I was a registered Republican for 32 years, a fiscal conservative and a social moderate. Both parties have disappointed me. In part because of the extreme attitudes and actions of political figures such as … well you can complete that list from both parties. There seems to be so much discord; the gridlock is painful.
I expect my elected officials to work both sides of the aisle, to understand what someone else wants, and to thoroughly communicate and lobby for what his or her electorate wants. When did compromise and collaboration become unacceptable? When did discussions about we, us and ours become demands for I, me and mine or hostility toward they, them and theirs?
I became an unaffiliated voter a few years ago. This move was a way for me to support the political processes to elect candidates that reflect the moderate citizen I am, most of us are. I am certain that these candidates can come out of either party. The power to elect such candidates is often in the primary. A recent Durango Herald article calls this a strategy.
It’s time to care about what has happened in Washington. This election cycle, that caring starts now with your voter registration as a Republican or unaffiliated to advance Don Coram as the Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives. He does the work I expect from an elected official. Let us work together to send Coram to Washington. Yes, strategically one election at a time.
Janalee Hogan
Durango
