The Republican Party is in deep, serious trouble! After the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, tens of thousands of Republicans are switching party affiliation.
Censuring Jeff Flake, Cindy McCain, Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Ben Sasse, Richard Burr, Jaime Herrera Beutle, and others is not a productive or effective answer for its survival. Neither is the promotion of conspiracy theories, such as voter fraud. Neither is demanding loyalty to Donald J. Trump or even the Republican Party. Demonizing Democrats won’t save the Republican party either.
The answer, I would argue, is to seek men and women who are statesmen and stateswomen and encourage them to run for office and then support them. In most respects a statesman is the opposite of a politician. Politicians are those who will say or do anything to get elected or to gain power while a statesman is someone who does everything for the people, regardless of any negativity or criticism. A statesman will have these four characteristics: 1) a bedrock of principles, 2) a moral compass, 3) a vision, and 4) the ability to build a consensus to achieve that vision.
Now is the time!
Barbara McCauley Lovejoy, Salt Lake City