Dear Commons Community,
Senator Chris Coons, (Democrat, Delaware), has an op-ed piece in today’s New York Times, cautioning Democrats that they should be concerned (scared) of Jeff Flake’s decision not to seek re-election as the Republican senator from Arizona. Here is Coons’ analysis.
“Senator Jeff Flake is a conservative Republican from Arizona. I’m a Democrat from Delaware. We have opposed each other on nearly every vote for as long as we’ve served in the Senate. So his announcement on Tuesday that he won’t seek re-election in 2018 should be great news for me.
That’s one way to look at it — the senator is nothing more than my political opponent, someone whose loss is my gain.
But that’s not at all how I see things. I may disagree with Mr. Flake on policy, but I consider him an honorable man, a loyal friend and a valued colleague. His retirement is deeply troubling to me because he represents a principled and patriotic Republican Party, one that has long championed strong American leadership around the world, and one I now fear is falling apart.
That should scare all Americans. It sure scares me.
How did Mr. Flake, who served in Congress since 2003 and has been in the Senate since 2013, become such an outsider in his own party that he wouldn’t seek re-election after only one term? Over the past year, right-wing populists have mocked his principled independence, donors have funded his primary opponent and President Trump, hardly a conservative and only recently a Republican, has openly wished for his defeat.
This has been Mr. Flake’s punishment for charting his own course on issues such as immigration reform and for having the courage to stand up to Mr. Trump, first as a candidate and now as president. His loyalty to the Republican Party, to his conservative principles and to his deep sense of right and wrong never wavered — which is why he refused to be silent when he believed the president was wrong.
This situation didn’t come out of nowhere. Over the past few decades, our political culture has corroded. Traditions of compromise and civility have given way to a zero-sum, winner-take-all approach that is now out of control. As Mr. Flake said on the Senate floor Tuesday, “Anger and resentment are not a governing philosophy.”
Unfortunately, Jeff Flake is only the latest example of a Republican whose willingness to speak out against his party’s current standard-bearer has cost him politically.
…
As for Democrats, there should be no sense of satisfaction in what is happening to the Republican Party. The balance of two functioning political parties has been essential to our country’s success. In fact, we should take this moment to look at ourselves in the mirror and ask: How much do our own party’s internal battles resemble the fight happening within the Republican Party? As Democrats call for independence and pragmatism from Republicans, we should be asking ourselves how tolerant we are of dissent within our own party and how much we are really willing to reach across the aisle.
Senator Flake finished his remarks on the Senate floor on Tuesday by quoting Abraham Lincoln, who reminded Americans on the eve of the Civil War that “we are not enemies, but friends” and “though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” Mr. Flake wisely warned Republicans and Democrats that our bonds are dangerously strained. Now is the time to ensure they don’t break.
In a closely divided Senate, three of my Republican colleagues have made risky, unpopular decisions to speak out about the precarious state of their party and the country. We should heed their warnings, challenge them to turn their words into action and ask how we can do the same.”
These are wise words for both Democrats and Republicans.”
Tony
