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.