By Tyler Sonderholzer
The Republican Party is divided, there’s no question about that.
Whether it’s representatives, like Matt Gaetz and Majorie Taylor Greene of the caucus who believe Donald Trump is the key to success for the party and still perpetuate the “Big Lie,” or representatives, like Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney who believe the party should move on from Trump’s dangerous rhetoric and the election was not stolen from the former president, the Republican party is split with differing beliefs for the party’s future.
Personally, I don’t want Trump to be a major voice in the party. Although I want the agenda that got him elected to continue, Trump needs to go and we need to find a new party leader to continue his successful policies.
However, both sides have to find an agreement on Trump’s role in the party to successfully take back both chambers of Congress in 2022. If the party is not unified, the 2022 midterms will be a big disaster for the Republican party.
Currently, the tension between the divided sides of the Grand Old Party (GOP) is high. Cheney, the third ranking House Republican and the most high profile Republican to impeach the former president, is facing a potential primary challenge back home, sharp criticism from the rest of her House Republican colleagues and Trump for her impeachment vote and continuous rebuking Trump’s debunked claims that the election was stolen.
She was ousted from her position on May 12, after she previously survived a vote to oust her, and is expected to be replaced by Representative Elise Stefanik.
Although Republicans say they’re the party that is against “cancel culture,” they censure, attack, oust and challenge those who disagree with the former president and voted for impeachment/conviction when the GOP leaders said that it was a vote of conscience. While ousting may not be “cancel culture,” it is ridiculous that this is what the party is focusing on.
If the more conservative and Trump wing of the party constantly attacks and calls the moderates and anti-Trumpers Republicans In Name Only, it will divide us even more and turn away those key swing voters necessary for success in 2022.
The same goes for the moderates and anti-Trumpers who attack the more conservative wing of the party, causing them to turn away from the Republican party. The division between the Trump wing and the anti-Trump wing has to stop; it does much more harm than good.
Overall, Republicans have to unite and stop attacking each other for ridiculous reasons. If they don’t unite and keep focusing on the loss in 2020, Republicans won’t get control of Congress in 2022.
Everyone should be allowed to speak their mind, vote whatever they want and criticize whoever they want without facing any attacks from members of their own party. The voters don’t care about the ousting of Cheney. The voters care about more important and pressing issues right now like healthcare, the economy and immigration.
