Between 2005 and 2006 I researched and wrote a work of historical fiction entitled “A Culpable Innocence.” There would seem to be no reason for me to recall that book’s storyline during the waning days of our current Presidential election campaign. But I find a parallel between Regis Fallen, the book’s protagonist, and the current state of a significant portion of our electorate. That parallel is a comparable disengagement from the underlying currents of the time and from any sense of personal responsibility to understand and participate in those currents. In Regis’ situation, I depicted his initial perspective on his life’s trajectory as completely out of sync with its actual context. Although his story takes place during the Vietnam War and the racial unrest of the sixties, he is oblivious to the significance of that war on his life and unable to decipher his conflicted feelings for a woman of color. His predominate focus was on his career and the promise of his personal entitlement—that is, the “American Dream” or the opportunity any white male of that era might have for self-fulfillment and personal enrichment. But the draft shattered that dream and forced him to face the reality of war and of a love constrained by a prejudice sown into the fabric of his consciousness. His life became meaningful only when it opened to the reality that surrounded him.

Sometimes our personal perspectives can become out of context with reality. In many ways, this elongated election campaign seems to have driven many Americans deeper into their preconceptions, fears, anxieties, and compulsive defensiveness. While one campaign focused upon the white population—and more specifically on white males—the other drew support from every corner of the population. The reality, of course, is that America is a pluralist nation, more so than any single nation in history (excluding empires composed of many nations). The convergence of this myopic focus and the misconception of our polity’s composition inevitably agitated a suppressed tension within the electorate. Mr. Trump, for example, seemed compelled to denigrate the non-white segments of the population to arouse his base. At the same time, he had to disqualify his opponent as a spokesperson for those other segments—which he incongruously termed “the elites.” The only way to justify this narrow-minded perspective is to exasperate the fears and anxieties of white voters and to convince the rest that they too are victims of an unjust system. Perhaps they might become so disenchanted that they simply would not vote. Then the faction to whom Trump could relate would vote him into office. This is a compelling strategy we have seen successful in recent European history. But we are no longer European expatriates. We are Americans. As such, we are composed of practically every race and national origin on the planet. What makes us a nation is not the color of our skin or the heritage of our immigrant forefathers, but our commitment to the rule of law and the governing structure and values outlined in our Constitution. Mr. Trump does not understand this American context. It is a different kind of reality: specifically, it is a motivating ideal. Our history has shown how often we have fallen short of that ideal. The Civil War, women’s suffrage, civil rights law, voting rights law, and the successful—though problematic—assimilation of various immigrant populations all give evidence of our difficulty with forming a “more perfect union.” Nevertheless, America continues to strive towards its ideal. And that striving IS our context.

Mr. Trump cannot and could not change this American context. But he has torn the scab off a wound that has fettered over the last several decades. Paul Waldman has written about this in his Plum Line blog. He outlines how recent proclamations of “total war” from Republican Party operatives threaten our democratic republic. Although I do not believe these proclamations express the opinion of most Republicans, they do represent an outgrowth of what has been brewing beneath the surface of Republican politics for a very long time. Perhaps it began with the Republican insurrection against President Bush in the early 90’s. Certainly, it broke the surface of political propriety during the impeachment of President Clinton. And during the last eight years under President Obama, it developed into a full blown exhibition of anti-democratic nihilism. How else would you describe the actions of a Republican controlled Congress that would shut down government, that would threaten to destroy the financial stability of our nation, and that would undermine the working viability of our Supreme Court in order to appease a constituency who hold a minority viewpoint within the body politic? These are the desperate measures of a failing Party trying to hold onto power at all costs. The irony is that many Republicans have expressed their dissatisfaction with Republican leadership during the Republican Primaries. Unfortunately, the outsider who won those Primaries is an opportunist who took advantage of this dissatisfaction without offering any real resolution to the Republican dilemma. But his undermining the Party is not the answer. Redirecting it is. After the 2012 Presidential election, Republicans analyzed why they lost and recognized their need to represent a broader constituency. This analysis promoted the “big tent” objective. But they never acted on their own analysis. Instead, they seemed trapped in a reactive impulse to our first black President. Here was a man who was educated, articulate, and politically savvy who could also sing and crack a joke. His wife was equally endowed and beautiful, though not in the typical Caucasian manner. And could she ever dance! Together they challenged white Republicans to break out of their preconceptions and accept this power couple as representative of American diversity. They unfortunately failed that challenge and deserted their “big tent” direction. And they made President Truman’s “do nothing Congress” a paramour for legislative achievement by comparison, failing not only America but fellow Republicans as well. As I have written in previous blogs, the Party opened the door for Trump to highjack it and profit on the discontent of its members.

As I write this blog, I do not know the results of this Presidential election. But what I do know is that Americans are fed up with the uncompromising gridlock in Washington. We are demanding that the Parties work together in our interests. Although it is conventional to ascribe the problem to both Parties, let’s be honest: only one Party has failed to consider the general welfare of all Americans. Of course, there are different approaches to the problems that beset us. But the Republican leadership, sometimes supported by the media, has spouted a false equivalency in finding blame. The fact, as represented in its own analysis, is that the current rendition of Republicanism does not represent the plurality of the American electorate. They have resorted to clinging to power through gerrymandering, voter suppression, meaningless symbolic repeal votes, and law suits designed to logjam court dockets in the hope of delaying or killing executive actions. The Republican Party can do two simple things to turn around these useless and anti-government tactics: develop constructive legislation that address the needs of a majority of Americans; and negotiate with Democrats in order to find the common ground upon which both Parties can compromise. Republicanism cannot continue to ignore the general welfare of our pluralist citizenship. And it cannot continue to define its avowed “conservatism” as an ideology that ignores Constitutional precepts and the family values of ALL its citizens. When a Republican office holder wraps him/her self in the mantel of Reagan, I cannot envision the Ronald Reagan they invoke. Not only is the current Republican Party not representative of Lincoln. It is not Reagan’s Party either.

In closing, regardless of the outcome of this election, we must all encourage the Republican Party to reform itself and to begin addressing the needs of all our citizens. The vitriol we witnessed in this election is symptomatic of a potentially fatal disease for any democracy: disassociation between the electorate and its elected representatives. In order to cure America of this creeping malady, we must restore our common vision of America, break out of the chains of obstructive perspectives and ideologies, and rejoin the 240 year old evolution of our democratic republic. Remember we Americans will forever be striving to “form a more perfect union.”