Ronald Reagan's words still have meaning

"Bitter as it is to accept the results of the November election, we should have
reason for some optimism. For many years now we have preached "the gospel," in
opposition to the philosophy of so-called liberalism which was, in truth, a call
to collectivism.
Now, it is possible we have been persuasive to a greater
degree than we had ever realized. Few, if any, Democratic Party candidates in
the last election ran as liberals. Listening to them I had the eerie feeling we
were hearing reruns of Goldwater speeches. I even thought I heard a few of my
own.
Bureaucracy was assailed and fiscal responsibility hailed. Even George
McGovern donned sackcloth and ashes and did penance for the good people of South
Dakota.
Our task is to make them see that what we represent is identical to
their own hopes and dreams of what America can and should be. If there are
questions as to whether the principles of conservatism hold up in practice, we
have the answers to them. Where conservative principles have been tried, they
have worked.
Make no mistake, the leadership of the Democratic party is
still out of step with the majority of Americans.
Our people are in a time of discontent. Our vital energy supplies are threatened by possibly the most powerful cartel in human history. Our traditional allies in Western Europe are experiencing political and economic instability bordering on chaos.
Can we live with ourselves if we, as a nation, betray our friends and ignore our
pledged word? And, if we do, who would ever trust us again? To consider
committing such an act so contrary to our deepest ideals is symptomatic of the
erosion of standards and values. And this adds to our discontent.
We did not seek world leadership; it was thrust upon us. It has been our destiny almost from the first moment this land was settled. If we fail to keep our rendezvous
with destiny or, as John Winthrop said in 1630, "Deal falsely with our God," we
shall be made "a story and byword throughout the world."
Americans are hungry to feel once again a sense of mission and greatness.
I don 't know about you, but I am impatient with those Republicans who after the last election rushed into print saying, "We must broaden the base of our party"-when what they meant was to fuzz up and blur even more the differences between ourselves and our opponents.
It was a feeling that there was not a sufficient difference now between the parties that kept a majority of the voters away from the polls. When have we ever advocated a closed-door policy? Who has ever been barred from
participating?
Our people look for a cause to believe in. Is it a third party
we need, or is it a new and revitalized second party, raising a banner of no
pale pastels, but bold colors which make it unmistakably clear where we stand on
all of the issues troubling the people?
Let us show that we stand for fiscal integrity and sound money and above all for an end to deficit spending, with ultimate retirement of the national debt.
Let us also include a permanent limit on the percentage of the people's earnings government can take without their consent.
Let our banner proclaim a genuine tax reform that will begin
by simplifying the income tax so that workers can compute their obligation
without having to employ legal help.
Let our banner proclaim our belief in a free market as the greatest provider for the people.
Let us also call for an end to the nit-picking, the harassment and over-regulation of business and industry which restricts expansion and our ability to compete in world
markets.
Let us explore ways to ward off socialism, not by increasing
government's coercive power, but by increasing participation by the people in
the ownership of our industrial machine.
Our banner must recognize the responsibility of government to protect the law-abiding, holding those who commit misdeeds personally accountable.
And we must make it plain to international adventurers that our love of peace stops short of "peace at any price."
We will maintain whatever level of strength is necessary to preserve
our free way of life.
A political party cannot be all things to all people. It must represent certain fundamental beliefs which must not be compromised to political expediency, or simply to swell its numbers."