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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2008 > November > 16
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Kevin DeWine mends fences with “values voters” in GOP
Kevin DeWine, deputy chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, has been mending fences with “values voters” in the GOP who took issue with reports of DeWine’s post-election analysis of why Republicans got their clocks cleaned on Nov. 4.
At a Nov. 6 news conference DeWine (pictured), also a state representative from Fairborn, said the GOP needed to focus more on economic issues that were key in the election.
In a letter addressed to Republican leaders on Friday, Nov. 14, DeWine stressed his commitment to values issues but also said the party must pay attention to economic issues to succeed. He urged Republicans to stay united, using a passage from the Gospel of Matthew:
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” - Matthew 12:25
Here’s DeWine’s letter:
November 14, 2008
Dear Republican Leader,
“I hope you’ll accept my sincere apology for the emails or phone calls you might have received about my post-election comments regarding the future of our party.
“Unfortunately, some people would rather shoot first and ask questions later. The people criticizing me publicly and spreading this misinformation never bothered to call for any verification or context of my remarks, so allow me to clarify before this debate gets out of hand.
“Two days after the election, I met with members of the media to discuss the results and some of the lessons learned. When asked why I thought we lost, I cited a number of factors, including the political environment, the fundraising disparity, the media bias and, of course, the economy.
“In reference to the economy, I told the press we simply lost our credibility on the fiscal conservatism that attracted millions of Americans to the Republican Party under the leadership of Ronald Reagan. When the overwhelming majority of voters in exit polls said the economy was the deciding issue in this presidential race and a clear majority of voters gave Democrats total control of Washington to fix the problem, it’s hard to argue that our message is working.
“We lost almost every demographic group in this election. According to exit polls, Barack Obama won women voters by 13 points; young voters by 34 points; African-American voters by 91 points; Latino voters by 34 points; first-time voters by 37 points; and voters making less than $100,000 a year by 12 points. Those are astounding numbers, and every group cited the economy as their central concern.
“We have serious work to do as a party if we plan to win back a majority of voters on the pocketbook issues impacting Ohio families. I told the reporters last week that we need a balanced agenda focused on restoring our conservative principles to every aspect of government - from the economy and health care to energy and immigration. Perhaps I could have stated my argument more effectively, but I did not say, as some have ridiculously claimed, that we should yield the fight on values or purge our platform of life and family issues.
“I spent eight years in the General Assembly advancing pro-family legislation such as the Defense of Marriage Act and at least six major pro-life reform bills. The executive director of Ohio Right to Life recently credited my “perfect voting record on abortion issues.” Since I became deputy chairman of this party, I’ve met with dozens of pro-family leaders to discuss candidate recruitment, outreach and volunteer support.
“”Every candidate I’ve talked with about a possible statewide bid in 2010 has a solid record on pro-life and pro-family issues. And several respected social conservative leaders contacted me this week to convey appreciation and support of my view that we cannot build a lasting majority on single issues alone.
“Our recently adopted national party platform contains nine chapters, one of which is titled “Values.” My concern is that our party has failed to lead on the other eight. Unfortunately, my inbox is full of angry, hateful emails from people who did not hear this argument in context, and I’ve been called everything from a coward to a Democrat as a result. It’s not hard sometimes to see why many people don’t feel welcome in the Republican Party.
“I appreciate those of you who expressed your support for learning the lessons of this election and returning our party to its core values. Ten days ago, Democrats took total control of our federal government. That will not change if we are content to only fight ourselves.”
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” - Matthew 12:25
Sincerely,
Kevin DeWine
Deputy Chairman
