“[T]his sometimes awkward alliance” of the Decent and Sensible
Following the conclusion last night of the Democratic National Convention, I take this opportunity to reflect on important themes that transcend partisan politics.
Adam Kinzinger is a former member of Congress who self-identifies as a conservative Republican. Take in below some excerpts from his speech to the convention last night (click through for the full video and transcript):
I’m Adam Kinzinger, and I am proud to be in the trenches with you as part of this sometimes awkward alliance that we have to defend truth, defend democracy and decency.
I was just a kid when I was drawn to the party of Ronald Reagan, to his vision of a strong America, the shining city on a hill. I was a Republican for 12 years in Congress, and I still hold on to the label.
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I’ve learned something about my party…something I couldn’t ignore: The Republican Party is no longer conservative. It has switched its allegiance from the principles that gave it purpose to a man whose only purpose is himself.
Donald Trump is a weak man pretending to be strong. He is a small man pretending to be big. He’s a faithless man pretending to be righteous. He’s a perpetrator who can’t stop playing the victim. He puts on—listen—he puts on quite a show, but there is no real strength there.
As a conservative and a veteran, I believe true strength lies in defending the vulnerable. It’s in protecting your family. It’s in standing up for our Constitution and our democracy. That—that is the soul of being a conservative. It used to be the soul of being a Republican. But Donald Trump has suffocated the soul of the Republican Party. His fundamental weakness has coursed through my party like an illness, sapping our strength, softening our spine, whipping us into a fever that has untethered us from our values.
Our democracy was frayed by the events of January 6th, as Donald Trump’s deceit and dishonor led to a siege on the United States Capitol. That day, I stood witness to a profound sorrow: the desecration of our sacred tradition of peaceful transition of power, tarnished by a man too fragile, too vain, and too weak to accept defeat.
How can a party claim to be patriotic if it idolizes a man who tried to overthrow a free and fair election?
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Some have questioned why I’ve taken the stand I have. The answer is really simple, ladies and gentlemen: We must put country first.
And tonight, as a Republican speaking before you, I’m putting our country first.
Because the fact is, I do belong here. I know Kamala Harris shares my allegiance to the rule of law, the Constitution, and democracy, and she is dedicated to upholding all three in service to our country. Whatever policies we disagree on pale in comparison with those fundamental matters of principle, of decency, and of fidelity to this nation.
Listen, to my fellow Republicans, if you still pledge allegiance to those principles, I suspect you belong here too. Because democracy knows no party. It’s a living, breathing ideal that defines us as a nation. It’s the bedrock that separates us from tyranny. And when that foundation is fractured, we must all stand together united to strengthen it.
On the second night of the convention, Stephanie Grisham, a former press secretary to the 45th president, spoke the following words (click through for the full video):
I wasn't just a Trump supporter. I was a true believer. I was one of his closest advisors. The Trump family became my family. I spent Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's all at Mar-a-Lago. I saw him when the cameras were off.
Behind closed doors, Trump mocks his supporters. He calls them basement dwellers. On a hospital visit one time when people were dying in the ICU, he was mad that the cameras were not watching him. He has no empathy. No morals and no fidelity to the truth.
He used to tell me, “It doesn't matter what you say, Stephanie. Say it enough and people will believe you.” But it does matter. What you say matters. And what you don't say matters
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When I was press secretary, I got skewered for never holding a White House briefing. It’s because, unlike my boss, I never wanted to stand at that podium and lie. Now here I am behind a podium, advocating for a Democrat. And that’s because I love America more than my party. Kamala Harris tells the truth. She respects the American people. And she has my vote.
On the third night of the convention, Olivia Troye, former homeland security and counterterrorism advisor to former Vice President Mike Pence, said the following (click through for the full video):
Four years ago, I resigned from the Trump administration. As a Republican who dreamed of working in the White House, it was a hard decision. But as an American, it was the right one. I saw how Donald Trump undermined our intelligence community. Our military leaders. And ultimately our democratic process. Now he's doing it again. Lying. And laying the groundwork to undermine this election.
It's his MO. Just sow doubt and division. That's what Trump wants because it's the only way he wins. And that's what our foreign adversaries want, because it's the only way they win.
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Being inside Trump's White House was terrifying. But what keeps me up at night is what'll happen if he gets back there. The guardrails are gone. The few adults in the room the first time resigned or were fired.
I grew up in the kind of working family that Trump pretends to care about. Conservative. Catholic. Texan. July 4th was our most sacred holiday. Those values made me a Republican. And they're the same values that make me proud to support Kamala Harris not because we agree on every issue but because we agree on the most important issue: Protecting our freedom.
So to my fellow Republicans, you aren't voting for a Democrat. You're voting for democracy. You aren't betraying our party. You’re standing up for our country. Thank you.
