Name: When does party loyalty demand too much? Fellow Republicans, we are there.
Brand: dallasnews.com
SKU: dallasnews-com-222
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

When does party loyalty demand too much? Fellow Republicans, we are there.

preview

1:30 AM on Oct 11, 2020 CDTThe following is part of a point-counterpoint discussion on whether Republican voters should support reelecting President Donald Trump. Find the other side of the discussion, from former GOP Rep. Joe Barton, here: .The two of us are lifelong Republicans, from middle school political enthusiasts to Young Republicans to precinct leaders to convention delegates to Republican congressmen. And we are lifetime patriotic Americans. We join a group of elected and appointed Republican officeholders and party officials to ask our fellow party members to reject the presidency of Donald Trump and vote for Joe Biden.Equally important, we encourage our fellow Republicans to vote for the other Republican nominees on the ballot. Doing so will restore the Grand Old Party into Republican hands. Recall that Trump was never a Republican until he won the party’s nomination. Traditional Republican articles of faith like strong national security, fiscal conservatism and human rights and freedoms have diminished with his administration.Rejecting Trump’s presidency will begin to restore decency in government, character in our leadership, an economy that works, policies set by orderly debate rather than chaos, and an end to the disastrous mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic that has already killed 211,000 Americans. The U.S. has 5% of the world’s population, and this number represents approximately 20% of the world’s fatalities. Trump isn’t responsible for the virus coming to our country, but he is responsible for our nation’s incompetent response.When does party loyalty demand too much? When a mismanaged global pandemic kills more Americans than all wars since World War II and causes an economic collapse rivaling that of the Great Depression, and when Americans face racial unrest, increased social isolation and more division among friends and family members than anytime since the Vietnam War period.In 1965, we both heard our Republican Sen. John Tower say, “When does party loyalty demand too much?” as he asked Texas Democrats to cross party lines for the good of Texas. Democratic Gov. Allan Shivers asked the same in the 1950s when he encouraged his colleagues to vote for President Dwight Eisenhower.Now it’s time Texas Republicans return the favor, for the good of our state and our country.Scores of former Republican members of Congress, governors, officials of both Bush presidential administrations, former national security officials, former senior military officials under former Republican presidents (such as Gen. Colin Powell) are joining in this effort to save our party and the country from four more years of this president.Character matters in all areas of life: family, business, church, law enforcement, schools and public life. Character and decency both form good public policy and create its successful implementation.“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” was not a toxic tweet, it was a demand based on six years of consistent national security policy. And it emanated from Ronald Reagan’s rock-solid character.We have the words of those who know him best, including his niece and his older sister, retired federal judge Maryanne Trump who says of her brother, “he has no principles, none.”We have the words of members of his Cabinet, including former Defense Secretary General James Mattis, “he is dangerous, unfit and has no moral compass;” and former Director of National Intelligence and former conservative senator Dan Coats, “He doesn’t know the difference between the truth and a lie.”Among other things, Trump has referred to himself as “.” The National Prayer Breakfast this year included remarks from a prominent conservative who called for decency and civility. Trump immediately stated he did not agree and launched an attack on his political opponents.Has anyone with even a passing familiarity with the books of the New Testament ever heard 2 Corinthians referred to as Two Corinthians? That was his answer when asked during the last campaign what his favorite Bible verse was. When corrected, he of course blamed it on the person who gave him the note with an answer.As to governing, Abraham Lincoln in his first inaugural address called on the “better angels of our nature” to bind up the wounds and division of the Civil War.Trump has doubled-down on name-calling, sowing division, calls to violence and misinformation.Sound policy, whether in public health, the economy or national security, is not separable from character and governing.Four more years of Trump’s governing will not resolve these issues; it will make them worse. Enough.Biden is a man of faith, commitment to family, decency and integrity. His governing style is collaborative: find the right answer for the good of the country.We both know him and have worked with him. Of course, we don’t agree with all of his policies. Even so, we recommend him to you, fellow Republicans, to lead this country out of the chaos. We can assure you that he is not a socialist.And, electing Biden will allow Republicans to rebuild our party.Our colleague in this endeavor, former Republican Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder says, “We must elect Joe Biden in November so that we can begin the arduous but essential process of healing America and putting society back on a positive path where civility and working together help us achieve great things as a nation once again.”Alan Steelman is a former Republican member of Congress representing Dallas, a former GOP candidate for U.S. Senate and a management consultant.Steve Bartlett is a former Republican member of Congress representing Dallas and a former mayor of Dallas.Got an opinion about this issue? , and you just might get published.Editorial and commentary from op-ed columnists, the editorial board and contributing writers from The Dallas Morning News, delivered three days a week.By signing up you agree to our

1:30 AM on Oct 11, 2020 CDTThe following is part of a point-counterpoint discussion on whether Republican voters should support reelecting President Donald Trump. Find the other side of the discussion, from former GOP Rep. Joe Barton, here: .The two of us are lifelong Republicans, from middle school political enthusiasts to Young Republicans to precinct leaders to convention delegates to Republican congressmen. And we are lifetime patriotic Americans. We join a group of elected and appointed Republican officeholders and party officials to ask our fellow party members to reject the...

When does party loyalty demand too much? Fellow Republicans, we are there.

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS