時論廣場》國民黨的爭寵之路（方恩格 Ross Darrell Feingold）

國民黨黨主席朱立倫（右）、臺北市議員羅智強（左）。（本報資料照片）

經過幾番波折，國民黨主席朱立倫終於宣告要在5月展開他的訪美行程。在這之前，國民黨頻頻對美國民主黨展開示好動作，例如他們搶在推特發文歡迎美國衆議院議長裴洛西訪臺，並呼求希望能與她在訪臺期間會面聊聊。筆者多次公開表示，國民黨以如此高調方式宣告世人他們對美國的求好舉動，既不會讓美國政界突然對他們產生好感，也不會讓臺灣選民對他們另眼相看。所以筆者在此再度呼籲國民黨可能要做好「熱臉貼冷屁股」的心理建設。

過去拜登總統在任職參議員期間曾支持多項動物權利相關立法，而動物權利組織最近也公開讚揚了他近來積極推動動保的作爲。也許國民黨自以爲在動物身上可以找到與拜登的交集，他們與民衆黨、時代力量一起推動「動保入憲」。筆者身爲美國律師，認爲將動物保護納入憲法，而非透過相關法規來提供對動物的保護，即使世界上有少數國家將動物保護列入憲法，但以法律觀點而言，這仍屬十分罕見的做法。

今年3月初，曾爲共和黨和民主黨總統服務的前參謀首長聯席會議主席穆倫率領代表團訪問臺灣。其他代表團成員包括曾在共和黨執政時期任職的葛林(Michael Green) （值得一提的是，葛林雖是共和黨，但他當年曾公開質疑川普的當選）和歐蘇利文 (Meghan O'Sullivan)此外，還有在民主黨政府中任職的佛洛諾伊（Michele Flournoy）和麥艾文（Evan Medeiros）。這般組合有人稱之爲「跨黨派代表團」，但畢竟這是由拜登政府派出的代表團，因此本質上仍屬民主黨的代表團。這個代表團早於共和黨前國務卿蓬佩奧來臺的前幾天搶先訪臺，看來也是讓民主黨佔了上風。

對拜登政府而言，他的代表團能在蓬佩奧訪臺之前奪取國際媒體版面，算是有了面子，而對蔡政府而言，讓拜登政府的代表團先出風頭，或許能稍微安撫拜登政府對於臺灣政府邀請了他們的死對頭蓬佩奧來臺這件事所產生的不滿。

國民黨在推特放上了精美的代表團人物圖表示歡迎「老朋友」的到來，而拜登團隊的代表團也終於如國民黨之願於在臺期間會見了他們（國民黨這次總算扳回點面子，畢竟他們千呼萬喚努力說服蔡政府能讓這個代表團來臺時加入與國民黨會面的行程）。然而稱此代表團爲「老朋友」，這樣的用詞在美國人看來流於一廂情願的套關係與裝熟。

3月下旬，美國前國務卿歐布萊特去世。國民黨在推特上發文稱「她在國務卿任內表現輝煌、爲臺海帶來了和平。」諷刺的是，在1998年歐布萊特擔任國務卿期間，總統柯林頓在造訪中國時公開宣告了他的對臺政策：「我們不支持臺獨、不支持兩個中國、也不支持一臺一中。」 他隨後也表示：「臺灣不應該出現在任何能展現國家地位的國際組織中」，此即史上有名的「柯林頓對臺三不政策」。儘管當時柯林頓政府強調他們只是重申美國現有政策、並未做出新的政策變動。到了1999年，歐布萊特卻又與時任中國外長唐家璇在共同記者會上重申「對臺三不」。自此之後歷任的臺灣政府一直努力試圖擺脫柯林頓所宣佈的對臺三不。對於歐布萊特逝世，蔡英文總統與外交部也有在推特上表示哀悼，但並沒有讚揚她在兩岸和平關係中扮演了什麼角色。然而國民黨的發文卻強調歐布萊特爲臺海帶來的貢獻卓越，不禁讓人替他們捏把冷汗。

讓我們來看看共和黨的對臺關係，回顧冷戰期間，當時的共和黨直言不諱主張美國應保衛臺灣，這個精神在過去30年來一直延續至今，近年來共和黨更是大力支持對臺軍售、主張更緊密的美臺關係。就政治光譜來看，共和黨與國民黨通常被定位於中間偏右，也就是俗稱的保守派，然而共和黨無論在主打的政策上（例如提倡美國應該減少聯邦政府權力採取「小政府」）或是對社會問題所採取的保守觀點上，則與國民黨提出的政策卻鮮少有交集。

有趣的是，位於政治光譜不同邊的民進黨與共和黨，反倒是基於抗中的共同立場，開始建立起越來越密切的關係，然而除了對中議題之外，屬進步（progressive）派、偏左的民進黨與共和黨在其他社會議題與政策上也可說是缺乏共通點。

如果朱立倫主席企圖利用這趟訪美時跟共和黨拉近關係，建議可以作一些功課，在例如抗中、墮胎權、性別少數、能源等議題上找出一些能與共和黨對談的同調話題，纔有機會獲取共和黨的芳心。但鑑於美國現在由民主黨執政，現在國民黨想討好民主黨的作爲，看來反倒像是在跟民主進步黨爭民主黨的寵。（作者爲前美國共和黨亞太區主席）

英文全文：

The Democratic Partyization of the Kuomintang?

