Submitted to a Candid World

Starting in 2001, self-described patriots like myself were forced to stand by while the far right wing hijacked the flag and the trappings of national pride to defend a belligerent vision of America at odds with her very being. For objecting, we were called pro-terrorist elitists, and a panoply of other awful names.

All that changed last year, when we ran and elected a President who built his entire campaign, image, and first 100 days on a unified (if left-leaning) vision of the American promise, in which all parties could participate, even by objecting.

The GOP, by contrast, ran a consensus building elder statesman who mortgaged his credibility to an inexperienced small-town politicker premised on the same divided, hyperpartisan idea of “real” and “fake” Americans. For shame.

Now, Palin is gone, and few beyond the late-night comic circle will miss her. The Republican Party should take this chance to reinvent themselves, and build a conservatism that includes, rather than excludes. Citizens can differ on their vision for the nation’s future, but neither party should argue that they, and they alone, define what it means to be an American. The Democrats have taken that step; with Palin’s departure, it’s time for the GOP to follow. What unites us matters far more than what separates us; remember that, no matter where you stand politically, this Independence Day.