The "Big Tent" has made a comeback in American politics. In years back, political parties were said to have formed a Big Tent when, for the success of their organization, they welcomed groups with different ideas and views of government into their fold. Whether it was the Democratic Party or the Republican Party, these groups realized the importance of putting minor differences aside for the sake of better government.
While purely practical benefits to forming a Big Tent existed, such as electoral success, I also think that the formation of party coalitions occurred due to an understanding that even views within the same party were very different. It was, it seems, the ultimate form of political tolerance.
In recent years, the Republican Party has been criticized for what many voters see as a lack of tolerance and an unwillingness to accept the ideas and views of all Americans. In 1992, many people listened to speakers such as Pat Buchanan and Pat Robertson and jumped to the conclusion that the religious right had taken over the GOP, assuming that they had no place in the fold any longer.
The Democratic Party has been keen on perpetuating this myth, for it is in their best interest if the GOP is made to look intolerant and even mean. No one likes to vote for someone who is mean.
Yet, the Republican Party today is anything but intolerant. It has in fact reinstituted the Big Tent and is in many ways more open and varied that this country's Democratic organization. There are many examples of this breadth of diversity.
William Weld, the Republican Governor of Massachusetts, is a nationally recognized supporter of gay rights. He has been endorsed in his re-election bid by the The Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights, unanimously.
In New York City, Republican Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a supporter of the Crime bill, is waiting to decide whom to endorse in that state's governor's race. He might endorse Democrat Mario Cuomo, or he might endorse Republican George Pataki.
The Medical and Family Leave Act was passed in 1993 with the help of Republicans such as Representative Marge Roukema from New Jersey. Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont was a sponsor of President Clinton's health care bill. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger, a longtime Republican, has crossed party lines to support Senator Ted Kennedy in his re-election bid.
The Republican Party of 1994 is anything but narrow and certainly not intolerant. From economic conservatives like Governor Christine Whitman of New Jersey to social liberals such as Senator James Jeffords of Vermont to social conservatives such as Michigan Governor John Engler, the Republican Party has formed a Big Tent. I for one, hope, and expect the tent will still be standing on November 8th.
