Tell the California Republican Party to Stand for Life and Marriage in the Party Platform

Dear CAGOP Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson, Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher, and California GOP Delegates,

To borrow a phrase from our Declaration of Independence we learn there are “Self-Evident Truths” in the ordering of the universe contained in the “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.” Truths evident in history, human nature and written in the Scriptures are never to be compromised.

Therefore, we, the undersigned, petition these two articles: First, that the CAGOP will continue to protect innocent human life, created in the image of God, understanding that life begins at conception and ends at natural death. 

Second, the CAGOP continues to defend and uphold our platform’s commitment to support marriage between one man and one woman as the perfect union, ordained by God and honored by Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant faiths, as well as those who recognize the many benefits of such a marriage in creating the most stable society.

“Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher said, “If you set out to be liked, you will compromise on anything at any time and achieve nothing.”

Great achievers and statesmen always confronted the most difficult issues of their time and did not view compromise as a pathway to victory. Lincoln did not compromise with the slave-holders, nor did Churchill with the Nazi’s, nor Reagan with the Soviets. 

Great movements are built on principles. We stand confident we can rebuild our Republican Party by clearly communicating the political truths contained in our U.S. Constitution as we saw when President Ronald Reagan won 49 out of 50 states. More recently, we saw conservative Republican, pro-life Glen Youngkin elected as Governor of Virginia, a “blue” state. He focused on the culture war issues pertaining to race, CRT, and gender identity in schools. 

History is littered with the dusty corpses of compromisers, never to be heard from again.

Consider the results of those who surrendered to the “woke” agenda: Recently Anheuser-Busch has shed over $5 Billion in market capital and damaged their brand. Target has lost $15 Billion; the Boys Scouts’ membership has plunged 43% and the Girl Scouts’ has experienced a mass exodus.

Given these very real examples of how destructive compromising our values has been historically, the undersigned demand that the California GOP leadership, including legislators, and their delegates oppose any proposed changes to the platform as is being suggested by its Platform Committee. Should the party fail to do so, thereby turning its back on the principles and values held not only by most California Republicans, but also by the national Republican Party, we will have no option but to turn our backs on California’s Republican state legislators and the CAGOP. We will at that time begin a campaign to notify our church congregations, and the numerous organizations who share our concerns.

We have noted the actions of our Republican state legislators this year with great dismay as they continued to vote with the Democrats or abstain on legislation such ACA 5 that should mark a major difference between the two parties.  These issues are particularly important in trying to win over the fast-growing Hispanic population, most of whom share our party’s conservative family values. By abandoning these values, we are abandoning them to the Democrat party permanently. Furthermore, we are often able to garner votes from independents and conservative Democrats when we strongly affirm all of our conservative values, but that will not happen when they cannot tell a difference between Democrat and Republican candidates who adhere to the revised party platform being considered.

By withdrawing our support, you will be sacrificing the much-needed grassroots participation in campaigns. We are the ones who knock on doors, register people to vote, man the phones, endorse local candidates, host coffees, spread the word in our churches, get out the vote, work the polls, and then follow up after Election Day by certifying ballots. Are you willing to sacrifice all that in a futile attempt to align with the Progressives? By advancing this change in the party platform, you will be abandoning your base. Instead of growing the base, you will be shrinking it.

We sincerely want to see the Republican Party in our state grow because of the values it holds. This is the season to make that happen as the voting public has experienced the results of failed Democrat policies that do not support pre-born life and the definition of marriage. Yet, if the CAGOP imitates the Democrats by adopting the proposed changes to the platform, the possibility of Republican growth will be lost in our state. We refuse to be complicit in our party’s demise.

We understand that delegates to the convention may be hand-picked to support the proposed platform changes and thus validate the votes cast by current Republican state legislators. But make no mistake. That platform will be seen for what it is - a compromise that will lead to the death of the Republican Party in California.  If we lose the culture war, we lose our Party.

Therefore, we the undersigned will not accept any proposed changes to the current California Republican Party Platform that include removing marriage as between only one man and one woman, nor the removal of the protection of pre-born human life. Let us be clear; should the party fail to uphold and represent these core values, we will have no alternative but to decline and withdraw any support or supportive action to California’s Republican state legislators, and the CAGOP.