As someone who voted almost exclusively for Republican candidates until about six years ago, I was shocked by the party’s apparent determination to alienate many of its longtime voters, including myself.
I am a pro-choice Republican. When I tell people this, they often look at me like I just told them I’m a flying squirrel. I’m actually not alone. A recent Pew Research Center poll found that 38% of Republicans are pro-choice. Another Pew poll found that as many as 60% of moderate Republicans are pro-choice.
Now try to put that in context with the recent United States Supreme Court decision that eliminated all reproductive rights of women without exception. Only 8% of Americans strongly agree with this view. Knowing this, I would expect a reasonable percentage of Republicans in the House and Senate to support a more moderate stance, but they are few and far between. Why? I believe they value loyalty to the party line above almost anything, including their own integrity.
I am also a Republican who believes that the January 6 riots were an attempted uprising and that the former president was primarily responsible. Clearly, this position is unacceptable even to a good Republican – just ask Liz Cheney. “Loyal” Republicans would call me a RINO (Republican in Name Only) and, while it’s supposed to be demeaning, I see it as something to be proud of. If, as a Republican, I demand to align my beliefs 100% with the party on every issue, you can count me out.
It’s amazing to think that the original decision in Roe v. Wade was not made by some ultra-liberal court, but by five Republican-appointed justices and only two Democratic-appointed justices, one from each opposing party opinions. Clearly, the definition of “conservative” has evolved. I wonder if Ronald Reagan would even be considered a Republican today.
Despite all that, I don’t give the Democrats permission either. Both parties’ platforms are teetering on the extremes, leaving those of us with more moderate views few good options. Women’s rights and reasonable gun rights are important to me, as well as fuel prices and inflation.
Instead of seeking win-win solutions, our parties have decided to approach every issue as an all-or-nothing battle, with only a handful of individuals pushing for a compromise. The result is that we either achieve nothing or end up with a one-sided result.
In a conflict, you have only two options – you can escalate it or reduce it. Our two political parties remind me of the old movie “War of the Roses” where a divorcing couple escalates their fight to the point where they are both killed.
I admit that escalation/conflict dramas can be fun, which is why we have so many popular shows on TV like “Billions,” “Yellowstone” and “Succession,” but I hope we can all agree that we’d rather our government not follow these examples. While de-escalation makes for boring television, it also makes for good government.
Despite our very different beliefs, America is one nation and our political leaders must relearn to work together as a team. A key tenant that many seem to have forgotten is that one’s beliefs and tolerance for the beliefs of others are not mutually exclusive. Most religious beliefs are based on this principle, and in a free society respecting this separation is paramount. If we seek to codify our particular beliefs into laws, then our nation-state effectively becomes a church, and our most sacred tenant—freedom of belief—disappears.
At this point, it’s hard for me, and I suspect many others, to fully support candidates from either major party, as it increasingly becomes a choice between having to accept an entirely left-wing or right-wing vision of America, and not I don’t believe either extreme will deliver excellent result. Our democracy was built on the assumption that the most successful outcomes will be based on compromise and finding a middle ground that a strong majority can support.
The first step, in my opinion, is to elect representatives who will try to represent the will of all their constituents and put the good of the nation before blind loyalty to a particular party or individual. More than ever in our history, we need to reverse course, come together and realize that the best way to make America great is to work together, remove the daily drama from the newscasts, and make politics boring again.
Born in Colorado, Mark Lewis has had a long career in technology, including serving as CEO of several technology companies. He retired from technology last year and now writes thrillers. Mark and his wife, Lisa, and their two Australian Shepherds, Kismet and Cowboy, reside in Edwards.
