On a regular basis, a number of individuals have responded negatively to my guest commentaries on politics and public affairs. They have included assumptions about my background and motivations. As a result, they have a perception that I am using the commentaries to promote the Republican Party in general, and Donald Trump in particular.
Such assumptions and perceptions are simply not true.
I am not an avid supporter of Donald Trump in his comeback bid for another term as President and have not been an avid supporter of him since he launched his first presidential campaign.
In one guest commentary last fall, I even predicted he would not be nominated as the 2024 Republican presidential candidate.
I am not an avid supporter of the Republican Party and have never been a blindly loyal voter for Republican candidates.
Beginning with the first election when I was eligible to vote and continuing to today, I have NEVER voted a straight Republican ticket in any local, state, or national election.
Candidate quality has always been and will always be my guiding principle when deciding who to support and for whom to cast my vote.
At one time I was active in the Republican Party. I served as chair of the Republican Central Committee of Talbot County (RCCTC) and as a member of the executive committee at the Maryland Republican Party (MDGOP).
I voluntarily stepped down as RCCTC chair in February 2022. That resulted in my relinquishing my seat on the MD GOP’s executive committee.
My past service with the local and state Republican Party is old history and irrelevant to today.
Since February 2022, I have not had any conversations or dealings with either organization.
With regard to the upcoming presidential election, I acknowledge that Donald Trump has flaws. So does Kamala Harris.
That said, I embrace the observation of Don Nielson, the author of Presidential Leadership: Learning from United States Presidential Libraries & Museums.
Nielson writes, “… leaders are not perfect. Try as they might, every leader still has flaws. They still make mistakes. They still fall short. They still have regrets. They still yearn to do better. Every leader is imperfect.”
On at least two occasions, I have written positive commentaries about a Democratic leader.
In one I praised Democratic President John F. Kennedy for his masterful leadership during the Cuban Missile crisis. His leadership has led many historians to conclude his actions avoided World War III.
In another guest commentary on President Kennedy, I suggested voters everywhere should embrace his timeless admonition to always ask this question — “What am I not being told?”
In all my commentaries, I strive to engage independent thinking and to follow lessons learned about bipartisanship from two awesome political mentors.
One was a Republican State Senator in Pennsylvania whom I served as his administrative assistant. Our office received more constituent requests for assistance than any other Senator.
His ironclad rule was to help everyone regardless of their party affiliation, relative level of support or lack of support for him, or their views on the issues. We never researched or even considered that information before we worked diligently on every constituent contact on every matter regardless of how small or how big.
A second mentor is the CEO of a Pennsylvania based public affairs and public relations consulting firm where I serve as Maryland Director.
For almost 45 years, this mentor, a staunch Republican, was a close friend of a long-time equally staunch Democratic political operative in Pennsylvania.
His friend served as the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, as a communications director for two Democratic governors, and as a communications director for two Democratic Speakers of the House in the state House of Representatives.
For over 20 years, my mentor and his friend were verbal sparring partners on a weekly point-counterpoint television program. They also sparred in point-counterpoint columns for two publications and frequently shared the stage at conferences, seminars, and classrooms. Many times, they rode together to and from those events.
In a city mayoral election, my mentor provided campaign counsel to a Democratic candidate because he felt strongly that she was the best person for the job.
Last but not least, my mentor hosts a monthly policy briefing at our office in Pennsylvania.
On a regular basis, Democratic elected officials, Democratic candidates, and Democratic party operatives are featured as speakers and are welcomed as guests.
Going forward, I will continue to offer my thoughts based upon a lifetime of participating in and observing a wide range of events in the political arena.
I will continue to respect the right of those who choose to disagree, sometimes vehemently, with the central messages in my commentaries.
I will continue to read every comment, pro and con, on my commentaries with a willingness to think “You may be right.”
In return, I ask all who disagree with me to do this:
Refrain from attacking my opinions using unsubstantiated assumptions about my background and motives.
Focus more on my content, staying on topic and giving due thought and consideration to that content, rather than trying to attack the messenger.
