Republican Unity Coalition
Encyclopedia
The Republican Unity Coalition was created as an outgrowth of the George W. Bush
campaign in the 2000 US presidential election
. It described itself a "grasstops" organization of the United States Republican Party, with a Board of Advisors formerly including the late President Gerald Ford
, former U.S. Senator Alan K. Simpson
of Wyoming
, philanthropist and banker David Rockefeller
, and former U.S. Senator Jack Danforth of Missouri
. It was a gay/straight alliance, believing that the Republican Party must become a big tent
and reach out to non-traditional Republicans, in this case gay and lesbian Americans who shared the basic Republican emphasis on personal liberty
, self-responsibility
and a strong national defense
.
However, after Bush called for a federal constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in 2003, the organization's activity and support quickly collapsed. While the organization has not formally declared itself as defunct, its political action committee, Unity PAC, was relieved of reporting obligations by the Federal Elections Commission in a July 25, 2006 notice, due to several years of inactivity. Its website, as of January 2008, has been shut down.
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
campaign in the 2000 US presidential election
United States presidential election, 2000
The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President....
. It described itself a "grasstops" organization of the United States Republican Party, with a Board of Advisors formerly including the late President Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, former U.S. Senator Alan K. Simpson
Alan K. Simpson
Alan Kooi Simpson is an American politician who served from 1979 to 1997 as a United States Senator from Wyoming as a member of the Republican Party. His father, Milward L. Simpson, was also a member of the U.S...
of Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, philanthropist and banker David Rockefeller
David Rockefeller
David Rockefeller, Sr. is the current patriarch of the Rockefeller family. He is the youngest and only surviving child of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, and the only surviving grandchild of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil. His five siblings were...
, and former U.S. Senator Jack Danforth of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. It was a gay/straight alliance, believing that the Republican Party must become a big tent
Big tent
In politics, a big tent party or catch-all party is a political party seeking to attract people with diverse viewpoints. The party does not require adherence to some ideology as a criterion for membership...
and reach out to non-traditional Republicans, in this case gay and lesbian Americans who shared the basic Republican emphasis on personal liberty
Liberty
Liberty is a moral and political principle, or Right, that identifies the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions...
, self-responsibility
Moral responsibility
Moral responsibility usually refers to the idea that a person has moral obligations in certain situations. Disobeying moral obligations, then, becomes grounds for justified punishment. Deciding what justifies punishment, if anything, is a principle concern of ethics.People who have moral...
and a strong national defense
Defense (military)
Defense has several uses in the sphere of military application.Personal defense implies measures taken by individual soldiers in protecting themselves whether by use of protective materials such as armor, or field construction of trenches or a bunker, or by using weapons that prevent the enemy...
.
However, after Bush called for a federal constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in 2003, the organization's activity and support quickly collapsed. While the organization has not formally declared itself as defunct, its political action committee, Unity PAC, was relieved of reporting obligations by the Federal Elections Commission in a July 25, 2006 notice, due to several years of inactivity. Its website, as of January 2008, has been shut down.