By Ross Darrell Feingold

Former Asia Chairman, Republicans Abroad

Twitter: @RossFeingold

After several changes to the timing, the visit to the United States of Chinese Nationalist Party (or Kuomintang) Chairman Eric Chu is to occur before the summer. Recent actions by the Kuomintang indicate that prior to Chu’s visit to Washington DC and meetings with the United States government, the Kuomintang is trying to publicly express its affection for President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party. The speed at which the Kuomintang tweeted on April 7 th that it “hopes to exchange views with” U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the Democratic Party when she visits Taiwan is but one example.

However, this author has previously publicly commented that such actions neither help the Kuomintang attract votes in Taiwan, nor result in public statements of support for the Kuomintang from either the Biden Administration or Members of Congress. Recent Kuomintang actions are unlikely to change these realities.

The Kuomintang (along with the Taiwan People’s Party and the New Power Party) have advocated for animal protection to be incorporated into the Constitution during the current round of constitutional reform. As an American trained lawyer, this author views the inclusion of animal protection in a constitution (rather providing for animal protection via laws and regulations) to be unusual, notwithstanding some countries include animal rights in their constitution.

President Joe Biden, when he was a Senator, supported numerous animal rights related legislation, and animal rights groups recently praised the first year of his presidency for “positive action” on animal rights. Perhaps the Kuomintang’s proposal to include animal protection in the Constitution is an attempt to make a favorable impression on President Biden, even though the idea will be met with scorn by Republicans, who usually support hunter rights.

In early March, a delegation led by Michael Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and who served under both Republican and Democratic presidents, visited Taiwan. Other delegation members included individuals who severed in Republican administrations Michael Green ad Meghan O'Sullivan (though Green publicly opposed the election of Donald Trump), and two individuals who served in Democratic administrations, Michèle Flournoy and Evan Medeiros. Although some described it as a “bi-partisan” delegation, it was dispatched by the Biden administration, and thus, was inherently a Democratic Party delegation. In addition, its arrival days before former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Taipei was a partisan move, whether by the Biden administration to try to mitigate media coverage of Pompeo’s visit, or, by the Tsai administration to mitigate Biden administration anger that Taiwan hosted a vocal critic of Biden’s foreign policy.

The Kuomintang tweeted about welcoming “old friends”, and the delegation met with the Kuomintang (a small victory for the Kuomintang which has struggled to convince the Tsai administration to arrange for visiting dignitaries to include the Kuomintang on their itinerary). However, to call this Democratic Party and Biden administration delegation “old friends” simply because some people in the Kuomintang might have become acquainted with the delegation members when they worked in the U.S. government (or at think tanks) comes across to this American as pandering to the Biden Administration.

Later in March, former United States Secretary of State Madeline Albright passed way. The Kuomintang tweeted “Her legacy as secretary of state helped bring peace to Taiwan Strait”. In fact, during her tenure as Secretary of State, President Bill Clinton visited China in June 1998 and publicly said that his Taiwan policy is “we don't support independence for Taiwan, or 'two Chinas', or "one Taiwan, one China', and we don't believe that Taiwan should be a member in any organization for which statehood is a requirement." This came to be known as Clinton’s Three Nos about Taiwan, and although the Clinton Administration denied it was a change in U.S. policy and merely restated existing U.S. policy, for years afterward Taiwan tried to persuade subsequent U.S. governments not to frame U.S. policy towards Taiwan the same way as Clinton did. In September 1999, at a press conference with then China Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, Albright reiterated the Three Nos. Albright certainly does not deserve praise for bringing peace to the Taiwan Strait.

Tweets from both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and President Tsai about Albright’s death expressed condolences but did not inaccurately praise her for a role in China – Taiwan peace that she did not perform.

During the Cold War, Republican politicians were more outspoken advocates for the United States to defend Taiwan. Generally, this continued over the past thirty years, with Republicans more eager to support weapons sales to Taiwan, advocate for closer US-Taiwan relations, and recently, to criticize China. In addition, the Republican Party and the Kuomintang nominally share right-of-center or “conservative” philosophies, though in reality the Republican Party’s support for small government and conservative views on social issues are not currently Kuomintang policies.

Recently however, and only because of their shared views on China, the Democratic Progressive Party has developed excellent relations with Republican politicians even though Democratic Progressive Party politicians otherwise have little in common with Republicans on policy issues.

Perhaps Chairman Chu when he visits Republican Members of Congress will say that the Kuomintang’s views on China are identical to the Democratic Progressive Party government. If he can do that, and, emphasize that the Kuomintang opposes abortion rights, opposes legal protections for gay, bisexual and transgender persons, opposes policies that replace oil and gas with renewables such as the Democratic Party’s “Green New Deal”, and shares the faith-based beliefs that are also core to most Republicans, then perhaps Republicans will resume their romance with the Kuomintang.

But given that President Biden is a Democrat, and based on the examples cited above, it seems that the Kuomintang is instead trying to out Democrat the Democratic Progressive Party.