Thinking Independently

A good many of us can remember when we did not wear our party on our sleeve. We voted for who we saw as the best candidate. We expected, or at least hoped, our leaders were people of high character whom we could look up to. We expected that person would put country ahead of party and vote for solutions side by side with a member of the other party when they saw a benefit to their constituents.

As I recall, we were independents. We were Americans, but we were citizens of the world as well. We were proud of our role in the world. Our allies looked up to us. They looked to America to lead the free world.

There are rewards you earn from respected leadership that would be devastating if America lost.

Whether you think they are effective or not, have you ever wondered why the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund are all located in the United States? How about why the U.S. dollar is the world’s currency in international transactions?

Are the actions of our president giving the rest of the world reason to consider abandoning the dollar as the world’s currency? It could happen if our arrogance continues.

What can we independents do as we sit here in 2026?

We can reject candidates who embrace Trumpism.

In my view, the former Republican Party no longer exists at the national level. Its vision under Trumpism is that “might makes right” and makes no effort to be “the shining city upon a hill” that President Reagan spoke of. As an Air Force veteran, I was proud to be part of that “shining city.”

It is hard to imagine that there are many who are outside the MAGA movement who do not wish they had a better choice in 2024. They must regret allowing a man of his character back into office.

In the 2026 midterms, we can send a message to the former Republican Party that putting up another follower of Trumpism in 2028 as a candidate for president will cost them huge numbers of independents.

We have two strong candidates we can support here in Virginia: Mark Warner for U.S. Senate and Beth Macy for U.S. Congress. They can be counted on to resist continued Trumpism, as hard as that task will be.

Putting checks and balances on the executive branch and insisting the rule of law applies to all is even more important than vague promises from both parties to curb inflation and protect our safety net of Social Security and Medicare.

Then, in 2028, we can hope a candidate emerges in both parties who can appeal not just to left-leaning Democrats or conservative Republicans, but to independents who will evaluate the candidates with an eye toward who will return our country to its respected leadership role, based on our goodwill toward others and treating all people with respect.

For the past three months, I have been writing a column in the Royal Examiner called “Common Ground with Coolidge,” with the hope that I could use speeches and quotations from my namesake, a conservative Republican president 100 years ago, to hold a mirror up to today’s believers in Trumpism and show that they have abandoned their former principles. My hope is that some would be willing to consider a moderate Democrat who has integrity and is an honorable person.

Here is one President Calvin Coolidge quote for you that is applicable to our current situation:

“It is a great advantage to the President and a major source of safety to the country, for him to know that he is not a great man.”

You can access those columns here: Common Ground with Coolidge – Royal Examiner

Cal Coolidge
Lake Frederick, VA

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