GOP Politics vs. Principles
The big GOP intramural skirmish currently taking place over whether or not Republicans should shut the government down over Obamacare is a classic case of principles vs. politics.
The GOP leadership believes that shutting down the federal government over Obama’s signature healthcare policy will be bad politics for the GOP. It’s not that Speaker Boehner and Majority Whip Eric Cantor are for Obamacare. They’re not but they think Americans will blame them for any government shutdown.
They’re probably right. And if crucial independent voters see the GOP as obstructionists, then the party could end up losing seats in both the House and Senate. Politically, Boehner and company have a strong argument.
On the flip side, you have Tea Party conservatives in the House (and Senate, too) who say, ‘the heck with politics!’ They think Obamacare is disastrous for this country and they are clearly more concerned with bad policy ruining America than they are about how the GOP may be perceived in the future.
That may be shortsighted politically but it is based on sound principle. They are putting their principles ahead of politics.
There is an argument to be made for both sides. From the GOP leadership perspective, you could argue that it’s fine and dandy to fight for your principles but if that makes you a minority party, then what good is it? At that point you won’t be controlling any agenda.
Tea Party conservatives will argue that “show votes” and standing for nothing is a losing proposition. They will say that there are some principles that are simply worth fighting for. Dying on a sword against Obamacare is one of them. Plus, their loyalty is to their constituents, not to Speaker Boehner.
Look, here’s the way The Brody File sees it. As believers in Christ, we should know something about taking a stand. Often we are ridiculed because we stand firm for Christ and tell people about the Good News He brings. Are the “politics” of this decision to share our faith bad for us? Sure. We may have family members and friends who don’t want to be around us anymore. We might feel ostracized by an entire community of people. We may feel embarrassed because people condemn us to our face and in the public square.
But you know what? We push on. We don’t back down. Why? Because sharing Christ with people is desperately important to those who do not know about Him. It is literally a matter of life or eternal death. We will not give up on this important biblical principle (The Great Commission).
For sure, defunding Obamacare is not as important as eternal salvation but politically speaking, these Tea Party constitutional conservatives believe it will be abundantly detrimental to our society. They believe it’s a political and moral principle worth “dying” for even if it means the temporary death of their political party.
And for that, they should be commended. Reminds you of the great founding patriots of this country.