Morgan Warstler Tells GOP to Just Plead States Rights

     He tells the GOP that it should pass on all social issues-or for that matter Obamacare-with 'That's for the states to decide.'

     "The GOP’s DNA is Federalism.  If we stick to it, we will have very few internal conflicts."

      http://www.morganwarstler.com/post/64032782980/there-is-no-reason-for-conflict-in-modern-gop-1

    Internal conflicts but what about external? He says all GOPers must take a pledge:

    "The GOP’s DNA is Federalism.  If we stick to it, we will have very few internal conflicts."

     Evidently, Scott Walker didn't listen to this today:

     "Scott Walker is spending some quality time with the folks he needs to win over to become president, but some big donors are cool to him because of his conservatism on gay marriage:

To build a war chest for his all-but-official presidential campaign, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has been inviting wealthy prospective donors here for a series of private, leisurely dinners — 10 to 20 people at a time — at the top of the Edgewater, a luxury hotel with sweeping views of this capital city.

He tells the crowds that he is both a “winner” and a “fighter” with a unique ability to unite the disparate wings of the Republican Party. The reception has been warm, and the checks have rolled in.

But the reaction to his likely candidacy has been notably cooler in another key venue, New York City, where Walker has struggled to make inroads among the powerful and monied financial community — in part because of his strident opposition to gay marriage and other positions on social issues. One billionaire hedge fund manager got into a long argument with Walker over same-sex marriage and then pulled his support because of it, according to a Republican familiar with the meeting.

    "Kind of reminds you of the problems he (and any other Republican) will have with the general electorate." 

     http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2015/06/22/happy-hour-roundup-630/

     Indeed. The states rights pledge is for internal conflict between GOPers. What about when a GOPer runs for the general election? So maybe Morgan looks at this and says Walker should have listened to him. But some social conservatives are very opinionated and maybe Walker is one of those. Everything I know about him suggests he is. 

   On the Confederate flag, the GOPers listened to Morgan. This wasn't an internal argument between GOPers but between GOPers and the mainstream press and public who think it's time to stop romanticizing the Confederacy-seeing that what Dylann Roof does. 

  "The standard response from GOP candidates when asked their opinion on the flag has been: “That’s for the people of South Carolina to decide.” This is like responding to “What’s your opinion on same-sex marriage?” with “that’s for the Supreme Court to decide.” Procedurally you may be right, but we just want to know your opinion. Steve Benen takes a look at Marco Rubio’s particularly vigorous evasion on this question."

     Yet this didn't ultimately worked as not SC has backed off and agreed to take down the flag over at the Statehouse. 

    http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2015/06/sc-waives-white-flag-on-confederacy.html

    So just playing it coy and refusing to divulge your own position and instead declaring 'State rights' has its limits as well. It's an interesting dodge basically, Someone who takes a SR position is claiming to be agnostic one way or the other-'I don't mind whether we have slavery or not but what I do mind is the federal government getting involved.' 

   That of course is the most famous example of states rights. Most of the historical examples of state right protestations are not auspicious. Slavery, segregation, voting rights,  separate but equal, all of these were argued for in states rights terms. 

   Much as the SR advocates claim to be agnostic, you can't but notice that when people have reactionary positions it's easier to hide behind states rights than say you support positions widely seen as retrograde. 

    At the end of the day conservatives often hide their views behind states rights. Liberals don't do this.