Guest Column | Respect, Resilience and the Republican Party

In the spring of 1968, a French hospital received a young American visitor. This man was so badly injured from a head-on car collision that he was initially pronounced dead at the scene. The American — a 21-year-old Mormon missionary — eventually recovered and was left in charge of a mission that was demoralized and lost on the brink of failure.

Despite cultural, linguistic and religious barriers, a young Mitt Romney led his mission group to new heights of success and firmly integrated himself and his peers with the surrounding French community.

This inspiring story encompasses much more than Romney’s own underlying courage and resilience — it parallels the approach of the entire Republican Party, a process of intrinsic motivation and recovery so desperately needed by a nation caught in the midst of socioeconomic uncertainty.

From Paul Ryan’s military budget proposal, which actually suggests spending $153.5 billion less per year than Obama’s 2012 defense budget, to a legitimate reassessment of the deficit-reducing Simpson-Bowles Commission recommendations, Republicans understand that fiscal prudence and responsibility are ways to reenergize American business and contribute to both economic and personal fulfillment.

In direct opposition to the assertion that the party seeks to disenfranchise and disadvantage diverse groups, the Republican Party respects the need for equitable social policy and practice. This belief is reflected by the fact that the Republicans’ Young Guns program, which helps select and train new individuals for service in the House of Representatives, includes a wide array of candidates ranging from female African-American political hopefuls to members of the LGBT community.

Furthermore, in a more careful analysis of the much-maligned “binders full of women” comment, it is notable that not only did Mitt Romney have a better track record of hiring women as Governor than Obama did as President, he also may have paid them better than the unequal 85% rate currently seen among Obama’s female White House aides.

On foreign issues, the Republican Party also has a strong footing. Its emphasis on an energy-independent North America, utilizing a combination of fossil fuel and clean energy resources, is projected to nearly eliminate American dependence on foreign oil imports even as energy investment opportunities are re-engineered to prevent another Solyndra or A123-style bankruptcy. In terms of the Iranian nuclear threat, the Republicans’ commitment to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weaponry extends to bipartisan support for a diplomatic resolution. Here, it is evident that the party is prepared to embrace the moderate internationalist viewpoint advocated by liberal and conservative activists alike.

Looking past the regular political metric of ads, accusations, and debates, it is important to consider the true nature of the Republican Party—not a nature of exclusivity or reactionary opposition, but one of compassion, motivation, and promise based on practice. Perhaps, then, as we all make our selections on Nov. 6, we should move past the ad hominem and stick to the men and women of the Republican Party — wise, thoughtful, and steadfast leaders in our current state of transition and readjustment.

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