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I had such high hopes back in November of last year…….we had a firm grip on the House, the Senate, and, finally, the White House.  Now, I thought, we can get the important work of this country done.  Little did I know that I was in for a HUGE surprise.

Don’t get me wrong, some amazing things have happened in America since President Trump was sworn in, besides Justice Gorsuch being confirmed – the economy has picked up faster than anyone believed it could, manufacturing is up, the military is strengthening, illegal border crossing has been greatly reduced and the enemies of America know we mean business.

All of this is thanks to the work of the President and is happening in spite of the “Republican on Republican violence” happening in Congress.  It’s happening on a daily basis in DC and it’s killing our chances of governing in the way that America needs right now and it HAS TO STOP.

With control of the entire Congress, we finally had our best opportunity to repeal O-care and it was our own Party members that took that promise and shredded it because a small group of Republicans (John McCain, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski)  thought their opinions mattered more than the needs of the American people.  These people won their elections and we the people have lost the battle for good governance.

Having run for office, and served, I am uniquely positioned to say without hesitation or doubt – there is an enormous difference between campaigning and governing.  Some people are really good at campaigning, others at governing.  Sadly, few are good at both.  How many times have YOU wondered how this dolt or that ever managed to get elected/re-elected????  Exactly my point.

Pointing out your opponent’s every flaw and lack of mental aptitude is good campaigning (as long as not your primary opponent) but doing so while trying to do the people’s work is not.  It accomplishes nothing except to scuttle good, if not perfect, legislation such as that meant to end the insurance death spiral.

What happened to the idea of civility?  Of good manners?  Of statesmanship?  Of not doing the Democrat’s opposition research for them?

I have no faith that those in Congress will be able to stifle their egos long enough to pass any kind of comprehensive tax reform. Instead, I fully expect to see a lot of chest pounding and maybe even a little wailing on the steps of the Capital.   I also don’t hold out a great deal of hope that Republicans will be able to set aside their different opinions and work on passing tax reform bills that will allow Americans to keep more of what they earn and make this country great again.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again……. Not every Republican in the House or the Senate will see eye-to-eye on every issue – it’s the nature of a representative democracy. In my experience, good outcomes rarely derive from lockstep actions but rather are built on the foundation of collaboration, compromise, and reciprocity; none of which should be confused with surrendering your principles.  Also required?  An unyielding dedication to doing what is right.  Honesty partnered with grace isn’t always easy, but it’s a worthy goal.

That is good governance.

Much to my dismay, I’ve seen the same kind of “R on R violence” in the Texas Legislature.  It is an action so unbecoming to our Party when one of our state leaders labels another party stalwart a “Democrat”  because they can’t find common ground or a way to collaborate.  I find it despicable when one party leader or group of leaders decide they are going to extort legislators with ratings or scores based on metrics that are distorted by the prism of their personal agendas and advertise the grim findings publically as if those self-styled ratings have any true value.

I shake my head in disbelief every time this happens in DC or in Austin. The true grassroots of our party is a vibrant and diverse group and every Republican deserves representation in government without fear of reprisal from some other Republican who labors under the false conviction that he/she is the one and true arbiter of party values.

Wouldn’t it be lovely if we had people in DC and in Austin who could govern as well as they campaign?   How nice might it be to have every elected official care as much about the needs of the people during their term as they do while they are campaigning?

I continue to hope.

 

Theresa Kosmoski

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