Remember two former and greatly missed U.S. Supreme Court Justices – conservative icon Antonin Scalia and liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsberg. They were polar opposites on their opinions on almost every issue brought before the court. Still, they respected each other and never attacked each other. Justice Scalia said it best, “I attack ideas. I don’t attack people.”
David Reel is a public affairs and public relations consultant who lives in Easton.
Chris Gordon says
I have voted, as have you, for both Democrats and Republicans in the distant past. Those Republicans and that Republican party no longer exists. If you can’t see that what remains of the Republican party has become a cult worshiping mindless criminal conspiracies then I have nothing to learn from you. I wish it were otherwise. I wish we could return to when we had two credible political parties but that’s, hopefully, some time in the future. It’s not now
Ben Gerrard says
Some candidates have more flaws than others. It’s best that I leave it at that.
Ron Jordan says
David, thank you for your explanation, though after reading your background, it seems unnecessary but necessary because much of what your write is based on the past and your past doesn’t give rise that you can agree to disagree, at least when I am reading your opinions.
You continue to look in the past with hope that the Republican Party will rise again to the reasonable organization that you were a part of, it will never be. David, the Republican Party here in Maryland has done everything in its power to belittle the rights and existence of Black folks,the LBGTQD and diverse citizens of Color here on the eastern shore.
So thank you for taking the time and effort to explain to your readers where you are at, where you may go but really what is important is that you will be truthful and straightforward with facts as you understand them and try to help us to see your side of the street.
Always in service,
Ron Jordan
Chestertown Md
Bob Moores says
David, I always enjoy your articles because you present your conservative ideas and observations in a reasonably civil manner. That said, I would hope that you do not take criticism of your comments as attacks on your character. As a liberal, I have had many political discussions with conservative friends over the years, and never did those conversations result in personal rancor – until now, until the advent of Donald trump. Who is the chief instigator of political polarization, the con-man cult leader who only the most patriotic politicians will dare to criticize for fear of incurring his wrath and losing their jobs?
In We Are a House Divided, you expressed concern about the lack of civil dialog in America. But in attempting balance you failed to acknowledge that DJT is the most uncivil “leader” that I and many others have seen in our lifetimes. What other politician gave derogatory nicknames to their opponents, or defamed their character, or demeaned their physical appearance? I had never seen this before. Had you?
Your articles, Take Time to Pause, Remember and Reflect, and Remembering D-Day, were excellent. So were the points you made in Time to Call a Time Out on the Blame Game in Politics, but I had to laugh when you said true leaders “generously share credit when things have gone or are going well, and they readily accept full responsibility when things have not or are not going well.” DJT never gives credit to anyone but himself, nor is he ever at fault for any wrongdoing. His number one priority, according to people who know him well (e.g. Mary Trump, Tony Schwartz) is taking care of Number One.
In Who To Believe Going Forward, you acknowledge that you have personal experience with someone with onset of dementia. With my increasing short-term memory loss I am in the same boat. But didn’t Reagan have the same problem? Where were the cries for him to give up the presidency?
I thought your comments “Americans need to know who promoted and allowed an elderly and increasingly ill person who is clearly in need of help and compassion, to become a shell of his former self” and “Just as importantly, Americans need to know why. Did they want and need a malleable person in the Oval Office to take and execute orders without questioning or even fully understanding them?” to be off-the-wall speculative. I don’t believe that you can know that Biden is a puppet of his staff. Further you should know that early dementia, while frustrating, does not affect one’s value system. Yes, the debate was as shocking to me as everyone else. He should have announced his non-candidacy months ago. But even on his worst day he is still ten times a better man than Trump. Biden’s values are still intact, and his speechwriters know what he wants to say, as has been the case with every past president. Trump’s speechwriters (probably including Stephen Miller, Trump’s Joseph Goebbels) also know what he wants to say, making him at least sound lucid when on teleprompter.
Incidentally, I have voted in fifteen presidential elections, seven times for the Republican, seven times for the Democrat, and once for the Independent (Perot), but I have never seen the character-poor likes of Trump.