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President’s Message – January 2017

President’s Message

Happy New Year one and all……2016 was a year of triumph and sadness,  like so many years before her.  2017 lays ahead of us full of promise, but will surely bring us moments of despair – it’s just the nature of the beast.

But what sorts of things did 2016 telegraph for 2017?

Let’s start with the notion that the election of Donald Trump may very well have signaled the end of political correctness as we’ve known it.  The stranglehold of liberal “safe spaces”, especially on college campuses, has lost its grip.

If you need to wear a pin and find your “safe space”, then you are clearly not mature enough to have meaningful conversations, regardless of age.   What kind of Declaration of Independence might we have had if our founding fathers could only use words or tone permitted by the morality police?

Trump’s convincing win says – in the loudest voice imaginable – that the majority of Americans are tired of being “media shamed” for not being liberal…..or “progressive” to use the more politically correct term.    The message of 2016 is  clear:  we will no longer allow the liberal media to dictate what we say, how we say it or in what “safe space” we say it.  Conservative ideas are NOT inherently evil, despite media wails to the contrary.

The flip side is that we, as Republicans, must not replicate the contemptible rhetoric of the left.  Our discourse must be thoughtful,  determined and, above all, courteous.  We must exhibit a level of grace that has never been shown to us.

As we open the 85th session of the Texas Legislature, I hope that, as Republicans in a Republican legislature, we can offer that same level of grace to one another.  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.  Our Legislature is comprised of intelligent men and women capable of  having discussions that require neither safe spaces nor law enforcement intervention. We are, after all, working for the best solutions for Texas and her people.

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.

January 20, 2017, will represent the culmination of all that we have worked for in 2016.  The future is bright and I look forward to seeing many of you in Washington, DC, this month as we watch Donald J Trump, Republican, sworn in as the 45th President of the United States of America.

Just as we predicted.

Theresa Kosmoski

Theresa Kosmoski

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