LEADERSHIP IN GOVERNMENT

                                                                                                                                  The Republican Party
                                                                       What Happened to the Party of Lincoln?

                                                                                                                                          Timothy Stagich, Ph.D.

       A two party system is good for democracy. In America for many years the Republican and Democratic parties seemed to represent what was best for most Americans? Today, this situation has changed. The values that once gave Americans reason for hope and belief in their country have been transformed before our eyes into a shell of what they once were. The Republican Party no longer represents what is best for the American people. What has happened to the Party of Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt? Lincoln believed in equality and had a unified vision of America that saved our country during a time of great strife and turmoil with the issues of slavery and dissention between the North and the South dominating the political landscape of the period. He succeeded at ending slavery and preserving our great union during a terrible Civil War. Where have these values of equality and unity gone for the Republican Party?

       Today, Congress is mired in gridlock and political posturing without any ability or desire to work together collaboratively to solve the problems of the nation. From health care to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the economy the Republicans and the Democrats are unable to work through issues for the common good. If the Republicans retained any semblance of the Party of Lincoln, there would be plenty of common ground on which to start instead of posturing and bickering for self-serving political advantage. And, what has happened to the party of Teddy Roosevelt? The famous Republican, Roosevelt, worked hard during his administration to protect our Free Enterprise System and keep a fair playing field for all businesses. He broke up forty-four business monopolies during his administration and became known as the great, “Trust Buster” and protector of Free Enterprise.  

       In contrast, over the past decade the Republican Party has allowed businesses and monopolies to grow out of control (with little or no regulation) to the brink of economic disaster. With the development of a shadow banking system, huge financial firms on Wall Street expanded unchecked with only greed for profit and self-interest guiding their executives in decision making. This greed for profit weaved a tangled web involving the banks in a new complex derivative market using unregulated financial tools such as the CDS (Credit Default Swap) to create financial packages based on risky loans that inevitably became toxic. For all practical purposes this unregulated trading of toxic assets destroyed the financial market and several of the giant Wall Street Firms including Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns. And, they would have destroyed many more banks as well without the government bailout using billions of dollars of taxpayer’s money. All of this unregulated catastrophe could have been avoided with a Republican Party committed to the values of Teddy Roosevelt who believed in protecting our Free Enterprise System.

       Where have these values of equality, unity and the protection of our free market gone? The Republican Party has lost the essence of what it once was and until it returns to finding ownership of these same values that guided Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt our two party system is in danger of extinction as Americans search for another party that represents those values most important to hard working people everywhere. While the Republicans seemed to have lost their way, the Democrats have diminished themselves by all talk and little action on those issues most important to Americans including health care, job creation and protection of consumers and citizens from dominant business practice, unfair taxation and the financial excesses of Wall Street.

       So, what does the Republican Party care about most? It seems that the guiding value of Republicans involves money and unbridled economic benefits for the rich that come back to them through legitimate channels to fund campaigns and influence political votes on issues in Congress. And, they no longer seem to concern themselves with the values of Lincoln and Teddy that would make all the difference for the American people and help to preserve the integrity and the future vision of their party. If we are to save the two party system in America, we must encourage Republicans to rediscover the values of our great leaders of the past such as Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. These values of equality, unity and protection of fair practices worked for our great presidents to help them build our nation. They can do the same for all Republicans to help them reconsider what was best about their party and can be again.

 Copyright 2009, Global Leadership Resources: For teaching or classroom use only.

                                                                                       Discussion Questions

1. Why is the two party system good for democracy? What important values did the Party of Lincoln represent during his presidency?
2. How can the values of the Republicans such as Lincoln help Republicans today to be better collaborative leaders and problem solvers?
3. What values did the Republican Party represent during the Administration of Teddy Roosevelt? What did he do to protect Free Enterprise?
4. What has happened over the past decade because of the changing values and practices of Republicans and Democrats?
5. Discuss the important issues of health care, job creation, unfair taxation, the financial excesses of Wall Street and the protection of consumers from unfair and dominant business practices. Why have both the Republicans and Democrats failed to make any significant progress in these areas over the past decade?
6. Why is the two party system in danger of extinction? Why will Americans begin to search for a third party to represent them? And, what will be the benefits and the problems of a strong third party for American Democracy?
7. Can The Republican Party reclaim the values of Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt? What will this do for the American people?