Republican Party Doomed

An Open Letter to all true Republicans

Republican Senators have been working all week to pass a healthcare bill just so that they can brag that they kept their promise to repeal Obamacare, even though this bill will leave our health care system in far worse shape than it is now.

What’s even worse, several senators from both parties were already working on a bi-partisan solution that would have resulted in an immediate end to the uncertainty in the insurance market today and would have led to a long-term solution that would be much more acceptable to all of the American People.

But to admit that they could not pass the bill without bi-partisan support would have wounded their pride.  So, to save face, they are trying to ramrod this disaster of a bill to a vote before even getting a score from the CBO on its costs and effects just so that they can beat their September 30th deadline.

Their only concern is to ensure that they can say, “See, we told you we could repeal Obamacare, and we did.”  The fact that this bill will result in the loss of health coverage for millions of people, and will ensure skyrocketing costs for millions of others does not seem to bother them in the least.

They don’t seem to care that most Americans, by a healthy (no pun intended) margin OPPOSE this bill.  They don’t care that almost the entire health-care community opposes it.  The American Medical Association warns it violates doctors' oath to “first do no harm.” Kaiser Permanente says that any changes to health-care law should “increase access to high-quality, affordable care and coverage for as many people as possible” and that “the Cassidy-Graham bill does not meet any of those tests.”

It would be bad enough if this were an isolated incident, but it’s not.  It’s part of a pattern that started years ago and has steadily worsened with each election cycle.

IT’S TIME WE STEPPED BACK AND
TOOK A LOOK AT WHO WE REALLY ARE.

As Americans, we believe in equal rights for all, including the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as set forth in our Declaration of Independence and guaranteed under our Constitution and Bill of Rights.

As Republicans, we believe in the free market and limited government, and we support personal liberties and the responsibilities that come along with them.  We believe and support equal rights for all regardless of sex, race, religion, or sexual orientation.

For the first 100 years of our existence, the Republican Party was progressive and liberal on social issues. We were the ones who freed the slaves.  We passed the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments.  Republican-controlled Wyoming was the first state to give women the right to vote, and we introduced the 19th Amendment that gave that right to women across the country.  We started the Civil Rights movement in the late 50’s.  With the socially responsible Republican Teddy Roosevelt, we put the people over big business and stepped in and broke up the Business Trusts that were impeding the free market.  Under Eisenhower, we expanded Social Security, increased the minimum wage, and created the Interstate Highway System.  Under Nixon, we created the EPA.  Under G. H. Bush, we passed the Americans with Disabilities Act.

From the Civil War through the 1920’s, the Republicans were known as the party of Inclusion, and this is what allowed the Republicans to control both houses of Congress and the Presidency for most of the election cycles during that period. We maintained our dominance because our leaders our leaders were moderate and progressive.  They recognized that radical factions on either the left or the right served only to divide.

But the Republican Party has slowly drifted away from it roots.  It has changed from being socially liberal and fiscally conservative to just being conservative.  As a result, the Republican Party has slowly lost its heart and soul.

The Republican Party went from being known as the party of Inclusion to simply being known as the Conservative party.  It has moved farther and father to the right, and with each shift, it has pushed people away. This change is most readily apparent when  you consider that most blacks were Republican for most of our first 100 years.  Now, not only have we have lost support from most blacks and other minorities vote, they actively oppose us!

In fact, we have become the party of EXCLUSION! Just look at our positions on immigration. Not only have we supported a system that makes people wait as long at 25 YEARS to get in, and then only if you have a close relative already here, our current President wants to make it even more difficult by adding further restrictions.  While it is certainly proper to deport any immigrant who has committed a felony or violent crime, what is the logic in deporting those who entered years ago, have established roots here, contribute to our economy, have not committed any serious crimes, and have generally acted more responsibly than many of our own citizens?  Certainly, there needs to be a penalty and they need to pay any back-taxes they owe.  But, as with any criminal act, the punishment must be reasonable. Can any person with a conscious actually defend breaking a family apart because one of them entered American illegally many years ago?

Our current policy of exclusion is ever more shameful when you look at how we are currently turning our back on those most in need. When our party was first created, over 350,000 Americans died to eliminate slavery. In World War II, almost 500,000 Americans died to defeat tyranny in Europe.  Almost 100,000 Americans gave their lives for freedom in Korea and Vietnam.  We truly were the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave!  Now, we are supporting a policy that refuses to accept refugees fleeing tyranny on the irrational fear that a handful of them might try to do us harm!  Has cowardice replaced bravery?  

As Republicans, we should be LIBERAL on social issues and CONSERVATIVE on issues involving money.  There are those in our party today that refuse to accept the idea that we could be liberal on any issues, but this is not true.  Our great President Dwight D. Eisenhower, stated, "In all those things which deal with people, be liberal, be human. In all those things which deal with people's money, or their economy, or their form of government, be conservative."

