RNC Revives "Socialist" Debate, To Vote On Principles

Key conservatives on the RNC are circulating a resolution that would canonize an oft-quoted proverb attributed to Ronald Reagan while labeling Pres. Obama's agenda as "socialist."

The resolution would prohibit RNC money from flowing to any candidate who disagrees with more than two itemized planks of the GOP platform -- playing off Reagan's maxim that anyone who agreed with him 80% of the time is not 20% an enemy.

A candidate who disagrees, "as identified by the voting record, public statements and/or signed questionnaire of the candidate, shall not be eligible for financial support and endorsement by the Republican National Committee," the resolution says.

Sponsored by IN national committeeman Jim Bopp and 9 other conservatives on the RNC, wording of the resolution is still being discussed, a source tells Hotline OnCall. When finalized, the resolution will be submitted for discussion at party's semiannual meeting in HI.

The resolution became necessary, Bopp said, after the special election in NY23, in which the GOP candidate backed a Dem over a Conservative Party nominee once it became clear she could not win.

"Having the RNC financially support liberal Republicans who are future party splitters is just very damaging to our ability to reclaim our conservative bona fides," Bopp told Hotline OnCall.

"Over the last several years, we've supported [ex-Sen. Lincoln] Chafee, then [Sen. Arlen] Specter, then [Assemb.] Dede [Scozzafava] in New York 23," Bopp added. "In each case, we invested hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, and the result was severe damage to our credibility among conservaitves, and in each case they switched parties, and/or endorsed the Democrat. We just need to have some standards so this won't happen again."

RNC chairman Michael Steele has come under fire from some conservatives for spending party money to back Scozzafava. He has said he had no choice but to back the GOP nominee, identical reasoning to that of NRCC chair Pete Sessions. When Scozzafava suspended her campaign and backed Rep. Bill Owens (D) over Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman, both Steele and Sessions threw their support behind Hoffman.

The resolution in its current form would appear to give Steele an excuse not to back a candidate, but it could prohibit him from spending money on behalf of others, if enough RNC members were to object. But the resolution specifically exempts money sent to state and local parties.

It is not the first time Bopp has introduced what could prove to be a controversial resolution. Earlier this year, Bopp offered a resolution condemning Obama's agenda as socialist; Steele allies eventually brokered a compromise that softened the language.

Now the language is back, encouraging "Republican solidarity in opposition to Obama's socialist agenda." Steele and centrists on the committee are likely to work to soften language once again.

But it may get wide acceptance, Bopp noted, in that the resolution codifies what centrists and pragmatists have wanted all along: A more open, accepting party.

"By endorsing Reagan's view, ... we are also embracing a principle that the moderates have been advocating for years, that you don't have to agree with the Republican Party's platform or principles every time, as long as you agree with us most of the time," he said. "That establishes our willingness to be open to people of diverse opinion."

UPDATE: RNC spokesperson Gail Gitcho emails a statement: "The deadline for submitting Resolutions for the RNC Winter Meeting is more than 30 days away. At this point, we do not what resolutions will be submitted nor what the final language of any resolution ultimately submitted may be."

A list of the GOP's ten core principles, as enumerated in the resolution's proposed text, are after the jump.

(REID WILSON)

Text from Jim Bopp's resolution, as circulated among several RNC members:

"THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Republican National Committee identifies ten (10) key public policy positions for the 2010 election cycle, which the Republican National Committee expects its public officials and candidates to support:

(1) We support smaller government, smaller national debt, lower deficits and lower taxes by opposing bills like Obama's "stimulus" bill;

(2) We support market-based health care reform and oppose Obama-style government run healthcare;

(3) We support market-based energy reforms by opposing cap and trade legislation;

(4) We support workers' right to secret ballot by opposing card check;

(5) We support legal immigration and assimilation into American society by opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants;

(6) We support victory in Iraq and Afghanistan by supporting military-recommended troop surges;

(7) We support containment of Iran and North Korea, particularly effective action to eliminate their nuclear weapons threat;

(8) We support retention of the Defense of Marriage Act;

(9) We support protecting the lives of vulnerable persons by opposing health care rationing and denial of health care and government funding of abortion; and

(10) We support the right to keep and bear arms by opposing government restrictions on gun ownership; and be further

RESOLVED, that a candidate who disagrees with three or more of the above stated public policy position of the Republican National Committee, as identified by the voting record, public statements and/or signed questionnaire of the candidate, shall not be eligible for financial support and endorsement by the Republican National Committee; and be further

RESOLVED, that upon the approval of this resolution the Republican National Committee shall deliver a copy of this resolution to each of Republican members of Congress, all Republican candidates for Congress, as they become known, and to each Republican state and territorial party office.

Chief Sponsor:
James Bopp, Jr. NCM IN

Sponsors:
Donna Cain NCW OR
Cindy Costa NCW SC
Demetra Demonte NCW IL
Peggy Lambert NCW TN
Carolyn McLarty NCW OK
Pete Rickets NCM NE
Steve Scheffler NCM IA
Helen Van Etten NCW KA
Solomon Yue NCM OR"