What Being Republican Means To Me
I recently received this very thoughtful question from a constituent:
“How do I reconcile the actions of the Republican Party, nationally (which I deem to be divisive and counter to the progress of women and minorities), with the intentions and actions of the local party (which I deem to be more in alignment with unity and progress)?
My response…
Thank you for the very good question on the issue of national politics vs.state / local politics…and essentially why I remain a registered Republican.
What keeps coming to mind is the phrase “all politics is local.” The actions and rhetoric of the national Republican political party don’t represent my values. Especially around women’s rights, as you note. It is fundamental to me that women have the right to make decisions about their own reproductive choices and health. A majority of Republicans serving in Connecticut feel this way. Also, our current President’s style of communication and behavior does not represent the people or our great country in a very good light.
Additionally worth noting, I have had no connection, support or communication to or from the national party…essentially two different political organizations.
It is equally challenging to see how far left the national Democratic party has gone. The liberal elite are looking to dismantle many of the fundamental freedoms and choices on which our country was founded. Every generation deserves the opportunity to pursue their vision of the American Dream without the oppression, overreach and opportunity-limiting mismanagement of an overly powerful, centralized government. This is especially evident in our state right now.
The cliched sound bites (from both parties) are cringe-worthy….so many sound like children who have little ability to self regulate. I often feel like a woman without a party — center right on fiscal issues and center left on social issues. The vast majority of us are in that moderate middle place.
Echoing the sentiments of my good friend and colleague Jayme Stevenson, “my beliefs in Republican values transcend the moment and those in power currently. I believe strongly in the foundational principles of what it means to be a Republican – limited government that exists to protect the rights of the individual, family values, personal responsibility, capitalism, a strong national defense and perhaps the most important tenets at this time in our history…public safety and educational choice. It means a great deal to me that Republicans were the party who called for the abolishment of slavery – an important historical context as we live through the BLM and anti-police protests.”
While this is a deeply challenging time politically…I focus on addressing state and local issues with common sense solutions. Feet on the ground conversations that are based on listening and understanding. Going back to the principles of what government should be — for the people and by the people. I make decisions based on the issue not what any political party dictates — though what makes sense. In these divisive days, it’s more important than ever to stay focused on people and the local issues important to them. Tuning out the divisive noise is essential. Federal politics have never dictated my common sense approach of what I believe is right for this community and Connecticut.
Hope that helps. Happy to dialogue further…I always relish our time together.
Warmest,
Terrie
I was encouraged to share my response with a wider audience in these last few days of the election as many are still struggling to reconcile what is going on at the national level with what we believe is important right here at the local and state level.
If this resonates with you, please let me know and/or consider sharing it with someone who you think might need to see this message.
