History of the GOP and What We Believe
Growth and Opportunity Party
The original American Colonialists and Founders made a revolutionary move when forming the new nation of the United States. They departed from the old European despotic monarchy (King or Queen), in which the power resides in a hereditary authoritarian monarchy form of government.
They created a new unique political system, a Constitutional Republic. A Republic is a political system in which non-hereditary, elected executives and representatives govern for the citizens of a civil state.
When the Founders wrote the U. S. Declaration of Independence of 1776, they set down important philosophical principles to defend and justify Freedom from oppressive British government rule and their formation of a new, independent nation, the United States of America. One key principle asserted by the Founders was the unalienable rights of mankind—the “Self-Evident Truth” that all men “are endowed by their Creator with certain Unalienable Rights, that among these are "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The Founders believed a Constitutional Republic for the United States—with indirect self-governance by the people through elected civil representatives was the best form of movement for a Free People. They chose this system because it upholds Americans’ governing values and principles of popular sovereignty, consent of the governed, and limited self-government.
After the Revolutionary War, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington feared their young country was on the brink of collapse. America’s first Constitution, the Articles of Confederation, needed improvement and became the draft for the United States Constitution.
The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May of 1787. Although they had gathered to revise the Articles of Confederation, by mid-June they had decided to completely redesign the government with a new Constitution.
At the end of the convention citizens gathered outside Independence Hall to learn what had been produced behind closed doors. The answer was provided immediately. A Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” With no hesitation, Franklin responded, “A Republic, if you can keep it."
We the People of the United States, in Order” to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
In the United States Constitution, Republic is mentioned in Article 4, Section 4, where it is stated: The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government.
The Republican Party began in a little schoolhouse in Ripon, Wisconsin, in 1854. A small group of dedicated abolitionists gathered to fight the expansion of slavery, and they gave birth to a Party dedicated to Freedom and Equal Opportunity.
The name “Republican” was chosen, alluding to the nation’s founding and a "Representative" form of government by the people, conveying a commitment to limited government and our God-given inalienable rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Our founders gave us a Republican form of government based on the "Rule of Law." The word "Republic" comes from the Latin meaning "Public Thing" / "The Law." The word "Republican" means: Belonging to, or characteristic of a Republic (of a form of government by the "public", constitution, etc.). "Advocating or supporting Republican Government."
Our Republican Party is dedicated to Preserving and Conserving a Constitutional Republic (following the US and State Constitutions) through active participation by citizens for the protection and preservation of Conservative values and the Republican Party Platform including: Religious Freedom, Personal Rights and Responsibility, preserving a Free Society, Free Markets, Free Trade, Limited Government, Low Taxes, Minimal Bureaucracy, National Security & Sovereignty, and Private Property Rights.
We know that effective, limited government works and believe that good citizenship begins with protected rights and ends with accompanying responsibilities. We believe that government needs to be limited and fully transparent and should be a last resort for individuals and do only those necessary things that they cannot do for themselves.
We reaffirm the words in the Declaration of Independence. "That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." And we maintain that the most effective government is that which is closest to the people.
To each generation falls the responsibility to uphold the values that have made the United States the freest, most prosperous, compassionate and successful civilization in history. As we confront security threats from international unrest and terrorism, economic threats from ever-increasing state intervention, and social and political threats from liberal cultural elites, we must also see these times as an opportunity to return to those principles that have made us great. To view the Republican National Committee (RNC) Party Platform click here.
Why is the Republican Party Known as the GOP?
The initials synonymous with the Republican Party — “GOP”— stand for “Grand Old Party.” As early as the 1870s, politicians and newspapers began to refer to the Republican Party as both the “Grand Old Party” and the “Gallant Old Party” to emphasize its role in preserving the Union during the Civil War. The Republican Party of Minnesota, for instance, adopted a platform in 1874 that it said, “guarantees that the Grand Old Party that saved the country is still true to the principles that gave it birth.”
In spite of its nickname, though, the “Grand Old Party” was only a mere teenager in the early 1870s since the Republican Party, led by Henry Clay, "The Great Compromiser" had been formed in 1854 by other former Whig Party members to oppose the expansion of slavery into western territories.
Whig Party Downfall: By the mid-1850s, tensions were mounting within the party over the divisive issue of slavery as the country expanded into new territory. The last straw was the signing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which overturned the Missouri Compromise and allowed each territory to decide for itself whether it would be a slave state or free.
Alarmed, Anti-slavery Whigs spun off to found the Republican Party in 1854, eroding the party’s base of power. Abraham Lincoln, a Republican president deeply inspired by Henry Clay, would win the presidency in 1860 and go on to lead the Republican Party and the Nation.
THE NEW GOP - WHAT WE BELIEVE
The US and State Constitution are the Supreme Law of the land.
Article 1, Section 1 of the Washington State Constitution: All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights.
The people of our State do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created.
It has been two and a half centuries since our Founding Fathers established Our US Constitution, which purpose was — government under God and accountable to the people. We believe their vision is best preserved by supporting the Republican principles outlined below:
1. We believe CIVIL and RELIGIOUS LIBERTY protect the sovereignty of the individual citizen.
2. We believe LIMITED GOVERNMENT is essential to a free society.
3. We believe that upholding the RULE OF LAW and JUSTICE is based upon our Constitution and Judeo-Christian heritage. This recognizes that LIBERTY and INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY best protect and promote a moral and just society.
4. We believe that NATIONAL SECURITY is a central function of government and that a STRONG AMERICA is a free America.
5. We believe the preservation of LIBERTY is dependent upon the sanctity of our NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY.
