With the recent revelations of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford’s extra-marital affairs on the heels of similar confessions by Nevada Senator John Ensign, the Republican Party is rapidly running out of social issues to identify with. Since the advent of Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority and the campaign of Ronald Reagan in 1980, “Family Values” have formed the core of Republican Party appeal to conservative voters.
Family Values are not Synonymous with the GOP
Moral relativism is not the exclusive domain of any particular political party of group. Scandals associated with philandering politicians tend to cross the political aisle and are more bipartisan than Congressional legislation. For every Warren Harding there is a John F. Kennedy or a Bill Clinton.
In recent years, Congressional leaders like Mark Foley, Larry Craig, and David Vitter have shown that moral laxity is a human trait and not a political agenda. Other key Republicans like Tom Delay and Bob Ney were indicted for other types of scandals linked to the massive Abramoff lobbyist probe. These illegalities also constituted a breach of family values.
Social Issues Can no Longer Define Party Politics
In 2004, Vice President Dick Cheney and advisor Karl Rove linked the GOP message to same-sex marriage, bringing out many conservative voters, often at the insistence of fundamentalist religious denominations and other church groups, who were responding more to individual state ballot initiatives than the actual personalities vying for the White House. The strategy worked.
Since then, however, the issue has devolved as several states passed legislation to permit such marriages. Likewise, abortion and stem-cell research no longer evoke the same emotional responses among voters as in prior elections. Even Nancy Reagan publicly endorsed stem-cell research.
As the Republican Party moves to redefine itself and cobble together a relevant platform of issues affecting everyday Americans, it will no longer be able to rely on family values or social issues as a measure of success. Electability may depend more on the issues of unemployment, government debt, and health care.
Family Values as a Distraction
Family values served as a cogent distraction from other issues more in line with the purpose and role of government. Eventually, the Iraq War began to take center stage during the second Bush administration. Churches also used family values as a distraction, although unwittingly. It was easier to promote the political careers of men and women who promised to legislate national morality rather than using the pulpit to preach virtuous living.
The other side of family values is that the general public revels in the infidelities of its leaders. Men like John Edwards of North Carolina and, more recently, Governor Sanford, appeared on talk shows that generated huge ratings. Estranged wives and lovers negotiate book deals, telling their stories to the millions willing to pre-order the “other side of the story.”
Moving Away from Character Assassination
In the vicious campaign of 1828, Andrew Jackson was accused of having had sexual relations with his wife Rachel before they were married. Jackson went on to become a great American president. The history of American politics demonstrates that while more is expected from national leaders, most Americans are far more interested in the “bread and butter” issues of everyday life.
Incorporating family values into a party platform too often sounds like the old adage that people living in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Hold political leaders responsible: whether scandals or non-payment of taxes. But party agendas need to move from the often elusive goal of family values legislation and concentrate on solvable problems affecting all Americans.