Now, not only do most minorities vote Democrat, our current Republican leaders don’t even seem to care.  In fact, they are adopting some of the same types of policies designed to suppress minorities that the Democrats embraced so many years ago. Put another way, over the past 80 years, the Democratic and Republican parties have essentially switched places!

We hear Republican leaders today talking about their “core” supporters, and introducing policies designed specially to appease this increasingly smaller group while ignoring the rest of the people.  Our leaders have forgotten that our party must serve ALL of the people, not just a “core” group.

It should be the goal of any political party to be as close to the center as possible while embracing a platform that adheres to its core principles.  We should NOT be trying to move to the right.  We should be trying to move to the CENTER, because that is where we can include and serve the most people.

Indeed, as a party, we want to serve all Americans. We must be willing to look at all sides of every issue, and choose a position that will best serve all Americans.  We must realize that we will not always agree on every issue, and many of us will be on opposite sides of some issues.  This is normal and democratic.  When setting up our platform, we must give greatest weight and priorities to those policies that are closest to the center, and give much less emphasis on those policies which are farthest to the right.

Our founding fathers designed our legislature to be made up of 535 individuals, each of whom has sworn an oath to the Constitution. It is not only proper, but mandatory, that each Representative and Senator either vote for or against a bill based on its own merits and their own understanding on whether that bill will benefit America and help the American people or not.  They should never vote simply because it’s the party line.  When a Representative or Senator votes on an issue solely because it’s the party line, they are violating their oath to the Constitution and are a disgrace to their office.

Today’s Republican Party is now so far to the right that many of us tried and true Republicans fail to recognize it.  We are ashamed even to be called Republicans.

We cannot win the trust of the American people if we are not trustworthy.  We must be HONEST at all times, even when the truth hurts.  We must admit our mistakes.  The American people are very forgiving of those who own up to their mistakes, but they do not forgive being lied to.

We now have a President who lies almost on a daily basis. He uses his official Twitter account to make personal attacks on those who oppose him. He labels all media that disagrees with him as “Fake News”.  He has mocked the other branches of our government when they have opposed him.  He makes allegations without any proof, even if he knows them to be false. He has lost the trust of most of the American People, and this is completely unacceptable.  Not only is this is a disgrace to our party and to the entire country, it represents a severe threat to our National Security when allies cannot trust us, and our enemies do not believe us.

Donald Trump ran a very dishonest campaign. He personally attacked his opponents and made allegations against them that had no basis in fact. He labelled any of those who opposed him as “lying”, “crooked”, “goofy”, “crazy”, or worse.  He refused to disavow racists and hate groups.  He complimented our country’s enemies and insulted our friends. In short, he abandoned all sense of decency and decorum.  Yes, he won the election, but is this the message we want to send to our young people?  That winning at all costs is the right thing to do?   

As Americans, we can support a President that on whose policies we disagree, but we cannot support a President that we cannot trust.  It is not enough to remain silent.  As Republicans, we ALL must actively oppose his deviant behavior, disavow his lies, and stand up for truth.  Anything less, and we are just as guilty and disgraceful as he.

HERE IS WHAT WE MUST DO RIGHT NOW

For too long, we have allowed a small, but vocal, radical faction to control our party.  It's time we took it back, return to our roots and once again embrace our core values.   

We can no longer allow right-wing radical bigots to continue to impose their narrow-minded supremacist views on our party.  The “Tea Party” and the “Alt-Right” are CANCERS that have invaded our party, and they must be eradicated from our party.

We must once again be the party of INCLUSION.

We must reach out to people of all races, sexual orientations, religions, and creeds and welcome them as equals.  We must put an end to Gerrymandering and support bi-partisan efforts to draw lines that are fair.  Never should lines be drawn to exclude anybody or to favor any politician or political party.  We need to make it easier for every American to vote, not harder.

We must support reasonable immigration reform.  While illegal immigrants who have committed violent crimes or felonies must be deported, we must provide a path to citizenship for others who have been here for years, have contributed to our society and economy,  and have committed no serious crimes.

We must stop opposing every policy the Democrats favor.  There is nothing wrong with agreeing with the Democrats on various issues.  In fact, if both parties really were trying to serve ALL of the American People, they would be in general agreement on most major issues!

We must NEVER PASS A BILL WITHOUT AT LEAST SOME DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT.  No major legislation have ever succeeded without bi-partisan support.  Just look at the Affordable Care Act!  The Democrats passed it without any Republican Support, and it has major flaws as a result. Had the Democrats waited until they could get bi-partisan support, we would have ended up with a much better system today.  But now we are about to make the SAME MISTAKE and make major changes to the law without any Democratic Support.  This is foolish to the extreme.  THIS HAS TO STOP NOW!

