Given the near exponential growth in political disinformation and an unrelenting onslaught of highly polarized opinions coming from news channels and candidates, making political choices sometimes feels so onerous that many of us would like to either give up and sit this one out or just retreat into our traditional political affiliations. If we want our choices to reflect who we are and what we want our nation to be — both in our lifetime and for future generations — and something we can be at peace with, it’s essential that we step back from all this rancor and reflect on the principles we hold most dear. Instead of trying to make choices based on who might help us financially in the short term, or who “we like” and “don’t like” for each office, I submit we’ll be much better served by measuring candidates by how likely they’ll be dedicated to policies consistent with our most cherished principles.
This approach of putting principles and policies ahead of politics has evolved to be at the core of my voting decisions. As a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican for more than 40 years, trying to find candidates who align with my principles has often led me to political choices far afield from candidates in my own party.
The beliefs I hold most dear distill down to two basic principles. One, enshrined in our Declaration of Independence, is that “all men are created equal.” Derivative of this principle are beliefs that all men are worthy of a vote and all men are worthy of dignity. The second principle I refuse to move away from is to always defend, always protect the weak. All of my political choices are based on whether candidates have a history of consistently acting in accordance with these principles. If a candidate lauds these but has acted contrary to them, I’m compelled to reject that candidate irrespective of the party they belong to.
Throughout our history voting has been a founding and expanding principle of our democracy. Tragically, over the last few years, many of my fellow Republicans have sought to win not by the veracity of their policies but by limiting voting. Republican governors and legislatures have worked diligently to reduce the number of ballot drop-boxes, reduce mail-in voting times, create registration obstacles for at-age high school and college students, and impose voting restrictions on former felons who have served out their prison sentences but have not finished paying their fines. In Florida alone, Governor DeSantis disenfranchised 774,000 former felons in 2019 by requiring all fines be paid in full before voting rights were restored. This seems like an odd way to reintegrate people back into society.
Beyond voting rights, if we believe “all men are created equal” then we must support policies that build dignity for all. Two cornerstones to building dignity are providing all with an opportunity to secure healthcare and a quality education.
The biggest reason I refuse to support most of my fellow Republicans is because they cheered for themselves in the White House Rose Garden when they were on the verge of rescinding healthcare for 23 million people. Living a secure, dignified life requires healthcare, and Republicans’ past and ongoing willingness to strip that away from people clearly demonstrates a callous disregard for the people they’re supposed to be protecting and serving.
Another way Trump and his enablers diverged from protecting the weak and building dignity was when Trump submitted his budget request to Congress; every year he and his administration asked for a 10.0% cut in funding for public education. Just this past June, Republicans in Congress sought to slash federal funding for K-12 schools. These efforts reflect a callous betrayal of the weakest among us. Trump and Republicans can say they’re “pro-life,” but their repeated efforts to strip healthcare away from people and willingness to cut the resources children need to succeed demonstrate otherwise.
Lastly, Trump and current Republicans have diverged from defending the weak in their abandonment of measures that protect the environment. Auto companies and many owners of power plants and heavy industries, seeing accelerating global warming, have been working diligently to reduce emissions, and yet the current generation of Republicans continues to choose to go out of its way to roll back environmental protections. Republican President Teddy Roosevelt, stalwart defender of the environment, would be appalled.
At this time of choosing, I submit that each of us will be well served by remembering who we are and deciding to protect the long-term well-being of our children, our neighbors, our environment, and our democracy. Let us choose to protect the weak and build dignity and not cave in to the anger, resentment, and retribution that my fellow Republicans are sowing. Instead of following in the footsteps of the German people who in the early 1930s chose to abandon their principles and enable an authoritarian who they thought would enrich them and make them great again, let us remember and take to heart Lincoln’s Gettysburg call to “dedicate here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.”
Reposted from Compelled to Move Forward with minor style edits.
