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News & Analysis
Munsil, PRO-PAC Urge Conservatives to Unify Around Reagan's Principles By Dennis Durband, Editor SCOTTSDALE -- Practically everywhere Len Munsil goes, the former gubernatorial candidate encounters conservatives who are discouraged and ready to give up. After all, Democrats control Congress and Republicans have not been able to further the principles of the GOP platform.
The founder and former president of the Center for Arizona Policy has another idea for conservatives in mind, however: to stay involved and engage the political process. Munsil is nurturing his new organization -- the Principled Reaganesque Outcomes-Political Action Committee (PRO-PAC) to further that cause. During a Sunday picnic at Cactus Park, Munsil explained to 75 attendees the current state of Republican activists' thinking and his vision for PRO-PAC. "People are discouraged, they're pulling back," said Munsil, the chairman of PRO-PAC. "They're saying politics didn't work and it's a waste of time. But the thing to remember is that no political victory or defeat is ever final. We have the opportunity in every election to change the nature of the country. Everything is up for grabs, and we have to be involved." The 2006 election, in which Democrats overturned years of GOP control of Congress, was not a repudiation of conservative principles, Munsil said. That election was characterized by a national repudiation of Republicans due to factors such as the Cong. Mark Foley scandal, the Jack Abramoff scandal and Republicans' failure to control the border and hold down government spending. The meltdown of Republican leadership fractured the coalition that President Ronald Reagan had created years earlier and has resulted in people scattering in different directions, Munsil said. "In my race for governor, what did Janet Napolitano run her campaign on?" Munsil asked. "That she sent the National Guard to the border and lowered taxes. Those are conservative principles." Munsil said, "We've got to re-unite and protect conservative Reagan principles. PRO-PAC is going to be so central to bringing us back to those principles." Those Reaganesque conservative principles include:
Reagan did not concede the future to the Left, and he stayed confident, Munsil said, with civility and a sense of humor. Then Munsil spoke of division among conservatives and pointed out, "We can't be killing each other over the things we disagree with. This is a concern now in the Republican Party. This is a party that, in its platform, stands for all the things I believe in. It is time for us to get involved." After the applause died down, Munsil segued:
"That's what PRO-PAC is all about. We are looking for involvement. We
have got to take back the institutions we've lost. I want to encourage
you to be involved. We cannot give these things away, we cannot give up
and walk away from the arena. We have got to be involved."
Stories of Interest Dennis Durband: President Reagan Showed the Way for Ages to Come Hadley Arkes: Reagan Understood What was Important and What Made Sense in the World
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