There is a very serious and important discussion taking place around the blogosphere this week. Unfortunately this discussion was brought on by the events in Augusta County last week, but fortunately it has forced many Republicans to look a little deeper at the problems that have plagued our Party in recent years.

First, I am confident that most of the individuals who have commented on this dust-up have the same goal, advancing and strengthening the Republican Party. However, there certainly seems to be a real difference of opinion about exactly what ails us and exactly how to fix it.

Brandon Bell identifies a reckless power grab that stands on no principle but the accumulation of more power as one potential cancer that infects the Party. D.J McGuire counters that the problem stems from a geographic division within the Party and the priority of social conservative issues against economic conservative issues. Shaun Kenney steps in to moderate the debate, to ask what the central principle of our Party is and to remind us who our real enemies are (The Democrats).

Frankly there is way too much material here to respond to in a single post, but all of the points are good and deserve to be read. I simply have a few observations of my own to throw into the mix.

While I don't claim to know the motivations of either side of the debate in Augusta, wherever there is power to be obtained, there will always be those who seek nothing more than to obtain it for its own sake. I have to agree with Brandon that the solution to these disagreements is not a scorched-earth campaign. The difference between what happened in Augusta and what apparently happened in a somewhat similar situation in Montgomery County is how the losing parties dealt with it. Disagreements can be resolved without resorting to personal attacks and parlimentary chicanery. Yes, elections can sometimes result in bitterness (though not the Barack Obama variety). But allowing bitterness to turn into anger and irrationality is simply destructive.

As to D.J.'s and Shaun's points, the problem is simply that there is no single overriding principle that guides our Party, and there never will be. Our Party, just like the Democrats, is a coalition of idea-groups that choose to work together for the benefit of all. The Republican Party can be generally described as a Party of social conservatives, fiscal conservatives and national defense conservatives. However, the fact is that while the majority of members of the Party adhere to these views, not every individual in the Party adheres to all three, and not every individual weighs these issues in the same proportion as everyone else.

And you know what? There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Frankly, what I think is laughable is the fact that so many people seem to think that they are the gatekeepers of what is and is not a "real" Republican. I have great respect for Brandon Bell and I feel confident saying that, despite disagreeing with him on some issues, he is a Real Republican. I do not know Emmett Hanger as well, but the fact that he has won both primaries and general elections in a very Republican district tells me that he's probably a real Republican. If not, what does that make all the Republicans who voted for him?

To be clear, this is not to say that I would rather have Hanger in office than someone else. Obviously, I would much rather have a more fiscally conservative Republican in office who didn't vote for tax increases at every opportunity. But the point is that some people seem much too quick to impute ill motives and launch personal attacks against fellow Republicans with whom they have policy disagreements. I submit that this is not the best way to build a Party.

There is a time and place for the disagreements and there is a proper way to conduct them. However, if conservative Republicans want moderate Republicans to accept the results when they win primaries and chairmanships, then conservatives must afford the same courtesy to moderates when they win fair and square. Respect, like much else in life, is a two-way street.