Brunswick Beacon, 10.31.24
Liz Cheney and Kamala Harris campaigning together showed what’s missing from our public discourse: a commitment to mutual respect and compromise.
Traditionally, Democrats and Republicans waged hard-fought political campaigns, but, when elections were over, they united in that distinctly American practice: the peaceful transfer of power. Then, Donald Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election.
In supporting Harris, Cheney emphasized that she had not abandoned her conservatism. Instead, she joined Harris to work for the common good: “We might not agree on every issue,” said Cheney, “But [Kamala Harris] is somebody you can trust.”
“I’m a conservative,” Cheney said. “And I know that the most conservative of all conservative principles is being faithful to the Constitution. You have to choose in this race between someone who has been faithful to the Constitution, who will be faithful, and Donald Trump…We watched what he did after the last election. We watched what he did on January 6.”
It reminded me of John McCain’s defense of Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign. When a McCain supporter said, “I can’t trust Obama — he’s an Arab,” McCain immediately replied, “No ma’am. He’s a decent family man, a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues.”
The Pledge of Allegiance promises an America “with liberty and justice for all.” Democrats and Republicans emphasize different parts of that promise. At its best, the Democratic Party works to promote justice, as President Johnson did by signing the Civil Rights Act. At its best, the Republican Party works to protect our liberties from government overreach, as President Eisenhower did by warning against the military-industrial complex.
Working together, Democrats and Republicans can best achieve the proper balance between those competing promises. Not, as Trump does, by treating each other as enemies, but by committing themselves to mutual respect and compromise. Cheney is asking Republicans to elect Kamala Harris because, unlike Trump, Harris embraces that commitment.
Eileen Farrell
Sunset Beach