I know you’re out there, Bob Dole Republicans. And politicians will listen to you | Opinion

Let’s get this out of the way from the start: I’m very liberal and probably considered a bleeding heart by many of my friends and family members. That’s OK — I’m comfortable with where I am in life. But many of my dear friends and much-loved family members identify themselves as Republicans and conservatives. That’s OK, too.

Remember when people just agreed to disagree? When politician wannabes bragged about their ability to reach across the aisle and find consensus? Take a look back to Kansas’ Bob Dole. He was an American war hero and lifelong public servant who believed in lifting up Americans in a fiscally responsible way. He placed his country and the good of its people above his party and his politics.

Dole wasn’t perfect. But he tried and he cared and he defended the Constitution in heroic ways most of us can’t even fathom. People voted against him and his colleagues disagreed with him, but the entire country respected him. He was a pillar of the Republican Party.

So where are those Bob Dole Republicans? There are so many of you out there, because I know you. You’re hiding, but I see you. I see you as the farmer, teacher, doctor, lawyer, business owner who worries about how much you pay in taxes. I see you as the suburban mom barely getting through the week with all your family obligations. I see you as caring and law-abiding citizens who are comfortable and don’t want to rock the status quo. I don’t see you as the hate-filled, racist, violent, willfully ignorant extremists of the MAGA movement.

With the current divide in this country, it’s tempting to hide your head in the sand and pray our government’s checks and balances will hold. It’s also tempting to dismiss all politicians as corrupt and all media as biased. You don’t know what to do or what to say, and feel like you can’t make an impact. And I understand your lifelong Republican roots won’t allow you to support a Democrat. But when you look at the rage-filled faces of the MAGA cult, you don’t identify with them either.

Your fellow Americans are begging the Bob Dole Republicans to come out of the woodwork. The Republican Party is yours to save and democracy is all of ours to lose.

Here are three ideas that won’t hurt a bit. First, check your news sources. With bias on both sides, you can use your powers of deductive reasoning to find the truth somewhere in the middle. Second, have a true heart-to-heart with your favorite liberal. (I know you have one!) You might be surprised at the common ground you both discover. Third, call your representatives and express your concern. A call from a stalwart and reasonable Republican will hold far more weight than the rant from a Democrat or the rage from a MAGA.

What do you have to lose if you take these three steps? You have an entire country to lose if you don’t.

Let’s get back to reaching across the aisle. Let’s agree to disagree. Let’s bicker over the little things and share a vision on the big things. Let’s get back to debate, not hate. Where are you, Bob Dole Republicans?