Restoring the Foundations of Civil Society

In the wake of President Obama's decisive reelection, the GOP is engaged in some serious soul-searching. Pundits on the Right and Left are cautioning Republicans that their party is facing extinction unless some major changes are made. They maintain it's evolve or die for the GOP. The question is, how much can an institution change without losing its identity? If "change" for the Republican Party means ceasing to stand for the conservative principles that have defined it since the time of Abraham Lincoln, is that what Republicans want? Is that what America needs?

In a recent article for FrontPageMag.com, Daniel Greenfield suggests that the Democratic Party was victorious because they successfully exploited the new "post-family" culture that characterizes a wide swath of the American demographic:

"Family defines continuity. Enough families taken together form a community. The common culture of the community is a multi-generational heritage that shapes the identities of their children. Take away the family and you have rootless individuals looking for tribes to affiliate with, clumping in artificial groups based on some common characteristic and economic interest. And that is the Democratic Party."

Defending the family as the foundation of civil society has been a hallmark of the Republican Party for generations. While we champion the importance of individualism as it pertains to economic liberty and political freedom, we understand that the bonds of hearth and home are essential to the formation of virtuous citizens and are what makes our country strong. It is our families, neighbors, churches, and other vital human relationships that unify us, not our Social Security numbers. If the Obama campaign machine and the larger Democratic Party organization are correct however, and America's fundamental identity is shifting from "one nation under God" to "many tribes under Caesar," then the implications for America's future are dire.