“It’s their party and they’ll purge if they want to…”

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

My apologies to Lesley Gore for the caption.

The Republican National Committee will hold its winter meeting in January in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Honolulu? Isn't Hawaii dismissed by conservatives as being "some sort of foreign, exotic place" not quite part of the United States, despite being the 50th state admitted to the Union in 1959, some fifty years ago? Cokie Roberts again criticizes Obama for "exotic" trip home to Hawaii

Wait a minute. Is this about the birthers taking a day trip to the Hawaii Department of Health to see Barack Obama's original birth certificate first hand for themselves? Hawaii officials confirm Obama’s original birth certificate still exists | The Honolulu Advertiser

But I digress. The Caucus blog reported earlier this week that the G.O.P. will consider a ‘Purity’ Resolution for candidates, and no, I'm not talking about a "just say no" virginity pledge:

Republican leaders are circulating a resolution listing 10 positions Republican candidates should support to demonstrate that they “espouse conservative principles and public policies” that are in opposition to “Obama’s socialist agenda.” According to the resolution, any Republican candidate who broke with the party on three or more of these issues – in votes cast, public statements made or answering a questionnaire – would be penalized by being denied party funds or the party endorsement.

The proposed resolution was signed by 10 Republican national committee members and was distributed on Monday morning. They are asking for the resolution to be debated when Republicans gather for their winter meeting.

The resolution invokes Ronald Reagan, and noted that Mr. Reagan had said the Republican Party should be devoted to conservative principles but also be open to diverse views. President Reagan believed, the resolution notes, “that someone who agreed with him 8 out of 10 times was his friend, not his opponent.”

Hence the provision calling for cutting off Republicans who agree with the party on fewer than eight of 10 items. The resolution demands that Republicans support “smaller government, smaller national deficits and lower taxes,” denial of government funding for abortion, and “victory in Iraq and Afghanistan.” It calls on candidates to oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants and repealing of the Defense of Marriage Act.

The development is going to put pressure on Michael Steele, the party chairman, as he tries to maintain a balance between those in his party who have been saying the road to victory is to include divergent views, and those who say the party needs to embrace conservative principles that have been at its core.

* * *

Here is the resolution’s list:

(1) We support smaller government, smaller national debt, lower deficits and lower taxes by opposing bills like Obama’s “stimulus” bill;

(2) We support market-based health care reform and oppose Obama-style government run health care;

(3) We support market-based energy reforms by opposing cap and trade legislation;

(4) We support workers’ right to secret ballot by opposing card check;

(5) We support legal immigration and assimilation into American society by opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants;

(6) We support victory in Iraq and Afghanistan by supporting military-recommended troop surges;

(7) We support containment of Iran and North Korea, particularly effective action to eliminate their nuclear weapons threat;

(8) We support retention of the Defense of Marriage Act;

(9) We support protecting the lives of vulnerable persons by opposing health care rationing and denial of health care and government funding of abortion; and

(10) We support the right to keep and bear arms by opposing government restrictions on gun ownership.

Conservative media like to assert that Barack Obama is a "cult of personality," but the fact is nobody does "cult of personality" and idolatry (see the Second Commandment) the way conservatives do over Ronald Reagan. This purity test is dogma for the worship of Ronald Reagan. Conservatives invoke Reagan's name with the same frequency as Jesus.

Most of what conservatives believe about Ronald Reagan is factually incorrect, and more often than not made up by conservative media.

The fact is that even Ronald Reagan would fail this "Reagan" purity test. "Number one, Reagan expanded the government, taxes and the deficit. Number five, he supported amnesty for illegal immigrants. Number six, he ignored the military recommendation to pull out of Beirut. Number seven, he sold weapons to Iran. Number eight, he opposed California's anti-gay prop six, and hosted the first openly gay sleepover at the White House. Number ten, he signed a gun control law in California and supported the Brady Bill after he and his press secretary were shot. President Reagan, four out of 10." 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for Monday, November 23 Oh, and Reagan once was a card carrying member of a union and a Democrat, before he became a Republican.

It's not just conservative idol Ronald Reagan who would fail this purity resolution.

ThinkProgress has conducted an analysis that finds at least 40 current Republican members of Congress have violated at least one principle of the purity test. Think Progress » REPORT: At Least 40 GOP Lawmakers Fail A Principle Of The ‘Purity Test’

The purity resolution does not specify whom among the "Puritans" is to conduct this modern-day Inquisition of GOP heretics. Will the party which supports the use of torture subject its own suspected GOP heretics to the ordeals of fire and water? History of the Devil: The Inquisition Maybe Dick Cheney will be the inquisitioner and water board the GOP heretics.

The GOP: back to the 15th Century. Time to fold up that "big tent."