GUEST COLUMN: Uniting the GOP on the issues
I was recently asked by a reporter about the split in the Republican Party. In the county, in Denver, in the state and the nation. And more importantly, did I ever think it could be mended and what it would take. The second question is easy to answer. Of course it can be mended. The other questions, not so much.
So, I talked to a few people who agreed that the rise to power of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners (RMGO), an organization that claims to support your gun rights while taking your money and turning around and attacking the very legislators who support gun rights, was a large part of the problem. (Full disclosure, I was a member of RMGO, I always supported your right to own and carry a gun, own guns myself, and have my concealed carry permit. I never voted for any type of limitations on your rights and yet they consistently sent post cards against me. When someone asked them why? The answer was simple, I had never kissed the ring. Of their leader, that is. If you know me at all you can imagine my response!) I agree, they have been a huge detriment to the Republican Party.
Then there are certain people in the Party who spend their time recruiting and running candidates who, instead of representing their districts, can pass their idea of a purity test. Unless you are far, far to the right, and you agree with their social agenda, you are out. Even if you are the best candidate for the district. Even if you are the one who can win. This small minority has gained power within the county GOP because the others have given up. So, in the last four years just in the House alone, and under their leadership, we’ve lost over five seats. That is not going in the right direction.
And then there are the local Parties. If you pay attention to the news, and you must or you wouldn’t be reading this, you are well aware of the split in the El Paso County Party. When someone starts their very campaign by promising to get rid of the RINO’S (Republican in name only) and then claims to want to unify the party, it’s clear that no attempt to unify will be made.
And when others continue this message by calling our elected officials names like “old guard”, “establishment”, “racists” and, of course, RINO’s, I can tell you it doesn’t feel very unifying to me. When people start out to purge an organization of certain groups what are they doing? Sending those people to the other side. — plain and simple. Instead of welcoming and accepting, and therefore growing, the organization, they are causing it to shrink.
But these examples don’t answer my original questions. How did we get here? There has to be a bigger reason the groups and people I mentioned above as examples were allowed to gain such power. And there has to be a way to fix it. I think a start in fixing it would be to realize that we are seriously losing. That, unless we change our message and our tactics, we will continue to shrink in size until we are truly irrelevant. Unless we start focusing on the issues the citizens of the state really want, we will continue this downhill slide.
Do we give up our values and principles? No. But we must find a way to work together. We must stop the name calling.
We must all become this new definition of RINO: Republican Individual Not an Obstructionist. This RINO is one who is far right, moderate right, left leaning right. This RINO accepts and embraces all of these “right leaning people”. This RINO can work side by side and hand in hand with any and all Republicans, not just those who are like-minded. This RINO understands that we may have some differences, but we agree on the big issues. The fundamental issues that make us check the Republican box when we register to vote. And most importantly, this RINO knows that if we don’t stick together, and support each other, we won’t be around to support anyone.
From this day forward I will be proud to be called a RINO- a Republican Individual Not an Obstructionist.
Lois Landgraf is a former member of the Colorado House of Representatives, representing District 21.