A False Dichotomy

I have never been a fan of Rush Limbaugh or Governor Huntsman which makes the false dichotomy presented here all the more ironic for me.

Rush Limbaugh told a recent gathering of conservatives that the party needed to return to its conservative roots to start winning again.

But Huntsman has been attracting national attention as a moderate, thanks to his support of climate change and civil unions and condemnation of his party’s lack of alternatives to the Democrat’s federal stimulus package.

"The poll shows a majority of Americans are in line with the governor’s belief that we need solution-oriented leaders," Huntsman spokeswoman Lisa Roskelley said, . . . "the governor feels it’s important to look at the party in a more inclusive way."

The suggestion that the Republican party must be more conservative or more inclusive perpetuates the myth of the single axis political grid. The truth is that Rush represents a certain brand of conservatism and pushing that single brand to be more prominent in the party is what makes the party less inclusive. Whatever disagreements I may have with my governor, Huntsman is absolutely right that we need to focus on finding solution oriented leaders in the GOP. That does not mean that we have to abandon our principles.

To be fair, it is the article and not necessarily the governor that is suggesting that a solution oriented approach is incompatible with an adherance to conservative principles.