Time to stop tearing the party apart

Recently, high profile moderate Republicans have criticized the Republican party for being a Southern dominated party like with people like Tom Coburn and Jim DeMint. This criticism has been leveled at the party since the election. It is a charge that I find interesting since neither the 2008 Republican Presidential candidates McCain or Palin are from the South. Also, Southerners like Jim DeMint and Tom Coburn are working hard to keep our nation from adopting socialized health care and increasing the size of the government. Additionally, Tom Coburn would also probably argue that he is from the West and not the South.

So what is the problem here? Perhaps the values of the Republican party are in the South and the West. Both regions have historically been known for their independence and suspicion of excess power in the Federal government. Today that suspicion is playing itself out because the current Administration and the Congress are attempting to amass huge amounts of power in the central government, reduce individual choice, raise taxes, and make an unprecedented intrusion into corporate America.

But the bottom line is that Republicans need to stop tearing each other apart. The party needs to heal and it is missing a great opportunity to take advantage of showcasing why limited government and market driven solutions are better than socialized, government run solutions. It should also be noted that Mike Ross, the leader of the blue dog democrats, is from Arkansas -- the South or West as well. So is this evidence that there is something wrong with the South and West, or is it evidence that the values of free markets and limited government which helped America grow are confined to the South and West?