help the government run, they do not help our perception on the global stage, and they certainly do not reflect the changing demographics of our nation. As more and more of this country becomes Hispanic, East-Asian, Black, and South Asian, there is little resemblance of these changes within the Tea Party and even within the Republican Party. But the Republican Party, or rather the Republicans running for their primaries, cannot afford to even acknowledge this. They drift further to the right by promising an end to illegal immigration, mass deportations, a repeal of Obama care, an end to abortion, an end to same-sex marriage, and lower tax rates for the wealthy.

            The Conservative Push is not only daunting for the Republican Party, it is daunting for the U.S. For without any chance of cooperation and agreement, the government cannot function. As Abraham Lincoln wrote “A House divided against itself cannot stand”. Well now have a house where one beam refuses to stand up, and is determined to sit until all others sit. I’m not a carpenter but I am pretty sure that doesn’t work for a house.