The “insidious threat posed by far right-wing extremists” puts a crimp in jovial party plans.
It would not be an exaggeration to say I was a bit giddy when I saw the envelope from Christie. Addressed to me personally, it took on a festive air, since in the upper left-hand corner, it plainly read, “It’s My Party, Too.”
Of course, I thought it was an invitation.
A bit of background on Christie is in order. As a member of a distinguished New Jersey family, Christine Todd "Christie" Whitman married well. Upon exchanging vows with prominent investor, John Whitman, she became the granddaughter-in-law of former New York Gov. Charles S. Whitman. Her own family tree is equally impressive, with the influential political families, the Todd’s and the Schley’s dangling from the branches. A Todd was the contractor for Rockefeller Center, while Christie's father, Webster Todd, Sr. chaired the New Jersey Republican Party for the better part of two decades. Her mother, Eleanor Schley Todd was a multi-time delegate to the Republican National Convention. No political slouch herself, Christie was elected Governor of New Jersey in 1994.
Having attended the prestigious Chapin private school for girls in New York City, which counts Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis among its alumni, it didn't seem a stretch to assume the 1968 graduate of Wheaton College, would know a thing or two about planning a gala event. I walked toward the house simultaneously tearing at the envelope and wondering what to wear. My new elegantly beaded, black evening suit would be perfect, I decided by the time I reached the door.
“Dear Carol,” the missive began. “It is no exaggeration to say we are at a turning point in American politics. The Republican Party is headed down a slippery slope and if we don't do something about it soon, our ‘Grand Old Party’ won't be grand for long.”
Whoa! This is not exactly the message I was expecting from Christie. After all, we're both Republicans. I continued reading, hoping for an indication if this was to be dinner or hors d’oeuvres and cocktails.
“Carol,” she fairly screamed from the emphatically underlined words, “We can't allow a few extremists to hijack our Party, dictate our ideology, attack our moderate candidates, and alienate centrist Republicans.”
The terms “moderate” and “centrist” raised my antenna just a bit, but I read on. Eventually, she does extend a genial invitation, although not to a celebration. Christie would be “honored,” she gushes, to have me join her It’s My Party, Too PAC Steering Committee–endearingly known as IMP-PAC. The suggested amount to qualify for this honor starts with $2000 and cascades down to a measly $250.
Throughout the one page letter, my pal, Christie, cautions me about the insidious threat of “far-right extremists” no fewer than three times. Finally, she identifies them as opponents of “embryonic stem-cell research.” Although the word “abortion” undeniably jumps off the page, it is intriguingly absent from the text of her letter. Could be she’s seen the Gallop and Zogby polls which indicate significant declines in support of abortion, especially among the nation’s younger voters.
As a Republican, Gov. Christine Todd Whitman appears remarkably unfamiliar with the portions of her Party’s Platform addressing these issues:
* As a country, we must keep our pledge to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence. That is why we say the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed.
* Republicans have supported, and will continue to support, important scientific research without undermining the fundamental ethical principles that have guided medical research in this country for decades. We especially welcome and encourage a stronger emphasis on adult stem cell and cord blood stem cell research, which has already provided benefits to hundreds of patients and provides real promise for treatments to help millions of Americans.
The GOP plank further expressed strong support for the President’s policy which prevents the use of taxpayer dollars for destruction of human embryos, disallows the creation of human embryos solely for experimentation and bans human cloning.
Upon closer examination of Christie’s invitation, my new elegantly beaded, black evening suit will have to remain unworn a while longer. I prefer to have it languish in the closet until I receive an invitation from some of those “far-right extremists,” with whom I suspect I'd have a lot more in common.
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