The Big Tent Mythology

Written on Tuesday, February 12, 2013 by Onan Coca

It seems as though the Republican Party is constantly consumed with the size of their “tent”, and no, no euphemism is intended. We seem as concerned with ideological purity as the most zealous 3rd Party member is of his tiny party membership. It makes perfect sense for a small 3rd Party to covetously guard party ideology because the only opportunity for the party to grow or affect change is to preach a cohesive and clear message. However, no major party has ever been of singular thought or pure ideology. Beginning with the Federalists and anti-Federalists there has been party division over particular issues, even the birth of the Republican Party was hardly a signal towards singular ideology. The inception of the Republican Party came as a moral response to the horror of slavery – the death groans of the Whig Party combined with anti-slavery Democrats and various other 3rd Party members to birth the Republican Party. The only monolithic belief among these new Party members was the belief that slavery was abhorrent and that plantation ownership in the south was crippling to economic equality…To Read More….