We must get rid of this ridiculous idea that our entire party must vote as a block on every issue.  Every Representative and Senator must vote for or against any bill based on its own merits and not simply because it’s the party line.

We must continue to be fiscally conservative, but not to the point where we are not meeting our social responsibilities. People do NOT have a RIGHT to an Education.  They do not have a RIGHT to health care. We do not believe in entitlements.  But we do have a RESPONSIBILITY to ensure that every American has the OPPORTUNITY to receive an education, and ACCESS to health care based on his or her ability to pay.  This does NOT mean we create entitlements and simply give these benefits to everybody.  It means so long as people are willing to put in their best efforts and pay what they can afford to pay, we have a responsibility to ensure that nobody is denied an education or health care simply because it is beyond their ability to pay.  THIS MUST START NOW!

Finally, before we take any action, or support any bill or motion, we need to simply ask ourselves, “Is this the right thing to do and are we doing this for the right reasons?”

Our party did well in the last election, but we cannot fool ourselves into thinking it was because of our policies.  Even with all of the baggage that Hillary Clinton drug with her, the entire election came down to a few thousand votes in a handful of states. Our success was due more to the lackluster turnout of Democratic votes than to our own policies. If you take away the people who voted Republican simply because they always vote the party line or because they didn’t like Hillary, you will find a very small minority that actually support the radical policies being adopted by our current leadership.

The current course being taken by our Republican leadership can only lead to failure. It will result in failed policies, a shrinking Republican base, and an invigorated Democratic one.

It's time to take action. I implore every true Republican out there who is as disgusted as I am to call our GOP Representatives and Senators and DEMAND that they start acting like real Republicans.

Ask them if they will take this pledge.  If they won't, that means that they are not representing Republican values, and we need to vote them out at the next election!

PLEDGE TO RESTORE REPUBLICAN VALUES

I will do my best to protect the free market and will stand up to special interests from both sides that desire to impede the free market,

I will work to limit government overreach, but will not sacrifice or jeopardize those programs that protect and benefit the American People,

I will work to reduce expenses by cutting unnecessary and wasteful spending, but I will not sacrifice essential programs that protect and benefit the American People,

I will work to reform our tax structure to reduce overly heavy burdens on taxpayers, while maintaining a fiscally responsible system that includes a balanced budget,

I will oppose any actions that discriminate against anybody based on their race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation,

I will work to keep my party’s position as close as possible to the center of the political spectrum as possible without compromising the fundamental values and philosophies under which our party was founded,

I will not attempt to pass unpopular bills by short-circuiting the normal legislative process,

I will not attempt to block popular bills by taking means to prevent them from coming to a vote,

I will never put my party’s interest over those of the people or the Constitution,

I will not vote to pass any bill that does not at least some bi-partisan support,

I will judge each bill on its own merits before voting for it and will never let party politics influence my decision,

I will oppose any Congressional Redistricting that does not have bipartisan support based, favors any one political party, or that discriminates against any race or religion,

I will actively resists special interest groups and radical factions that try to corrupt our party’s core values,

I will not falsely attack, criticize, or label other elected officials, members of the press, other branches of government, or individual citizens,

I will oppose any bills, statements, or actions that divide out country, 

I will not remain silent, but will actively call out and denounce any such actions committed by my colleagues, and

I will act at all times with the respect, decency, and decorum that my office deserves.

Left, Right, or Center?

We are a democracy, and every person’s opinions and desires county equally.  Most Americans are smart enough to realize that Democracy means COMPROMISE, and COMPROMISE means MEETING IN THE MIDDLE.  No one gets everything they want, but no one walks away empty-handed, either.

Meeting in the middle, of course, means moving toward the CENTER, NOT away from it.

By its very definition, the CENTER represents the median opinion of all Americans, and the goal of both parties should be to get as close as possible to the center. Political parties should NOT be trying to move away from the center.  The farther to one side a party moves, the more it alienates half the population and further divides our country.

Of course, moving to the center will upset the radicals and bigots in both parties. But these radicals and bigots, while vocal and active, DO NOT REPRESENT WHAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WANT.  Just look at our recent elections. Almost HALF of all eligible votes DID NOT VOTE.  Why?  Because they did not identify with or agree with EITHER party’s positions.  They did not feel that either party represented THEIR wants and needs.

If you cannot see that compromise is necessary in a democracy, you are part of the problem.  If you feel so strongly about a position that you do not want to bend, it is up to you to convince the other side that you are right and to bring them over to your side.  That is Democracy.  On the other hand, forcing the other side to accept your position without compromise simply because you hold a slight majority is an insult to the spirit of democracy, divides our country, and fuels hate and bigotry.

