Unthinkable

Previously it had been unthinkable to me that a sitting president of either party would incite his followers to attempt to violently overthrow a legitimate election with an end goal of seizing control of the government for himself.

It’s not so unthinkable anymore.

Over the last five years, I have intentionally avoided posting my personal political views on social media, in what I now see as a misguided effort not to offend. In retrospect, I have been much too cautious about sharing those views. I sincerely regret not being more outspoken about my opinions and therefore allowing others to feel safe in expressing their own.

So here it goes, politically speaking, I’m essentially extinct. I’m a fiscal conservative, social moderate who started my career working for other moderate Republican Members of Congress. Moderates these days are few and far between. Partisan labels and personal philosophy aside, I am before all else an American and a believer in our democratic principles. Is our country perfect? Clearly not, but it is up to ALL of us to make positive change through the existing framework of our democracy, not through mob rule and chaos.

At least weekly from late 2015, I have found myself wanting to rant about this President’s actions, his rhetoric and some of his policies. With the very occasional blog post, I have remained generally silent. No more.

Here’s what I believe should happen next:

First, this president, others who attempted to incite the violent overthrow of our government and those who acted on those attempts must be held fully accountable under the law. Not doing so sends the message that this behavior will be tolerated if one has enough power.

Next, as Americans, not as political parties or polarized interests, we must carefully examine how it is that so many of our fellow Americans feel unheard and believe that their needs have been unaddressed.

Finally, it’s time for those in power, both in politics and the media, to tone down the rhetoric and get back to the facts. Time to start getting our news from reliable sources, not pundits. It was also very distressing for me to see two sitting U.S. Senators attempt to undermine the certification of our recent election and therefore our democracy for nothing more than political positioning and the opportunity to raise money. Absolutely shameful.

Let’s all agree to a renewed commitment to our democratic institutions and the hope for all that those institutions should inspire.

#SpeakingUp