As someone who, up until about six years ago, had almost exclusively voted for Republican candidates, I have been shocked by the apparent determination of the party to alienate many of its long-time constituents, including me.
I am a Pro-Choice Republican. When I tell people that, they often look at me like I had just told them I was a flying squirrel. Actually, I am not alone. A recent poll from the Pew Research Center showed that 38% of Republicans are pro-choice. Another Pew poll showed that a whopping 60% of moderate Republicans are pro-choice.
Now try to put that into context with the recent United State Supreme Court decision abolishing all women’s reproductive rights without exception. Only 8% of America is fully aligned with that position. Knowing this, I would have expected a reasonable percentage of House and Senate Republicans to come out in support of a more moderate stance, but few have done so. Why? I believe they value being loyal to the party line over just about everything, including their own integrity.
I am also a Republican that believes the Jan. 6 riot was an insurrection attempt and that the former President was principally responsible. It is clear that this view is also unacceptable for a good Republican — just ask Liz Cheney. “Loyal” Republicans would call me a RINO (Republican In Name Only) and, while it is intended to be derogatory, I see it as a point of pride. If being a Republican requires me to align 100% of my beliefs with the party on every issue, then you can count me out.
It is surprising to think that the original Roe v. Wade decision was not made by some extremely liberal court but rather by five Republican-appointed and only two Democrat-appointed justices with one from each party dissenting. Clearly the definition of “conservative” has evolved. I wonder if Ronald Reagan would even be considered a Republican today.
Having said all that, I am not giving the Democrats a pass either. The platforms of both parties are moving to the extremes, leaving those of us with more moderate views few good options. Women’s rights and sensible gun rights are important to me but so are gas prices and inflation.
Instead of seeking win-win solutions, our two parties have chosen to posture themselves around every issue being an all-or-nothing fight with only a handful of individuals pushing for compromise. The result is that we either accomplish nothing or wind up with a one-sided result.
In a conflict, you only have two choices — you can escalate it or de-escalate it. Our two political parties remind me of the old movie, “The War of the Roses,” where a divorcing couple escalates their fight to the point where both of them are killed.
I will admit that escalation/conflict dramas can be entertaining, which is why we have so many popular series on TV like “Billions,” “Yellowstone,” and “Succession” but I hope we would all agree that we would prefer our government not to follow these examples. While de-escalation makes for boring TV, it also makes for good government.
Even with our widely varying beliefs, America is one nation, and our political leaders need to learn how to work together as a team again. A key tenant that many seem to have forgotten is that having individual beliefs and also being tolerant of the beliefs of others are not mutually exclusive. Most religious beliefs are grounded in this principle and, in a free society, respect for 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 — the freedom to have different beliefs — disappears.
At this point, it is difficult for me, and I suspect many others, to fully endorse candidates from either major party as, more and more, the choice becomes one of having to accept a wholly left or right vision for America, and I don’t believe that either extreme will yield a great result. Our democracy was built on the premise that the most successful outcomes will be built on compromise and finding a middle ground that a strong majority can endorse.
The first step, I believe, is selecting representatives that will attempt to represent the will of all of their constituents and place the good of the nation ahead of 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 by working together, getting the daily drama off the news shows, and making politics boring again.
Mark Lewis, a Colorado native, had a long career in technology, including serving as the CEO of several tech companies. He retired from technology last year and is now writing thriller novels. Mark and his wife, Lisa, and their two Australian Shepherds — Kismet and Cowboy, reside in Edwards.
