The only Republican I ever truly admired, respected and had genuine affection for was my father, Mansfield Sr., who “shuffled off this mortal coil” close to 40 years ago. We used to have serious “debates” over politics when I, as a very young man, decided that I had more of a Democratic political bent. But they never degenerated anywhere near the kind of ugliness we are currently witnessing today between those of differing political views. We always remained respectful, even when we agreed to disagree.
However, when Newt Gingrich launched his successful effort to polarize politics in America, I’m not sure that he meant for his efforts to be so successful that, 25 years later, the country is on the brink of total paralyzing political disunion. If we continue down the path the nation is currently on (even after tRump is out of the White House), we’re greasing our own skids for disastrous and rapid slide into the dustbin of history.
Indeed, our collective national hubris, jingoism and belief in our vaulted (and somewhat overrated) “exceptionalism” won’t be enough to save us. Learning how to play nice in the political sandbox — at least nice enough to get the national political business done — is our only road to saving the Republic.
That’s why former governor John Kasich’s brief appearance at the opening of the Democratic National Convention was, to some extent, heartening. As the titular leader of the moderate wing of the Republican Party he no doubt was willing to appear in order to burnish his credentials as a sane and reasonable politician, just in case an opening materializes down the road for him to run for president. But I nonetheless applaud his attempt at bipartisanship and applaud the Biden team for inviting him to speak.
Doris Kerns Goodwin’s book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, details how the shrewdest man to ever take up residence in the White House invited some of the men who ran against him for the presidency into his cabinet, thus utilizing some of the brightest minds in the country in his quest to save the nation, and — despite tragic losses of life, limb and treasure — it worked. As historian Shelby Foote noted, before the Civil War we “were” the United States, after the conflict we came to say that we “are” the United States.
Joe Biden, once he takes office, should take note of Lincoln’s political maneuverings as he attempts to bind the deep wounds and divisions within our country, caused by four years of what history will adjudge to be a legitimate madman. It’s going to take a Herculean and concerted effort to repair the damage done to the American body politic over the last four years.
While those Republicans that either stood silently by or actively participated in said madman’s dangerous machinations should not be considered for any positions within the new Biden Administration, the few members of the GOP who spoke up against the plotting to institute a form of Americanized apartheid and foist it on our nation should — as a symbol of extending an olive branch — be considered for at least one or two prominent positions in the new government.
Such a move might not have the desired goal of jump-starting a movement towards national unity, but considering how precariously our democratic republic is currently perched in terms of our continuing to be a viable and great democracy, it still might be worth a shot. The only thing we have to lose is our beloved country.
