A Letter to the GOP

Working to bring back the party of Lincoln

We would love to hear your thoughts as we fine tune our purpose and our message to bring the GOP back to the party of Lincoln. Respond to let us know your thoughts.

Dear Republican Party,

Since its creation, Abraham Lincoln’s party has been a diverse and wide-ranging coalition dedicated to our founding principles. Republicans acknowledge the fundamental truth that human freedom is a force for good, that it is rooted in reason, and is essential to sustaining the prosperity, dignity, and morality of the American idea.

These ideas saved the Union and vanquished slavery. They jump-started an economic engine that protected the world from great evil. They stabilized and eventually won the Cold War. They have anchored movements for justice at home, and have kept the flame of hope alive under foreign tyrannies.

For a century and a half, these ideas have not just spread across America — they have spread across the world. They are the foundation of peace and prosperity today. There is much Republicans have to be proud of, but there is also still much to be done.

The 2016 Republican nominee, Donald Trump, represents neither the ideals of the Republican Party nor the principles set out by Abraham Lincoln. He cannot articulate them because he does not believe in them. He has surrendered the White House to a corrupt, incompetent, and historically unpopular Democratic candidate. More than anyone else, Donald Trump has guaranteed a Hillary Clinton presidency. He is an enemy of our bedrock ideas and our vision for the future.

A Clinton presidency will do nothing to restore Americans’ faith in our institutions. It will do nothing to protect freedom. It will, if anything, exacerbate the public’s perception that our federal government is a network of self-dealing and self-involvement. Therefore, our project goes beyond partisan politics. If we fail to restart the GOP, we cannot realistically expect to renew America as a whole.

Therefore, we believe it is time to return to those first principles, to reconsider the role of our party and commit ourselves to ensuring this great tragedy never happens again.

Restart America will work to repair the mission, messaging, and platform of the Republican Party by returning to the first principles of Republicanism. Adhering to those principles, we will rebuild the party of Lincoln, practically implementing Republican beliefs by promoting diverse and exemplary candidates who embody those first principles.

Our primary goals are as follows:

• To unify loyal Republicans who believe it is worth fighting to retain our identity and rebuild the party of Lincoln.
• To hold Republican leaders accountable for Trump and other non-Republican candidates who use our party for false ends.
• To create a generation of new Republicans, reaching new audiences who have been alienated by a party that puts money and power before principle and country.
• To create a welcoming forum in which to discuss important issues openly and respectfully without fear of exclusion. Republicans won’t always agree on everything, but we need to have open dialogue.

We believe the principles of the party set forth by Lincoln are founded on the virtues of free enterprise, human dignity, individual freedom, traditional American values, and limited government.

We believe our party is worth standing up for. America needs the GOP, and right now, the GOP needs us.