Carrying Reagan’s Torch

June 23, 2002

by Christopher G. Adamo

The mere fact that so many are speculating as to who might be "the next Ronald Reagan" suggests a deficiency - if not a total absence among key Republican players - of the Gipper’s courage, principle, and inspiring leadership abilities. At one time, some had advanced the notion that President George W. Bush might embody such qualities. But after enduring waffle after capitulation while expressing their continued optimism that Mr. Bush might simply be engaging in some enlightened political strategy, his conservative supporters have finally conceded that the president simply does not possess those qualities necessary to make him a leader of Reagan’s stature.

It was also suggested that Bill Simon, candidate for the governorship of California, might assume Reagan’s mantle based on the fact that he won that state’s primary election through the unabashed advancement of a truly conservative platform. Unfortunately, since that March victory, Simon has indicated that he is altogether too willing to allow his candidacy to be defined by the polls.

In sharp contrast to George W. Bush and Bill Simon, the individual who most deserves to be identified with the Reagan legacy is, without a doubt, former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler. Though unsuccessful in his 2001 bid for the position of New Jersey governor, Schundler chose not to simply give up the fight and go home. Upholding his vow of commitment to public service as a duty which is not contingent upon election to office, Schundler has courageously continued to battle those political forces against which he had campaigned during last year’s race. Invoking his name recognition and great popularity among his former base, he engages in the fray in order to confront and ultimately defeat the rampant tax-and-spend liberalism (among other ills...) in his state.

One of the main targets of Schundler’s efforts is New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey, who defeated Schundler in part by promoting himself in some respects as a "conservative" Democrat. Of course that pretense predictably evaporated on the day after the elections, giving way to such ventures as an enormously expensive (and taxpayer funded) sports arena in the city of Newark. Schundler is pressing hard for a voter referendum on the issue, while highlighting all of the slippery financial dealings associated with it. Furthermore, he seeks to warn true conservatives within the state’s party organization that much of what McGreevey and his cohorts are involved in (most appallingly, with considerable support from Republican "moderates"...) amounts to public funding of the Democratic political machine.

Recognizing the degree to which "moderate" Republicans had treacherously undermined his campaign for Governor, Schundler has responded in a manner which is absolutely essential to the reclamation of the Republican Party, though few possess the courage and perseverance for such an undertaking. To the dismay of the "business as usual" crowd within the state’s GOP leadership, Schundler is publicly naming those who, while calling themselves "Republicans," are proving themselves to be much more closely aligned with the most liberal wing of the New Jersey Democratic Party.

Among those Republicans named for questionable dealings associated with the proposed Newark sports arena is Donald DiFrancesco, former president of the State Senate. DiFrancesco is best remembered for the fact that, in the year 2000, his United States Senate campaign was abruptly abandoned in the face of a grand jury probe. But DiFrancesco was also outspoken in his criticism of Schundler during his ill-fated gubernatorial campaign of last year. Such criticism, coming from a "fellow Republican," proved to be particularly harmful to Schundler’s efforts.

In recent years, Republican liberals in the Garden State have come to the realization that they can regularly sabotage the efforts of conservatives while still garnering their support, along with that of major conservative voices from throughout the nation, whenever they find themselves in tight political campaigns. The most outrageous example of this phenomenon was the 1997 New Jersey governor’s race in which Christine Whitman, a radical feminist and fiscal liberal, nonetheless gained major endorsements and enormous financial support from the Republican National Committee, thus securing a slim electoral victory. In response, she pressed forward with her left-of-center agenda. Like DiFrancesco, she distinguished herself last year by publicly disparaging Schundler’s conservatism at a time when it would do him the most harm.

In the past, conservative New Jersey Republicans have had to give very serious consideration the liberal wing of that state’s GOP, in order to avoid the regular "back stabbings" which those liberals have handed out. Now Bret Schundler is single-handedly turning the tables on them, causing them to realize that if they make enemies among conservatives, those conservatives will extract a heavy political toll from them. Through well coordinated phone, letter, and E-mail campaigns, Schundler is proving himself to be an extremely formidable political force which must be taken seriously.

Some might suggest that Schundler is breaking Reagan’s "Eleventh Commandment" ...an admonition against criticism of another Republican. In response however, Schundler can claim another famous remark from the former president. Upon switching parties, Reagan explained that he hadn’t left the Democrats but rather they had left him. Likewise, it is the New Jersey Republican Party which is slipping further and further to the left while Schundler and his kind remain steadfast. And if this trend is to be reversed, it will require the kind of courage and resolve which he exemplifies.

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Christopher G. Adamo is a freelance writer who lives in southeastern Wyoming with his wife and sons. He has been involved in grassroots political activity for many years. Chris was the editor of the Wyoming Christian from 1994 to 1996, and his columns can also been seen at CheyenneNetwork.com.

Send the author an E mail at Adamo@ConservativeTruth.org.

For more of Christopher's articles, visit his archives.