To the editor:
This letter is intended for local Republicans.
Mark Twain once said, “With courage, you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity.” I write this open letter to you as a way to open the door for a civil conversation with you.
And before you roll your eyes and mumble something about “evil Democrats” I would like for y’all to hear me out, because it’s important to have these kinds of awkward and uneasy conversations for the principles of civics, and being neighbors.
What you see on the national stage with all the political theater, inner-party fighting, grandstanding, unable and willing to compromise for the sake of constituents … All the division and ugliness (name-calling): That same nonsense is happening in the state legislation too.
That leaves us as constituents with potholes that would sink the Titanic, and our public schools fight to keep their doors open among other serious problems that could be solved through bipartisanship and kicking huge corporate donors out of politics through campaign finance reform. (It’s a completely broken system that both parties take advantage of).
I won’t lie, your party that once held integrity and believed in accountability is becoming unrecognizable and being hijacked by a very small minority that claims to speak for all of you.
It’s that group that keeps pushing extreme pieces of legislation, tells us all what books we can read, and right now is actively trying to take away our constitutionally protected right to engage with our own state government by telling you that it’s for our “own good.” Of course, that’s not when they’re not too busy spending our tax dollars on fancy liquor cabinets or lawsuits while using our attorney general's office as a personal lawyer….
So are these the kind of values you want your party to hold and want to be represented by as a whole? Does it look like your party? If not, will you have the courage to stand up to that minority and take back your party?
