As a visceral presidential election reaches its conclusion, two things are clear: The country is divided and the polls are close.
Having spent the past four years vehemently urging my fellow Republicans to move on from the divisive Trump era, I can quickly identify who the preferred team is for a particular community. My just-completed sixth trip to Pennsylvania for the Harris campaign proved to be no different. If you land on the Phillies or Pirates sides of the commonwealth, you’ll be awash in pro-Harris energy and enthusiasm, but that quickly dissipates into Trump country as the terrain becomes more rural.
Credit: Geoff Duncan
Credit: Geoff Duncan
The key to the Oval Office next week lies with disaffected Republicans — or, as I call them, the “whisper caucus.”
You know the type. They live in the suburbs. They have voted GOP their whole life. Some have faded Bush-Cheney stickers on their cars or Reagan memorabilia in their office. They remember the Cold War and cringe at a GOP nominee praising Russian President Vladimir Putin as “genius” and “savvy.”
These are voters who might not know whether Trump meets the definition of a “fascist” but can tell something is unpatriotically off with him. They also can’t understand how a former (and potential future) commander in chief could denigrate fallen service member as “suckers” and “losers.”
They shake their head in disbelief when Trump refers to Jan. 6, 2021, as a “day of love.”
Yes, there’s a lot they don’t like about the Biden years — the southern border, the nonstop spending spree, the uncertainty of higher taxes if the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expires — and they are concerned these trends could continue in a Harris administration. Yet they also recoil when former President Donald Trump calls America a “garbage can.”
These voters broke for former U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley over Trump by wide margins, even after she was no longer a candidate. In Georgia, Haley garnered 77,000 votes in our March 12 primary when she was no longer in the race. In Pennsylvania’s closed Republican primary more than a month later, more than 157,000 voters — roughly twice as large as Joe Biden’s margin over Trump in 2020 — broke for Haley.
In her efforts campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris, former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., urges these Republicans to “vote your conscience and not ever have to say a word to anybody.” This is the “whisper caucus.”
Since I started speaking out about Trump, random members of the whisper caucus have been approaching me at my kids’ games, at restaurants and on the streets with quiet words of encouragement and support.
After making sure no one is within ear shot, they tell me, “thanks for everything you’re doing” and “I’m going to do the same thing you’re doing in November.”
I thank them, and we go our separate ways. I’ve grown to not begrudge their caution. Our country has turned politics into a blood sport. It’s good guys vs. bad guys, red vs. blue. If you aspire to be an honest umpire and dare to temporarily leave the tribe, you’re denounced as a traitor and turncoat, as I have been by the Trump sycophants in my own state.
Next week’s outcome won’t make things better overnight, but it represents a step in the right direction.
To those in the whisper caucus still trying to harness the courage to swim upstream, consider this:
If I’m wrong about Kamala Harris and she governs as an extreme liberal, the worst outcome is a logjam with a Republican Senate. The GOP is heavily favored to win control of the upper chamber. The question is not if but by how big a margin.
But if Trump backers are wrong about the fitness of a 78-year-old convicted felon, the stakes are far higher. More government spending and runaway inflation. An unchecked Putin running roughshod over Europe. A potential trade war with China fueled by unprecedented hyper-tariffs.
Above all, a return to the constant national turmoil that marked the first Trump presidency. Unable to seek a third term in 2028, Trump’s motivation to respect anything will all but evaporate.
Say what you will about Harris, but you will never go to bed worrying about her commitment to democracy. If you’re a common sense Republican or independent still hedging your bets, what story do you want to tell your kids about this election. Do you want to say you voted for a horrible candidate just because he had an “R” next to his name? Or do you want to tell them you did the right thing for the future.
To the whisper caucus, the decision is yours. Choose wisely, because your vote will make the difference.
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