In the past 10 or 15 years, BOTH political parties have moved AWAY from the center.  The have stopped serving the American People and have instead divided the American People. This is why both Congress and the Presidents have had such low approval ratings.  Republicans such as Paul Ryan, Ted Cruz, and Mitch McConnell have pulled the Republican Party far to the right.  Democrats such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are actively advocating moving even farther to the left.  As a result, both parties are just shells of their former selves.  They have no clear vision because they are trying to please radical splinter groups instead of serving the American People.

Neither party realizes that they are doing exactly the OPPOSITE of what they need to do.  The current leaders of both parties are actively trying to move each party even farther from the center, and these leaders need to be voted out of office ASAP because they do NOT represent the AMERICAN PEOPLE.

It is a sign of FAILURE when ANY president or political leader is HATED by the other side.  Our most successful presidents, such as Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Ike, JFK, and Reagan, were admired and respected by BOTH sides, and that is why they were successful.  Even Bill Clinton was able to get legislation passed and balance the budget because he was more centrist than any president who has followed him.

Any hope of ending this political divide rests on at least one party recognizing the need to move toward the CENTER and adapting its platform to do so.  I have always been a republican, but my allegiance will be with whatever party starts acting to serve ALL OF THE PEOPLE.  Right now, neither party is deserving of anybody’s vote.

Ironically, today President Trump showed Congress how it is supposed to be done!  He met with the leadership from BOTH parties this morning, listened to what each of them offered, and supported the one proposed by the Democrats, as their plan would meet the immediate deadlines and offered compromises that both sides should be able to live with.

Trump's Disgraceful Dissolution of DACA

Once again, the failing Trump Administration added a new level of hypocrisy to an already scandal-ridden legacy by dissolving the DACA program, citing Constitutional Grounds just days after pardoning Sheriff Arpaio’s criminal contempt of court conviction for ongoing Constitutional Violations.

The DACA program itself, created by President Obama, was arguably a stretch of his executive powers.  With the limited resources available to law enforcement, any cop will tell you that it is impossible to prosecute every crime committed. Instead, they use their discretion when deciding whether to prosecute a crime.  Have you ever been pulled over for a traffic violation and just been given a warning?

But, to put into place a formal program to intentionally ignore an entire class of acts, including implementing a formal application process that even includes paying a $495 registration fee, goes beyond what any reasonable person would describe as prosecutorial discretion. In fact, President Obama himself described the action as a temporary fix to an emergency issue until Congress could address the issue.

So, of course, as President, Trump had every right to take rescind Obama’s action and dissolve the program. He could have dissolved it instantaneously rather than give it six months.  He did not even have to give a reason for his action if he did not want to.

However, as we all know, one can do the right thing for the wrong reasons, and here is a perfect example.  Trump claimed that his duties to the Constitution required that he dissolve the program, citing that we are a nation of laws.  This is a very logical, reasonable, and justified explanation, and if it had come from any other President, I could believe it.

But, since almost every action President Trump has taken since becoming President has made a mockery of the Constitution and the Rule of Law, cumulating with the pardon of Sheriff Arpaio less than ten days ago, can anyone really believe that this is the real reason he has dissolved the DACA program?  Really?

The only logical reason for Trump taking this action at this time is to give him leverage over Congress.  He can use this as a way to force Congress to fund his ridiculous wall.  The more cynical among us might even view this as a tactic to further distract Congress, and the country, from the ongoing Russia investigation.

One key insight into his real reason is the timing of his action. The DACA program has been in place for several years, and there was no urgency to take this action right now. Not only did has it not caused problems, it has allowed immigration enforcement agents to concentrate their limited resources on illegal immigrants that had committed crimes and are a danger to our society.  Between Hurricane Harvey’s devastation, the North Korea situation, Congress’ already packed agenda, and the impending Hurricane Irma damage, one would have to be clueless or have an ulterior motive to take such an action now.  So which it is, Mr. President?

If Constitutional concerns were really the issue, President Trump could have taken this action immediately after taking office. But he didn’t.  He waited until this month, when Congress will be dealing with raising the debt ceiling and providing the funding necessary to keep the government operating, including any potential funding of his wall.

Using innocent children as pawns in a political game of cat and mouse is despicable, an abuse of presidential authority, and a disgrace to our country.

When are our other Republican leaders going to stop supporting Trump’s outrageous and un-presidential conduct?   Do they not realize that their silence is just further enabling him?  Do they not realize that there is a right way and a wrong way to get things done?

Republican leaders may think they are protecting the party by not calling out President Trump personally for his unacceptable conduct.  But they are wrong. Their duty is to the Constitution and to the People, and any actions taken that put the Party over the People are short sighted and will only hurt the party in the long term.

Any politician who is defending Trump’s action at this time is equally reprehensible and voters will remember that at the next election.