Why We Need the Republican Party

I was five years old when Nixon resigned. I remember sitting with my mom on her bed as she watched a small television on the dresser. I was crying because she was crying. She explains that at the time, she thought Nixon was being unfairly targeted. Later she realized he really was a crook.

My hope is that many Republicans who believe that Trump is being unfairly targeted will later accept the damage he did with his lies and criminal acts. The reason I hope for this is not because I want to be right. I want a functioning Republican party. We need at least two functioning parties to produce the best solutions to our issues. We need two functioning parties to keep either party from becoming far right or left. A Trump Party is not a functioning party.

I don't believe the rioters at the US Capitol last week represent the majority of Republicans in so far as insurrection being an action they would commit. But they do represent a voting block that conservative candidates need in order to get elected. Unfortunately, Republicans can't get elected without fundamentalist Christians and white supremacists and it is killing their party. Republicans haven't won the presidential popular vote in the last 20 years except for W after 9/11. Voters don't like to change presidents during a war. Bottom line is most Americans don't want what they're selling.

I started working in Republican campaigns when I was 11 when my dad became interested in community organizing. I started block walking and by high school, was doing phone banking and worked as a page at many Republican conventions. I met Reagan, HW Bush, and Gov. Clements knew me by name. My parents were passionately moderate and expressed concern when, in the early 80's, conservative Christians started mobilizing around abortion. My dad was particularly concerned but appreciated the help and they were motivated like no other voting block. When he was in charge of the Harris County Republican vacancy committee, he rejected the call for a litmus test for new candidates to determine if they were prolife or prochoice. I can hear him now saying "Donald Trump is a four-flusher!" That was his word for a conman. I will say that I watched one episode of The Apprentice and thought he was a fraud back then.

Anyway, I expect it will take eight to ten years to rebuild the Republican party to something that resembles a functioning democratic republic movement. But, we Democrats will hold it together until then.

The (un)Common Good

My Gen-Z teenager said yesterday that she didn’t want to be a witness to any more historical events. She wants a tasteless, odorless, colorless, plain cheese pizza of a 2021.  I agree.

The past four years have been painful in so many ways.  As the mother of a transgender queer child, watching the Trump administration take over 65 discriminatory actions against LGBTQ Americans has been a stake to my heart.  Watching others support those attacks with their voices and votes, no matter how politely, has been brutal.  But in addition to the impact on our own family, seeing the lack of empathy that has overtaken our culture is shocking. 

The defense of the murder of George Floyd (he had a record).  The defense of babies taken away from their mothers (they shouldn’t have come here).  The resistance to a living wage (just work harder).  The abuse of the planet (business comes first).  The outrage at vandalism of property (lives lost are secondary).  The jaded acceptance of deaths due to covid (it’s the individual’s responsibility).  The lack of concern for others’ safety (I have a right not to mask). The refusal to provide access to healthcare (that’s socialism). The dismissal of the US Capitol rioters (they were imposters).  This has become common and it is not good. 

And it is not pro-life.  All these attitudes lead to death.  More than ever, we know that the position of POTUS is critically important. Some used to say, "the real power lies in Congress and the president is mostly a figurehead." When a president lies about election fraud, millions of people believe him even when all evidence is to the contrary. When a president encourages violence, thousands act, even though it is illegal. When a president uses dehumanizing language, millions lose empathy for their neighbor, even though their religion commands mercy.  For all the railing against radicals – however you define it - this dog eat dog culture is what I find most radical.  

I pray that the next four years, we find our way back to truth, not because we are followers but because we find a part of ourselves that got lost these past four years. The truth is: pursuing the common good, not maintaining our own comfort, is how we make America a more perfect union.  God help us.  

For a well sourced list of the discriminatory actions taken by the Trump administration since January 20, 2017, see https://transequality.org/the-discrimination-administration