Republican Main Street Partnership
The Republican Main Street Partnership is an alliance of politicians within the Republican Party of the USA who are more centered on the political scene than the other, more conservative party currents. In the parlance of the media and the public, the members are usually referred to as "moderate" or "moderate" Republicans (moderate Republican) . The alliance sees itself as centrist to moderately conservative.
History and today's situation
Historically, there was also a progressive party wing alongside the conservative wing, which had a strong influence within the party until the second third of the 20th century. From the 1950s, this group was referred to as the "Rockefeller Republicans"; named after the governor of New York Nelson Rockefeller , who held very liberal positions. But especially with the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980 , the conservative wing of the party gained a lot of influence. The Republican presidents before him such as Dwight D. Eisenhower , Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford had held comparatively moderate positions.
The Republican Main Street Partnership was founded after the congressional elections in 1994, after the Republicans had regained a majority in both chambers of Congress for the first time since 1955. The loose inner-party alliance was intended to represent politicians who, in many political fields, take less conservative positions than the other currents within the Republican Party.
Today the alliance has relatively little influence within the party. With the rise of the right-wing conservative-populist tea party movement since 2010, many moderately conservative Republicans, including those who do not belong to the Republican Main Street Partnership, have been forced to move further to the right in the political spectrum in order to survive within the party can. Others, like former Florida Governor Charlie Crist , joined the Democrats. This is not necessarily attributed to the fact that the majority of Republicans feel they belong to the tea party movement, but rather to the strong mobilization of their supporters. The Republican Main Street Partnership is more strongly represented in those states that tend to be more liberal and more inclined to the Democrats in order to make Republican candidates eligible for Democratic supporters and swing voters (see also Red States and Blue States ). Since the members are comparatively willing to compromise with the democrats (which is related to the political majority in these states), they are disparagingly called "RINO" ("RINO" ) in internal party disputes, especially those of the Tea Party movement or religious right . Republican in name only ”;“ Republican in name only ”). The term “DINO” (“Democrat in name only”), which refers to more conservative democrats, came up analogously.
The Republican Main Street Partnership, which is ideologically closer to the Democrats within the Republican Party than the other currents, has a number of similarities with the Blue Dog Democrats . This alliance represents a minority of democratic politicians who are relatively conservative compared to the rest of the Democratic Party. Mostly they are office holders in more conservative states in order to present a selectable alternative for their population. A number of members of the Republican Partnership have good relations with the Blue Dog Democrats.
Known members today are former Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger . However, there are also a number of Republican politicians who do not belong to the Republican Main Street Partnership but who hold ideologically similar positions. Currently 45 of the 247 Republican MPs in the House of Representatives belong to the Republican Main Street Partnership.
Program
Although the members of the Republican Main Street Partnership represent different positions in individual areas, the alliance describes itself as centrist to moderately conservative. In common usage by the media and the public, they are mostly referred to as "moderate" or "moderate Republicans". In a position paper, the Republican Main Street Partnership is committed to a pragmatic policy. In this way, the members distance themselves from the right-wing conservative and populist tea party movement as well as from the libertarians . In economic policy they do not speak out against regulations in general ; Although these should be kept to a minimum, some state interventions in economic activity are recognized as sensible. A lean state is also sought instead of a minimal state . In contrast to libertarians, members of the Republican Main Street Partnership reject privatization or even the abolition of social security systems .
In fiscal policy , the members described as fiscally conservative (fiscal conservative) . You advocate restrictive fiscal policy . This means that they reject deficit spending and strive to reduce public debt. Reference is made here in particular to intergenerational equity. This is to be achieved primarily through a lean state and spending cuts. Many fiscal conservatives want to generate economic growth through deregulation and tax cuts for corporations and upper incomes at the same time , which in turn is supposed to increase state revenues. However, in terms of fiscal policy, conservatives are not necessarily politicians from the Republican Party or a particular inner-party tendency. Both more conservative Republicans and Democrats who advocate progressive policies see themselves as fiscal conservatives. In contrast to the majority of Republicans, they also rely in part on tax increases for budget consolidation; especially for those with higher incomes, which Republicans tend to reject.
There is no single position on socio-political issues. Many moderate Republicans are committed to strengthening civil rights ; some also call for same-sex marriages to be legally recognized . Also immigration is considered a win for the United States. However, this should be subjected to various regulations. Moderate Republicans are particularly keen to encourage immigration that pays off economically. The need to integrate into US society is also emphasized. In 2013, for example, a number of moderate Republicans in the Senate voted together with the Democrats for a reform of immigration law proposed by President Obama. Among other things, this proposal is intended to make it easier for illegal immigrants to obtain valid residence permits and thus also to pursue regular employment. However, the border with Mexico should also be better protected in order to prevent illegal immigration as far as possible. Although the Democrats had a majority in the Senate at the time and were therefore not dependent on the Republican votes, this was intended to create a non-partisan consensus; Among the best-known advocates is Senator and 2008 presidential candidate John McCain , who is also a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership. However, the Republican-dominated House of Representatives has not yet been able to bring itself to pass the bill, as the speaker (chairman) of the House John Boehner has not yet allowed a vote in the plenary. Boehner is under strong political pressure, especially from the Tea Party MPs, to prevent the reform promoted by Obama, even though MPs from the Republican Main Street Partnership have given their approval.
In contrast to the Tea Party movement and the party's libertarian currents, there is consensus among its members on climate change . Measures to combat it are also required. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a member of the Main Street Partnership, excelled during his tenure as California governor with extensive reforms, which he implemented in parliament together with the Democrats. For environmental protection , there are different opinions, especially if this leads to a conflict with economic interests. Members of the Republican Main Street Partnership are also positive about fracking , a controversial method of extracting shale gas .
In foreign policy there is usually no uniform position; Military operations are well supported, but many representatives of this group prioritize diplomacy. The Senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain, for example, is seen as a hardliner on foreign policy issues, while others adopt a much more moderate tone.
Web links
- Official website (English)
- List of members in Congress (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Republican Group Targets Its Own Party , NPR, June 16, 2011.
- ^ RINO Republicans. A New Definition. , Redstate.com (English).
- ↑ Moderate Republican group to remove 'Republican' from name, welcome Democrats , Yahoo-News, January 8, 2013.
- ↑ a b c RMSP Mission ( Memento of the original from February 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Republican Main Street Partnership (English).
- ↑ a b Fiscal Conservatism , US Conservatives (English).
- ↑ "The Senate did its job" , taz.de (June 28, 2013)
