Letter: Republicans need to ‘knock it off’

Vancouver resident Julia Dawn Seaver offers advice to Republicans regarding the Washington governor’s race

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and do not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com.

Republicans have picked a lousy time to implode. With Democrat policies pushing the family budget to the breaking point, crime running rampant, and the border in chaos setting up conditions ripe for a Republican takeover, Republicans are having an identity crisis, running purity tests, and refusing to let all but true believers sit at their lunch table.

Nearly all Republicans revere Ronald Reagan whose common-sense policies of small government, tax cuts, deregulation, and a strong defense, breathed life into American households, the economy, our standing in the world, and pride in the country.

But a small far-right contingent is wreaking havoc in the party with ideas that bear little resemblance to Reagan’s. They’ve adopted an “any means necessary” mindset and talk of using the government to go after businesses, “oligarchs,” and the rich. Anyone who doesn’t walk in lockstep with them is censored, banned, and labeled “RINO,” “establishment,” or part of the “uniparty.” They violate Reagan’s 11th commandment of “Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican,” on the daily.

This split is most evident in the governor’s race between Dave Reichert and Semi Bird. It’s only intensified since the party’s April convention where delegates decided to ignore Reichert’s overwhelming lead in the polls and fundraising, and suspended the rules in order to endorse Bird, whom the vetting committee had deemed ineligible due to a failed background check.

The thinking was to unite around one Republican to avoid splitting the vote. The thinking didn’t account for the fact Republicans, by and large, don’t like to have their thinking done for them.

Reichert is clearly poised to win the primary, but some Bird supporters insist they won’t vote for him in November. Here are some hard truths:

Washington is neither purple nor a swing state. It is deep blue and Republican voters are outnumbered. Badly. It will take moderate and Independent votes to get a Republican elected. It’s been 40 years since we had a Republican governor–the longest streak for any state.
A far-right candidate is unelectable in a statewide race. This was demonstrated in the last election with a candidate that at least had money and much less baggage.
The state endorsement is meaningless. The notion that 1,300 activist delegates can force millions of Republicans to give up reasoning is ludicrous.
Claiming there is no difference between Reichert, who as a congressman voted in line with Trump 92.5% of the time, and Democrat Bob Ferguson, who wants to criminalize conservative speech, is unserious and demonstrably false.

It’s hard to believe this needs to be detailed in a party that used to favor logic, facts, and reason, but here we are. Bird supporters: If you want to vote for Bird in the primary, go ahead. Just recognize that Reichert would be far superior to Ferguson and vote for him in November. In the meantime, cool it on the trash talking. In the words of Speaker Johnson while trying to tamp down Republican fighting in Congress, “Knock it off.”

Julia Dawn Seaver
Vancouver

Vancouver resident Julia Dawn Seaver offers advice to Republicans regarding the Washington governor’s race

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