Dr. Bob is hitting the campaign trail hard, visiting communities across the Northern Lower Peninsula this week in a town hall tour. A central theme of his talks is the importance of civic virtue, an often forgotten principle on which our Constitution's framers founded our Republic.
"Today's toxic political climate needs a serious overhaul. The politicians that negatively contribute to it need to go. We will not sustain ourselves as each other's enemies and the American people are begging for principled leadership. I'm ready. Let's go." – Dr. Bob Lorinser Make a contribution to elect positive change.
When John F. Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," he was telling us we have a duty to the country, service, and the well-being of our fellow citizens.
Our founders designed our Constitution and the American republic with liberty and civic virtue in mind. Protecting and advocating for both are essential to upholding democracy.
Civic virtue describes the character of a good participant in a system of government —the personal qualities associated with the effective functioning of the civil and political order or the preservation of its values and principles.
In the pursuit of liberties, too many politicians lose the principles of civic virtue - justice, wisdom, courage, and temperance – and push special-interest policies without the common good of the Nation in mind.
It's time to unelect those politicians and replace them with leaders like Dr. Bob.
Dr. Bob believes without civic virtue, our democracy, as our Founders described it, is threatened. Here's a snippet from his speeches this week:
How close are we coming to losing our Democracy?
National surveys and polls should frighten all of us.
One in three Americans says they believe violence against the government can at times be justified.
Forty percent of politically active members say the other party is evil, 60% say they are a threat.
Just hearing the words of 'another civil war' is a sign of failure.
Some of our retired military leaders are worried that the 'next coup' will come from within and are sharing profoundly disturbing concerns about the stability of civility
What happened? Something is wrong. We are not each other's enemies.
We are all Americans wishing for better jobs, a more robust economy, and a better life for our families.
So, let us stop it. Let us work together, not separately.
Let us agree on the goals and then civilly debate, finding the right policies and programs to make it a reality.
That is what Senators and Representatives should do.
That is why we elected them.
Let us show the Nation and the world how Democracy works.
I believe it is Time to End Angry Opposition
It seems all too common in Congress today to be angry. To be opposed to whatever the other party believes even if we advocated for it previously. Angry opposition needs to be replaced with calm goal-directed collaboration and cooperation.
We need to return winning an election by persuading the voters that you are the better candidate with the better policies based on facts, not fiction.
The survival of our Democracy will depend on:
Ending political polarization and party tribalism.
Eliminating conflict over who belongs as a member of a political community, especially by race, income, or educational status.
Decreasing economic inequality.
Reducing excessive executive power.
We must work hard to maintain and nurture the freedoms that Democracy gives us. It isn't just a gift but a precious resource that demands our attention and care."
Dr. Bob believes it is vital voters understand his fundamental principles, which direct his decision-making. His bedrock of principles – Wisdom, Justice, Courage, Kindness, Democratic freedom, and Equality under the law – has been shared by most great statespersons throughout history.
"I won't match their achievements," said Dr. Bob. "But I will be honored to try."
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