6. We believe our NATIONAL BORDERS are best protected by a fair and enforced IMMIGRATION policy.
7. We believe in restoring sound MONETARY POLICY.
8. We believe in restoring sound FISCAL POLICY.
9. We believe ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY insures that each generation is better off than the one before it.
10. We believe that the FAMILY unit is the cornerstone of a free and moral society.
11. We believe EDUCATION, with parental control of their own children is critical to equip children to be productive and responsible citizens.
12. We believe the greatest HEALTHCARE system in the world is best preserved by minimizing government control.
13. We believe PROPERTY RIGHTS are civil rights.
14. We believe vibrant AGRICULTURE and NATURAL RESOURCE industries are critical to the health of the Washington economy and environment.
15. We believe America must balance our need for ENERGY with the conservation of our ENVIRONMENT.
16. We believe a quality, affordable and workable TRANSPORTATION system is important to our economic survival and quality of life.
17. We believe the INITIATIVE PROCESS is essential to providing a legislative voice for all the citizens of Washington State.
18. We condemn and will fight to stop Corruption by ANYONE regardless of party affiliation.
19. We believe in FULL TRANSPARENCY and a fair, traditional voting method with our election process. Make voting-day a holiday with IN-Person, same day voting for every election. One person one vote, with ID, at the precinct level. Hand counting of the actual paper ballots, with many election observers and surveillance cameras. No mail-in voting (except for disabled and overseas military), no drop boxes and no voting machines.
20. Until we can fully BAN BALLOT HARVESTING we need to learn to do it better than Democrats in the states that it is legal.
Additionally, the Founding Fathers writings have provided us an historic record of many fundamental Principles of Liberty, which if implemented and followed guarantee that the United States of America will have a manifest destiny to be an example and a blessing to the entire human race; here are 30 important Republican Principles of Liberty from our Founders:
1. The only reliable basis for sound government and just human relations is Natural Law.
2. A free people cannot survive under our constitution unless they remain virtuous and morally strong.
3. The most promising method of securing a virtuous and morally stable people is to elect virtuous leaders.
4. Without religion the government of a free people cannot be maintained.
5. All things were created by God, therefor upon Him all mankind are equally dependent, and to Him they are equally responsible.
6. All Men are created equal.
7. The proper role of government is to protect equal rights, not provide equal things.
8. Men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.
9. To protect man's rights, God has revealed certain principles of divine law.
10. The God-given right to govern is vested in the sovereign authority of the whole people.
11. The majority of the people may alter or abolish a government which has become tyrannical.
12. The United States of America shall be a Republic.
13. A constitution should be structured to permanently protect the people from the human frailties of their rulers.
14. Life and Liberty are secure only so long as the right of property is secure.
15. The highest level of prosperity occurs when there is a free market economy and a minimum of government regulations.
16. The government should be separated into three branches; legislative, executive, and judicial.
17. A system of checks and balances should be adopted to prevent the abuse of power.
18. The unalienable rights of the people are most likely to be preserved if the principles of government are set forth in a written constitution.
19. Only limited and carefully defined powers should be delegated to government, all others being retained by the people.
20. Efficiency and dispatch require government to operate accordingly to the will of the majority, but constitutional provisions must be made to protect the rights of the minority.
21. Strong local self-government is the keystone to preserving human freedom.
22. A free people should be governed by law and not by whims of men.
23. A free society cannot survive as a republic without a broad program of general education.
24. Free people will not survive unless they stay strong.
25. "Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations: entangling alliances with none."
26. The core unit which determines the strength of any society is the family; therefore, the government should foster and protect its integrity.
27. The burden of debt is as destructive to freedom subjugation by conquest.
28. The sanctity and dignity of human life is only as secure as the right-to-life.
29. Jerusalem is the true capital of the Jewish State.
30. The essence of freedom is the proper limitation of government.
Other Republican Policies We Strongly Support:
JOBS & ECONOMY * Limited government to grow the economy
* Innovation & private investment providing job growth
* Less regulation of business and property
TAXES & SPENDING * No state income tax
* Balanced budget and tax reform
* Less and lower taxes
CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY * Law and order
* Community policing
* Right to keep and bear arms
NATIONAL DEFENSE * Strong military budget
* Destroy Isis / fight radical Islamic extremism
* Support the troops
EDUCATION * Charter schools and vouchers that follow the student
* Education funded first in state budget
* Parental control of their own children
IMMIGRATION * 'Merit Based' with strong boarder control
* Guest visa programs for skilled and farm workers
* Deportation of criminal illegals and gang members
FAMILY * Parents, not government, responsible for children
* Support for strong families and marriage
* Freedom of religion
HEALTH CARE * Repeal of Obamacare
* Market competition that controls costs and provides more choices
* Health savings accounts
ELECTIONS * Right to vote for US citizens only
* FULL TRANSPARENCY - Elimination of voter fraud
* Eliminate the top 2 "Jungle Primary"
* Ban "Ranked Choice" Voting
* Earlier Republican Presidential Primary in Washington state
* NO mandatory discloser of Party Affiliation
* Make voting-day a holiday, IN-Person, same day voting only
* One person one vote, with ID, at the precinct level.
* Hand counting of the actual paper ballots, w/many election observers
* No mail-in voting (except for disabled and overseas military)
* Eliminate Voting Machines and Drop Boxes
* Strong penalties for violators of election laws
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT * No more dependence on foreign oil
* Balanced conservatism
* Public lands released to the state
Bill Bruch
Bill Bruch is the WA State GOP Election Integrity Chairman, WSRP Executive Board Member, 4-Term Skagit County GOP Chairman, Citizen Journalist, Blogger, Business Owner, Property Manager, 2020 WA State House Representative Candidate, Former Council Member, and WA State 2016 RNC National Convention Delegate.
This is absolutely beautiful. I am so touched, what a work. Thank you!