On the third night of the convention, Georgia’s Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan spoke the following words (click through for the full video):
I stand here as an American. An American that cares more about the future of this country than the future of Donald Trump. My journey started to this podium years ago, when I realized Donald Trump was willing to lie, cheat, and steal to try to overturn the 2020 election. I realized Trump was a direct threat to democracy and his actions disqualified him from ever, ever, ever stepping foot into the Oval Office again.
I could spend my time revving up this crowd, but I am certain I don't have to talk anybody out of voting for Donald Trump here. So, I will focus my attention on the millions of Republicans and independents that are at home, that are sick and tired of making excuses for Donald Trump. If Republicans are being intellectually honest with ourselves, our party is not civil or conservative. It is chaotic and crazy, and the only thing left to do is dump Trump.
These days our party acts more like a cult, a cult worshiping a felonious thug. Look, you don't have to agree with every policy position of Kamala Harris, I don't. But, you do have to recognize her prosecutor mind-set that understands right from wrong, good from evil. She is a steady hand and will bring leadership to the White House that Donald Trump could never do.
Let me be clear to my Republican friends at home watching. If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024, you are not a Democrat. You are a patriot.
On the third night of the convention, media superstar and registered independent Oprah Winfrey spoke the following words (click through for the full video and transcript):
I’ve seen racism and sexism and income inequality and division. I’ve not only seen it; at times, I’ve been on the receiving end of it.
But more often than not, what I’ve witnessed and experienced are human beings, both conservative and liberal, who may not agree with each other, but who would still help you in a heartbeat if you were in trouble. These are the people who make me proud to say that I am an American. They are the best of America.
And despite what some would have you think, we are not so different from our neighbors. When a house is on fire, we don’t ask about the homeowner’s race or religion. We don’t wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No, we just try to do the best we can to save them. And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady, well, we try to get that cat out too.
’cause we are a country of people who work hard for the money. We wish our brothers and sisters well, and we pray for peace. We know all the old tricks and tropes that are designed to distract us from what actually matters, but we are beyond ridiculous tweets and lies and foolery. These are complicated times, people, and they require adult conversation. And I welcome those conversations because civilized debate is vital to democracy, and it is the best of America.
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[S]oon and very soon—soon and very soon, we’re going to be teaching our daughters and sons about how this child of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, two idealistic, energetic immigrants—immigrants—how this child grew up to become the 47th President of the United States. That is the best of America.
Let me tell you this: This election isn’t about us and them. It’s about you and me and what we want our futures to look like. There are choices to be made when we cast our ballot. Now, there’s a certain candidate that says, if we just go to the polls this one time, then we’ll never have to do it again. Well, you know what? You’re looking at a registered independent who’s proud to vote again and again and again. Because I’m an American, and that’s what Americans do.
Voting is the best of America. And I have always, since I was eligible to vote, I’ve always voted my values. And that is what is needed in this election, now more than ever. So I’m calling on all you independents and all you undecideds. You know this is true. You know I’m telling you the truth: that values and character matter most of all, in leadership and in life. And more than anything—you know this is true—that decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024.
And just plain common sense. Common sense tells you that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can give us decency and respect. They’re the ones that give it to us.
So, we are Americans. We are Americans. Let us choose loyalty to the Constitution over loyalty to any individual, because that’s the best of America. And let us choose optimism over cynicism, because that’s the best of America. And let us choose inclusion over retribution. Let us choose common sense over nonsense, because that’s the best of America.
And let us choose the sweet promise of tomorrow over the bitter return to yesterday. We won’t go back. We won’t be sent back, pushed back, bullied back, kicked back. We’re not going back.
We’re not going back. We’re not going back.
So, let us choose. Let us choose truth, let us choose honor, and let us choose joy! Because that’s the best of America. But more than anything else, let us choose freedom. Why? Because that’s the best of America. We’re all Americans, and together, let’s all choose Kamala Harris!
I believe that in Douglas County, Colorado, the balance of power lies with the decent and sensible voters – of whatever partisan affiliation or none at all – who agree with these non-Democrats.
They agree with Adam Kinzinger “that we have to defend truth, defend democracy and decency” and that “any policy disagreements one may have with the Democratic nominee “pale in comparison with those fundamental matters of principle, of decency, and of fidelity to this nation.”
They nod along with Stephanie Grisham when she explains that she supports the Democratic ticket “because I love America more than my party.”
They understand Olivia Troye being “proud to support Kamala Harris not because we agree on every issue but because we agree on the most important issue” and that in voting for Harris, “You aren't betraying our party. You’re standing up for our country.”
They look askance at people they know who thus far have failed to recognize, as Geoff Duncan put it, that “If Republicans are being intellectually honest with ourselves, our party is not civil or conservative” and “If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024, you are not a Democrat. You are a patriot.”
And they are right there with Oprah, who observed that “more than anything…decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024. And just plain common sense.”
Decency and sense together are the north star of “this sometimes awkward alliance.”
They are also the theme of my own campaign to represent Colorado’s House District 39. I welcome the support of all who share these values and who recognize the deficits in my opponent.
This is all very welcome and powerful.