In the article “What Republican Turncoats Forget”, author Stephen Moore explains why most reasons for leaving the republican party because of Trump is a mistake. This movement of so called ‘never-Trumpers’ is partly made up of lifelong republicans leaving their party behind because of their problems with the candidate. Personally, I feel that partisanship should always take a backseat to personal politics, but in the case of republican party members and politicians voting democrat or liberal in the 2016 election these people are seen as betraying their parties. Here Moore compares republicans switching to team Hillary “to putting the other team’s jersey on and running a lap.” He responds to each criticism of Trump made by republicans systematically and carefully, all while overlooking more liberal issues that are completely disregarded by the Trump campaign. Moore attempts to prove that Trump can win, won’t ruin our economy, can preserve house and senate relations, and can continue to support the conservative movement. The most impactful thing about this article to me, is the idea that partisanship overtakes all other reasoning. I believe that this idea is a major problem our country faces today, and moreover that this lack of bipartisanship is greatly impacting our ability to move forward as a country. Congress is stagnant, and party polarization needs to decrease if we want anything to change. Parallels between Moore’s article and our current study of the nation’s history of politics and basis for political culture can be drawn, such as the idea that understanding both sides of an opinion are important to being a responsible citizen (John Stuart Mills). The fact that Moore overlooks many ideas and spends an entire article affirming his own opinion shows his unwillingness to be a responsible citizen. This article illustrates the unwillingness and laziness plaguing our country right now, and shows how these traits can lead to disaster. So, this begs the question, why value partisanship so much? Why do so many people prioritize pleasing their party over their own values?
People prioritize pleasing their own party because it is so much easier than the alternative. It is easier to just pick a party and say "I like this party, I'm going to agree with it." Pleasing your own values requires paying attention to politics and giving serious thought to what you want. If you just stick to a party, it is easier for people to feel like they are being politically active without having to do as much work. - Ben Baker-Katz
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