Dear Mr. Moseley and other Republicans who are fed up with the current state of the Republican Party, Rather than quitting the Republican party, I propose you’re better off working to improve it. I read your recent column/editorial and I understand the frustration. Politics can be very personal, as they often tie into our belief system. How we view the world, what we value, and how we express those values, often comes out in what candidates we support or what policies we want advanced. Our current political system is designed around combining as many people with similar beliefs into one party. As it stands, we functionally only have two parties, Republican and Democrat, with a few other minor ones. Practically speaking, this means political candidates, and citizens, must pick between these two parties when choosing which most closely aligns with their belief system. This obviously leads to vast differences within a party, of beliefs. In a perfect world, I would love to have a different system in place, but unfortunately that’s not likely to happen. Since we have to operate under the current framework, leaving a party because of disagreements within that party, causes more long-term harm than good. Recent events can be argued, rise above just normal disagreements, to a level of party mindset/direction. I believe that’s even more reason to NOT leave the Republican party. Instead, it should cause more Republicans to want to get actively involved. More people should want to be involved with the York County Republican Party. More people should want to be delegates to our state’s GOP convention, and even the national one. More Republicans need to stand up, address policies and practices at the state and national levels. More Republicans need to publicly speak out when they disagree with the direction of their party. The way to truly affect change in this nation, is through activism, making the decision makers aware of the views of the people. This applies to the decision makers within the Republican party as much as anywhere. Leaving a party sends a message, albeit a small one. Unfortunately, if enough people leave the Republican party, because they’re upset with the direction it’s heading, most of the people that remain are ones that want to head in the direction you disagree with. Instead, these Republicans need to fight for their party. Fight for the future. Serve in the party. Run for leadership opportunities. Write letters to the editor for/against issues, specifically calling out their own party when they’re wrong. There are many opportunities to affect change. True change can only happen within a group, when members who claim to be part of that group, call other members out when they’re in the wrong. Silence is powerful. If both Republicans and Democrats worked to better their own party from within, we may be able to get to a point where we can acknowledge that the “other side” is also out to better our nation, they may just have different ideas on how to do that. (This topic leads to another conversation entirely, that needs to be had IMHO.) No matter what, I urge everyone to find a way to be involved. To make your opinion known, and to work towards a better country. It has taken people standing up for what’s right, no matter the cost, that has moved our nation forward in the past, and only that will help our nation continue to move forward today. Sincerely,
Stephen Postier
York County GOP Chairman