I'm not sure why us/them republicans make the mask issue partisan. I put us/them republicans in a different light. I'm a long time moderate Republican and absolutely hate how politics has become more about how bad the other side is than what our side wants to get done. Things were so much better when politicians of both sides worked together on compromise legislation. Now, moderates from both sides get lambasted for being willing to consider bills that the other side sponsors.
Sometimes, more liberal folks might have a good idea. Sometimes, more conservative folks will as well, but woe be it to someone who works with either one if they're in the other party.
From a moderate Republican:
1) We need immigration reform. We need more immigration because we simply will not have enough workers in the US if we don't get more people, and not just educated trained people, but entrepreneurs and unskilled labor as well. We should include DACA as well.
2) We can reach agreement on net neutrality. We don't need rate regulation, but we do need a free internet, meaning no fast lanes or slow lanes.
3) Some level of gun legislation makes sense. We need to plug the gun show loopholes and do background checks on everyone who buys a gun. There are a few other things we can/should do around ammo types, clips, etc. BTW, I bought an AR15 from my best friend out of the trunk of his car in a CVS parking lot. That was completely legal, but should not be. None of these changes would abridge our constitutional rights. The NRA fights every piece of legislation calling each a slippery slope toward taking our weapons. I agree with Ronal Reagan here.
Have you seen what the Democrat party has become? Theres no way in hell Republicans or Independents can work with that delusional bunch anymore unless they come back from being so far left.
They have created a mess at the border by just reversing every policy Trump had anything to do with wether it made any sense to do so or not. They have wanted to defund police and let people riot and destroy property for a year or more and now panty waist DAs all over the country are turning violent criminals back out on our streets to kill people.
They want to eliminate the filibuster just to ram through an agenda most of America doesn't want, yes the same filibuster they fought tooth and nail for when they were in the minority in the Senate.
They want to federalize our elections which the Constitution expressly gives that responsibility to the states to run their own elections.
They do nothing but try and pit whites and blacks against each other with their "this is Jim Crow" bullshit and saying white supremacy is the "existential threat" to America when murder is the leading cause of death in black men under 45 and 96% of those murders are committed by other black men.
Now thanks to Democrats we have about 72 different genders, sick ass people out there saying their young child is really a different sex on the inside and a baby in the womb is just a clump of cells that magically becomes a human when it pops out of the birth canal.
I won't even get started on the Covid mandate mess and the Afghanistan exit strategy that left behind Americans to die or the highest inflation in 40 years.
As far as gun reform, I'll be on board with it when there is assurances that criminals with guns are going to abide by the same laws that law abiding citizens with no criminal records are expected to follow. Beef up law enforcement, get the guns out of the hoodlums' and gang banger's hands and then we can talk.
I have always made a conscious effort to not get too caught up in partisan politics and I have voted for Republicans AND Democrats in my life but the Democratic party has become so delusional and anti American that I couldn't ever see myself voting for another Democrat.
When a group of people refuses to acknowledge fact and truth in favor of emotion and feelings, there is something seriously wrong with that in my opinion. When the same group of people tells you to "believe the science" about a virus but ignores the science that says if you have a penis you are a male, I'm out at that point.
There are plenty of Republicans I don't like but these so called progressive Democrats have lost their damn minds. They will straight up run this country into the ground in order to keep their power.
Imagine trying to have a sensible, intelligent discussion with the likes of Pelosi, Schumer, AOC, Cori Bush, Rashida Tlaib, Maxine Waters, Jerry Nadler, Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell or Ayana Pressley. Holy Crap that would drive a preacher to drink hard liquor.
