In a speech at George Washington University just 33 days before Election Day, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus laid out the core principles of GOP candidates.
Priebus framed the speech as a presentation of an inclusive Republican agenda, one backed by candidates “running for governor in New England” as well as those from redder regions.
The chairman went into significant detail on some issues, but remained very vague on others. On healthcare, for instance, Priebus listed six specific changes that Republicans support, including tort reform and allowing insurance plans to be sold across state lines.
And he touted Louisiana and Ohio’s expansions of education scholarships, as well as Utah Sen. Mike Lee’s proposed education reform. Priebus also praised Rep. Paul Ryan’s proposal to consolidate anti-poverty programs.
On other issues, however, the address was vague. Of Priebus’s eleven points — listed in full at www.gopprinciples.com — tricky social issues were all filed under the title “Values.” Priebus’s speech had an extensive discussion of why Republicans oppose expansive regulations but didn’t mention abortion or same-sex marriage, though he said that Republicans are “pro-family” and also “pro-life.”
Tony Perkins, a social conservative leader who heads the Family Research Council, praised the speech in a statement released to reporters beforehand.
“President Obama and his party have left America adrift and at risk in a fog of political correctness,” the statement said. “Priebus is helping chart a course forward for both the GOP and the country that would lift that fog with the principles that made America great.”
Skirting controversial social issues in the George Washington University speech was probably by design. The GOP’s New England gubernatorial candidates — Allan Fung in Rhode Island and Charlie Baker in Massachusetts — are vocally pro-choice.
Priebus made very specific policy prescriptions on a number of issues (including praise for Rep. Michael McCaul’s Cybersecurity Enhancement Act and support for building the Keystone XL pipeline) but didn’t touch on some of the issues that have long galvanized social conservatives.
