Refocusing the Republican Party- Part II

The first step in refocusing ourselves and our party is recapturing the fact that we are the party of equality. For Lincoln and our party, the Declaration of Independence stands for the principle that all people are equal in terms of the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The proper role of the government (under the Declaration and Constitution) is to protect this principle. The government is only free to pass laws consistent with this principle by the consent of the people. The government is to remove barriers to our individual creativity, ingenuity, spontaneity and responsibility, not create barriers that limit them. As Lincoln states in his Special Message to Congress on July 4,1861, this is the principle being fought for- government as intended by the Declaration and Constitution which is to "lift artificial weights from all shoulders-to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all- to afford all an unfettered start and a fair chance at life."
Thus, our republican form of government and our party stand for the proposition of the equal right of all people to life, liberty, opportunity, justice and responsibility. From this proposition our party sponsored and saw adopted constitutional amendments abolishing slavery, ensuring equal protection under the law and the right of all to vote regardless of race [13th, 14th, 15th Amendments]. We were the first major party to champion the right of women to vote, with the first woman elected to Congress being a Republican. [See "The Republican Party-GOP History," at www.GOP.com].
Instead of allowing ourselves to be wrongfully portrayed and viewed as the party against equality, we must remind all people of our heritage and actually live that heritage ourselves today. All Americans, especially younger Americans, will understand, relate to, agree with and join us on this principle of equality. We must recapture this spirit of equality, for the alarming growth and intrusion of government in all aspects of our lives and the divisive, stifling effect of special interest groups are jeopardizing the principle of equality, gradually minimizing everyone's equal right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.