Have Republicans Abandoned Relativism?

One of the nice things about being out of power is that parties can restore consistency to their agendas. Rather than catering to every constituency that might sway an election outcome, they can craft a coherent platform with which to inspire their base and assail the party in power. The Republican Party seems to be moving in that direction, and it’s about time. Republicans used to attack the relativism of Democrats, but in recent years they themselves have tended to ignore any facts that weren’t convenient. Budget deficits didn’t matter, trade deficits were irrelevant, global warming wasn’t proven, and even evolution was just a theory. One result of this slide towards relativism is that fewer than one in ten scientists is now a self-identified Republican. The party has now begun rebuilding its credibility among people who think ideas matter, and hopefully that will have some bearing on how it approaches issues such as the health of the defense industrial base.