Dear Republicans,
Remember that old line you used when you were trying to break up with someone – “It’s not you, it’s me?” That same line, with a slight modification, applies to the voting results Nov. 6.
The loss of The People’s House has little to do with rejecting traditional Republicans policies. When Trump implored us to vote as if he was on the ticket, a lot of people took him literally. So, in terms of election rejection, that line should read, “It’s not you, it’s him.”
This election was a referendum on the Trump presidency and had little to do with the Republican Party as it was before Trump. But it does have a lot to do with the party now.
So to all those traditional moderate Republicans who went along to get along in order to get the tax cut, deregulation and conservative judges, ask yourselves whether losing the House and the respect from so many voters was worth it.
You’ve lost 7 key governorships – including those (Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) that gave Trump his Electoral College win. Seven legislative chambers flipped from Republican to Democrat. And you’ve lost the House. Here’s one interpretation of why: you lost respect for the American people. In contorting yourselves into a pretzel to justify your unconditional support of Trump, by ignoring his excesses that go against everything America and the Republican Party have stood for, perhaps it’s possible you’ll realize your voters lost respect for you.
The House of Representatives is the People’s House and is the purest political voice of America. This election sent a lot of messages and in doing so, we elected a record number of women -110 and counting. We elected more veterans, younger and more diverse candidates who actually represent us – the constituents they serve.
They made it clear what we were voting for by focusing on local issues.
And here’s what we voted against:
We voted against Trump’s constant lying and his assault on objective truth; his fear mongering, his governing by conspiracy theories, his blatant racism, sexism, and xenophobia, his increasingly vicious attacks on anyone who disagreed with him.
We rejected his ignorance and were embarrassed by his actions on the world stage.
We rejected the ubiquitous corruption emanating from this administration.
We rejected his lack of dignity, integrity and decency, his demagogy, his white nationalism and his degradation of the office of the Presidency.
We rejected his basic lack of humanity and concern for others.
We rejected his immigration policy of separating parents and children which is worthy of the most repulsive and repressive authoritarian dictatorships – the low mark of this administration and a low mark in the history of this nation.
And surprise, surprise. It turns out that it’s not just ‘the economy, stupid’ after all. The latest NBC-Wall Street Journal poll found that 68 percent of those polled approved of the economy but 58 percent thought the nation was on the wrong track. That helps explain the results of the midterms.
And surprise, surprise. It turns out character does matter.
Maybe, hopefully, Republicans in Congress, as well as other officials, will recognize one other truth. It’s no longer acceptable to ignore, enable or otherwise fail to provide oversight in exchange for power. Do your job. Represent the best of who we are. Represent all of us.
That’s how you make America great.
Sincerely Yours,
Marsha Shearer
Village of Belle Aire
