On July 6, 1854, a couple decades and a few days after the anniversary of The United States of America, an anti-slavery state convention was held in Jackson, Michigan. A hot day forced an “Under the Oaks Convention,” when the first statewide candidates were selected for what would become the Republican Party.
United by a desire to abolish slavery, it was in Jackson that the Platform of the Under the Oaks Convention read: “…we will cooperate and be known as REPUBLICANS…” Prior to July, smaller groups had gathered in intimate settings like the schoolhouse in Ripon, Wisconsin. However, the meeting in Jackson would be the first ever mass gathering of the Republican Party.
The name Republican is alluding to Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican Party with a commitment to the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Drawing inspiration from history, today’s Republicans believe individuals, not the government, make the best decisions and all people are entitled to equal rights, with decisions best made close to home.
Nationally, Republicans recognize that the slow, bloated, top-down Washington bureaucracy is out-of-date in the 21st century. Our Party works to give Americans more choices—in healthcare, in education, in energy, and in the economy—and to free individuals and families from the intrusive overreach of federal bureaucrats.
The Party’s core principles of freedom and equal opportunity are as relevant today as at our founding, and they are the roadmap for American renewal in a new and interconnected world.
As a former federal division chief for USIA under Republican President George HW Bush, I recall the first writing on the wall when @realdoalndtrump symbolically launched his political camp pain riding descending escalators. It was downhill from there. Once Trump decided to join the party and all hell broke loose. Trump's Takeover https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/trumps-takeover/?utm_source=twi…
A staggering double-digit number of Congressional members are apparently fed up with the DC Drama. Many members of US Congress have announced that they will not be running for re-election. Thie is the largest number to leave since World War II. Paul Ryan joins a record number of Republicans who will not seek re-election in the 2018 midterms.
After Republican House Speaker decided he lost his voice and announced his retirement, another House member of the GOP calls it quits and his Florida seat can be won. Right on Paul Ryan's heels, another House Republican bails—and his Florida seat could be winnable https://www.dailykos.com/story/2018/4/11/1756258/-Right-on-Ryan-s-heels…
#RepubliCan? https://gop.com/platform/restoring-the-american-dream/
US House Speaker Paul Ryan was the last loser to throw in the towel. Ryan bowing out, sending ripples of uncertainty through GOP https://www.apnews.com/819e75f7fb634531936c8416bf860344
Republican Congresscritters Have Started Melting Down https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a19747156/republican-con…
Paul Ryan’s legacy looks a lot like Donald Trump’s https://www.yahoo.com/news/paul-ryans-legacy-looks-lot-like-donald-trum…
Trump Allies and House Republicans to Paul Ryan: Get Out Now https://thebea.st/2JDu40v?source=twitter&via=desktop
Paul Ryan to leave Congress in latest GOP upheaval https://reut.rs/2vaSA66
Who's who in the race to become the next House speaker? https://usat.ly/2GQnyG3
House Speaker Ryan to retire in latest Washington upheaval https://reut.rs/2EDF3Di