Why I’m Not a “Fake Republican”

Editor’s Note: State Representative and 7th District Congressional candidate Jon Elrod (R-Indianapolis) has submitted the below op-ed in response to Brian Sikma’s earlier post that covered that another website is referring to Elrod as a “fake Republican”. We appreciate that many opinions on issues can be heard and read here at Hoosier Access and so we thank State Representative Elrod for offering his take on where he stands on the issues.

By: State Representative Jon Elrod (R-Indianapolis)

I have been accused on this website of being a fake Republican. I have spoken with Mr. Sikma, and he is an intelligent young man. But because he has decided against editing his post in light of our conversation, I feel compelled to respond.

I would like to clear up a few misconceptions. First, my opposition to the gay marriage amendment is based on the same rationale that co-director Josh Gillespie stated. This is a principled view shared by many Republicans that even C.S. Lewis might have supported:

There ought to be two distinct kinds of marriage: one governed by the State with rules enforced on all citizens, the other governed by the Church with rules enforced by her on her own members. The distinction ought to be quite sharp, so that a man knows which couples are married in a Christian sense and which are not.

Mere Christianity, 1952.

Second, my hate-crimes support is for an aggravating factor at sentencing, not a “new crime.” It means when someone spray-paints “Jews Leave” or “Jesus Freaks” on a house, he should be punished more severely than for “Class of 2008.” Judges do this already and it should not be considered controversial.

Mr. Sikma is entitled to his opinions to the contrary. That does not make him a “true” or “fake” Republican. Neither of these views are core to being a Republican. For me, the top ten issues for Republicans would be as follows, in no particular order:

1. Fiscal Conservatism: balanced budgets; spending limited to inflation absent an emergency; funded social security, medicare, and medicaid; end pork barrel spending and earmarks.

2. Strong Military and Defense: peace through superior firepower; fulfill our promises to our veterans.

3. Market Based Economy: tariffs and subsidies hurt more businesses than they help.

4. De-Regulation: less bureaucracy means more small business and entrepreneurship opportunities, which is the surest way to more jobs.

5. Right-to-Bear Arms: gun control disarms only the law-abiding; vigilance is required to prevent encroachment.

6. Tax Reform: the tax system must be simplified and more fair; too many tax breaks and loopholes result in corporate welfare; the fair tax and flat tax are possible solutions.

7. Reduce Entitlements: from terrorism insurance to mortgage fund bail-outs, the government giveaways must stop; personal responsibility must be demanded from its citizens.

8. Immigration Enforcement: the immigration laws on the books must be enforced; the borders must be secured.

9. Strict Constructionist Judiciary: if the constitution is silent on an issue, such as abortion, states can regulate and prohibit; judges are not free to legislate from the bench.

10. Federalism: the federal government should not intervene in state issues, which are those issues enumerated in the Constitution and cannot be addressed adequately by the states.

The fundamental tenets of Republican thought are reasoned discourse and pragmatism. It is founded on a mistrust of government and a deep skepticism regarding what it can accomplish. To paraphrase Reagan, government is not the solution, it is the problem. If only our presidential candidates held half of those beliefs.

Mr. Sikma seems to place the Defense of Marriage Act ahead of the Contract with America. I won’t comment on whether that makes him a RINO, but we clearly do not share the same priorities.