I am a firm believer in the two-party system. During all of my years as a public servant, I worked closely with members of the so-called opposition party, knowing that you can get things done when the two parties get together.
Which is why I am saddened at the demise of the Republican Party.
On the local level, I very much respect many of the elected Republicans who serve at the county, town and village level. They go about their jobs each day taking care of their taxpayers and with one or two exceptions, I consider them very non-partisan.
The real problem is the national Republican Party.
Once upon a time, the party could boast about its progressive agenda and Senators such as Everitt Dirksen and John McCain and governors in the mold of Nelson Rockefeller, made enormous contributions to the advancement of our country.
But those days are long since gone. Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mc Connell is a dinosaur and the other senators are lapdogs for the president.
Today’s Republican Party is a hollow shell. It has been swallowed up by President Trump and has been totally neutered by one man.
On rare occasions, a senator speaks out in opposition to some presidential tweet, but there are very few willing to go on the record for fear of retribution. At no time in my life have I seen such timidity on the part of grown men and women.
If the election were held today, there is little doubt that former Vice President Joe Biden would be on the odds-on favorite to be elected.
But November seems like an eternity away and anything can happen over the next four months. At this point, President Trump has badly fumbled the handling of the Covid-19 virus and has been unable to deal with the current debate on racism. His daily tweets are a gift to the Democratic Party.
There is no doubt that my service to the public has been as a Democrat. At no time did I ever miss the opportunity to work with any Republican to get things done.
But it is my fervent wish for today’s Republican Party is that the president is beaten in November, by the widest of margins. History proves that when a party in power takes an electoral drubbing they have a chance to rebuild with new ideas and fresh faces.
I doubt that few of my Republican friends would publicly embrace this concept. Party loyalty demands that its followers stick together at any cost. But for the sake of the party and our country, sending Donald Trump back to Mara Lago would be a new beginning.
