Principle #1--America is Special

A brief note before I move onto Principle #1. What I am intending in this series is to propose a basic set of principles to underpin the modern Republican Party. These principles would amount to a framework around which to build an education campaign, one designed to highlight the positive reasons to vote Republican.

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America is a special place; it is different from every other nation on earth as a result of its founding, the way it grew, the causes it fights for and its dedication to freedom. It is a country worth fighting to preserve and improve.

Republicans must be positive and patriotic. We must remind voters whenever possible that our country continues to be a great experiment in liberty and freedom, a beacon of hope for many in the world who seek to share in its blessings. As a nation, we cannot ignore the mistakes of our past, nor should our confidence be expressed as arrogance. But this sprawling, boisterous country works because its central ideals remain the very essence of our political success. In America, you are free to be whomever you wish to be. Your success is not founded on your name, your father’s connections, or your place in the party. America is a meritocracy, and striving for excellence is at the heart of who we are.

America has been the world’s dominant power for over half a century, yet it has not added to its physical territory. America’s defeated opponents find the helping hand of the American people extended when the war is over (witness Germany, Japan, Russia and Iraq). We remain an indispensable nation, part of a global system that simply does not work without us.

We must continue to serve as a symbol of hope to the world. Our physical borders must be safe enough to protect our citizens and reflect our laws; they must be porous enough to encourage that which continually refreshes our Republic, the freely made choice of strangers to embrace it.

We do not show strength as a nation through public admissions of sin made in the capitals of foreign princes. Rather, our strength is shown in the image of our flag emblazoned on the aid crates which pour into such places when nature vents its fury.

Ours is the role of world leadership; let us not approach it as a burden so much as an honor. Time and providence has placed us here, so let us make the most of it. Let us lead the world with honor, compassion, strength and humility.