Conservative Defense

RE: “Rockefeller Republicans, Harvard Republicans should be less self-conscious” Brian Bolduc, Column, March 16

To the editors:

Given the results of the 2008 elections, Brian Bolduc’s piece shows us quite plainly why some conservatives need to adjust the mirror and face the facts. Republicans are in a ditch, and we have one of two choices: keep digging or find an escape. Being less “self-conscious” and relying on the same good old Rush Limbaugh tactics and his radio advice is akin to sitting on the porch waiting for the domestic car industry to resurrect itself. Don’t hold your breath; it isn’t happening. The Harvard Republican Club has been aware of shifts in public mood for quite some time, eagerly reaching out and reshaping our tactics without yielding on core principles and beliefs. We are not apologizing or being “self-conscious” about our views; we are being better communicators of our ideas. It’s simple: Take one recent case for example where the Obama administration has decided to redefine unemployment benefits to include even part-time workers.

Instead of highlighting Republican opposition to doling out benefits to unemployed workers because that’s the “unabashed Republican way,” Republican governors emphasized why doing so will disrupt benefits for full-time workers, derail financial solvency for state unemployment funds, and raise business unemployment taxes. We are not apologizing for our beliefs; we are communicating them better. Here at Harvard, plastering the big “R” and employing Rush Limbaugh tactics will help no conservative cause. Just look at how Right to Life last year switched campaign tactics and emphasized family support, pregnancy services, and childcare resource initiatives instead. Results were apparent with the passage of new Undergraduate Council legislation last month dealing with these issues, and, before that, partnerships were formed with unlikely allies, including Students for Choice and the Radcliffe Union for Students.

Before we criticize, we should look at the ends. This is politics; if different means transform the end (and, in the real world, this means winning or losing elections), it’s worth it to alter our tactics.


JEFFERY KWONG
Cambridge Mass
March 18, 2009

Jeffery Kwong is president emeritus of the Harvard Republican Club and president emeritus of the Harvard Right to Life.