Stick To Principles, Not Party Affiliations
by Reggie Cowan: For several months now we have seen news coverage of protests and it seems they are not tied to one political party. I think we can say the issue at hand is not for justification. Peaceful protests are clear exercises of some of the rights outlined in the First Amendment to the Constitution. I believe the issue is one of intellectual honesty.
Peaceful opposition to a candidate’s policies should not go in and out of style every four years. Politicians work for us. It is our duty to hold them accountable, no matter what letter follows their name. They should be judged by their action and words, not by their partisan positions.
When a politician belonging to an opposing party does something that benefits society or says something that is true, it is not betrayal to your party to acknowledge either of these things. And, it is not wrong to chastise the statements made or policies enacted by politicians of either party.
Each individual statement or policy should be judged by its own merit, regardless of political affiliation. Politicians who have lied in the past are capable of telling the truth. Those who generally tell the truth can also make false statements.
Don't dismiss a politician’s statement or proposal just because they recently made an untrue statement or proposed poor policy. It is just as bad to assume everything a politician says or does is bad because the person is on the opposite side of the aisle, or worse, because you just don't like the person.
Statements made by those holding office are either true or false. Once we abandon the truth or untruth, we enter an area where we find ourselves defending bad policies and outright lies in the name of party unity or loyalty. When Trump said "We had a massive landslide victory in the Electoral College" and that millions of people voted illegally in the 2016 election, Republicans should have had no problem admitting that these statements were false. Likewise, when Obama said "If you like your health care, you can keep it," or when he compared the Islamic State to a "JV team," the Democrats should have admitted these too were not true statements. This is not to say that every member of either party has defended every false statement ever made, but that politicians have dismissed false statements to avoid upsetting party leadership or supporters.
Political parties should make truth and good policy a priority, not unwavering loyalty to candidates of the same party, shaming of the opposing party, or party victory at all cost.
Sticking to principle is the only hedge against party tribalism. When one begins to see policies enacted and statements made by politicians as true or false, effective or ineffective, only then will we begin to hold them to a higher standard. We won't ever get better if we don't expect better.
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Reggie Cowan is Chairman of the Arkansas Garland County Tea Party.
Tags: Reggie Cowan, Chairman. Arkansas, Garland County Tea Party, Stick To Principles, Not Party Affiliations To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
Peaceful opposition to a candidate’s policies should not go in and out of style every four years. Politicians work for us. It is our duty to hold them accountable, no matter what letter follows their name. They should be judged by their action and words, not by their partisan positions.
When a politician belonging to an opposing party does something that benefits society or says something that is true, it is not betrayal to your party to acknowledge either of these things. And, it is not wrong to chastise the statements made or policies enacted by politicians of either party.
Each individual statement or policy should be judged by its own merit, regardless of political affiliation. Politicians who have lied in the past are capable of telling the truth. Those who generally tell the truth can also make false statements.
Don't dismiss a politician’s statement or proposal just because they recently made an untrue statement or proposed poor policy. It is just as bad to assume everything a politician says or does is bad because the person is on the opposite side of the aisle, or worse, because you just don't like the person.
Statements made by those holding office are either true or false. Once we abandon the truth or untruth, we enter an area where we find ourselves defending bad policies and outright lies in the name of party unity or loyalty. When Trump said "We had a massive landslide victory in the Electoral College" and that millions of people voted illegally in the 2016 election, Republicans should have had no problem admitting that these statements were false. Likewise, when Obama said "If you like your health care, you can keep it," or when he compared the Islamic State to a "JV team," the Democrats should have admitted these too were not true statements. This is not to say that every member of either party has defended every false statement ever made, but that politicians have dismissed false statements to avoid upsetting party leadership or supporters.
Political parties should make truth and good policy a priority, not unwavering loyalty to candidates of the same party, shaming of the opposing party, or party victory at all cost.
Sticking to principle is the only hedge against party tribalism. When one begins to see policies enacted and statements made by politicians as true or false, effective or ineffective, only then will we begin to hold them to a higher standard. We won't ever get better if we don't expect better.
----------------
Reggie Cowan is Chairman of the Arkansas Garland County Tea Party.
Tags: Reggie Cowan, Chairman. Arkansas, Garland County Tea Party, Stick To Principles, Not Party Affiliations To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
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