Moderates all gone from GOP

There was a time when I used to split my ballot.

There was a time when many Republican lawmakers were moderates open to reasonable arguments, many were willing to reach across party lines to find common ground and solutions. They were willing to put the welfare of the country and its people ahead of partisan advantage.

Today, it seems that even those Republicans who present themselves as moderates, are more willing than ever to go along with the most unreasonable and cruel policies. They overlook speech that incites the intolerant tendencies that have long been nurtured by propagandistic media outlets that stir up hate for “the other” as the blame for all of society's woes.

We daily witness the cruelty and divisiveness of the ideology and policies of today's MAGA dominated GOP and the abject silence of those who still offer the pretense of being moderate. Most never utter a public objection to policies being implemented to the detriment of so many millions of our brothers and sisters across our country: This is routinely reflected in our local government as well. It is difficult not to draw the conclusion that, today, the definition of Republican is the void of empathy.

In 2026, no Republican who doesn’t speak out about the injustices of today’s GOP leaders and policies can truly offer the pretense of being a moderate.

When democracy itself is under threat, silence is consent. Republicans in local government who do not speak out deserve to be defeated in 2026.

Terry Kappel

McHenry