What Does It Mean to Be a Republican?

Do we know what it means to be a Republican or is it just a convenient label to get elected or even to support a “fighter” who is no Republican on policy? 

We used to define it pretty easily. It meant adhering to revered ideas and claiming our God-given freedoms and rights — rights that predate any government—because any government that can give you your rights, can take them away.  

It meant recognizing that we are a nation of laws and believing in the providence of a sovereign God. It meant decisions are best made at the local level — within families, churches, and communities — not by big government bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.

Republicans believe in:

• Low taxes
• Individual responsibility
• Limited government
• The dignity of all human life
• Sovereign borders
• Peace through strength in foreign affairs. 

And above all, Republicans champion freedom — freedom of religion, freedom of speech, free markets, and private property rights. These ideals are what Republicans have always stood for, and they are enshrined in our Mississippi Republican platform. They helped the Party go from zero elected officials in the entire state to every statewide office holder, both U.S. Senators, and commanding majorities in the state House and Senate.

But let’s face it.  It seems some Republicans have forgotten these principles. I realize we will not agree on everything—and that’s okay. But now more than ever, we must remember Ronald Reagan’s words:

“The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally — not a 20 percent traitor.”

Unity in the Face of Challenges

Our God-given freedoms are under attack. Our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, and our God-given right to raise our children as we see fit are all at risk. Our nation is at a tipping point, where self-evident truths that helped build our nation and that have always united us are under assault.  Even though Trump’s victory brings hope for a return to sanity, we cannot rest.  We have witnessed for years our social fabric unraveling at an alarming pace all around us.

Families are shattered. Drug use is rampant. Radical gender ideologies threaten the hearts and minds of our children. Unelected bureaucrats in the administrative state are essentially running much of our country. Out of control spending is crippling future generations, and we have completely open borders. 

This decay threatens not only our spiritual and family lives, but also our economy, public safety, health, and national security. These attacks are not accidental; they are the product of a post-modern, radical Marxist philosophy that rejects biology, reality, and even truth, itself.

But there is hope. There is a way forward.

A Call to Action

Let’s Unite Together as Republicans under our party platform: Let’s put aside our differences and fight together to advance the principles and our Mississippi values that are contained in our Republican platform. Even when we disagree on 20 percent, we are so much stronger as a united front.

Working together, Republicans have accomplished so much. We have protected children from harmful and experimental medical procedures, cleaned voter rolls, passed historic tax cuts, and defended women’s sports and safe spaces. But while we’re winning some battles, I’m concerned we’re losing the greater war for the soul of our state and nation.

The Legacy of the Founders

So, what does it mean to be a Republican? It’s those policies I listed above.  And as conservatives, we stand firm against the current insanity, but we also stand for something greater. We seek to conserve the ideals embodied in our founding documents — the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence, and to improve upon them, cashing in on the promissory note to some who were painfully left out: 

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (and women, all races & ethnicities) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

As Republicans, we strive to preserve these very freedoms and the principles of limited government and individual responsibility.

That’s the legacy our Founders left us. They faced capture, financial ruin, and even death, yet they united to fight for a vision of what America could be. Aren’t we made of the same stuff? 

Today, we must do the same, to fight for a vision of what the Mississippi Republican Party could be and for a vision of an even stronger, more free, more prosperous Mississippi. 

A Vision for the Future

Imagine if even 70 percent of Mississippi Republicans demanded legislation to protect young children from radical leftist ideologies in our schools and libraries. Or to help strengthen our families and help bring many fathers back into the home. Imagine the power of our collective voice. Mississippi Republicans should win big, again and again, just like other Republican states around us are doing.

We must put aside our differences and elevate the principles of freedom, goodness, and truth in our state. When we do, we will never again need to ask what it means to be a Republican. It will be obvious to everyone in Mississippi and to the rest of America.

As a fellow defender of our nation’s ideals, Bari Weiss (who is no conservative), urges us:

“Now is the time to defend our values — the values that have made this country the freest, most tolerant society in the history of the world — without hesitation or apology… 

Do not tremble. Do not go along with little lies. Speak up…

[T]here is no cavalry coming. We are the cavalry. We are the last line of defense.”

United together as Republicans, we can secure a future of freedom, prosperity, and truth for all Mississipians and for our great nation. 

I hope you will join me in this fight!