Back when I was a teen, I learned an important lesson on politics from my father.
I don’t recall the exact circumstances – maybe the U.S. was in the midst of the Iran-Contra mess – but I remember hearing my dad say something critical of Ronald Reagan.
I was shocked.
“Wait a minute – I thought we were Republicans!”
Dad responded, “Well, he’s wrong.”
Even without any further explanation from dad, the lesson lodged tight in my brain: Don’t let party loyalty blind you to the facts.
(The lesson has applications beyond politics, too.)
To this day I believe that the more we can shake off absolute party loyalty, the better off we will be as a nation.
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