Never surrender

Bipartisanship. It’s become a dirty word in politics. Sure, partisans celebrate the independent members on the other side of the aisle, but they disparage those on their own. Why? After all, it’s the lawmakers who are willing to find common ground, negotiate, and pass bipartisan legislation who actually get things done. And that’s something we all should celebrate. On RAM Chat this week, we’re proud to welcome Renewer Rep. Matt Cartwright (PA-8). Cartwright stands out not because of any social media antics or for demonizing fellow Members of Congress for clicks, but because he has introduced more bipartisan bills than any other Democratic representative, making him one of the most bipartisan House members of either party. In other words, he gets stuff done, and isn't that why we send politicians to Congress in the first place? Join Rep. Cartwright as he sits down with RAM Executive Director Miles Taylor tomorrow, March 23, at 2pm ET. Tune in on YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter. See you then. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor

• Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson faces intense questioning —CNN

• Cowboys for Trump founder convicted for breaching Capitol grounds on Jan. 6—Politico

• Alexei Navalny sentenced to nine more years in prison by Russian court —The Washington Post

• School apologizes after teacher leads preschool students in chant denouncing Biden —The Hill

• Bucking Republican trend, Indiana governor vetoes transgender sports bill —The New York Times

Can Ukraine win?

Fighting desperately for its democracy and independence, Ukraine has valiantly held its own against the much stronger, better equipped Russian forces. That has led some writers (here and here) to suggest that perhaps Ukraine could ultimately win the war. That would be an incredible outcome, requiring monumental strategic and diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation by Vladimir Putin and forestall a Third World War. Ukrainian forces today fought off Russian efforts to occupy the besieged city of Mariupol and have retaken a key suburb of Kyiv. But if full victory is to be had, it won't come without more pain—and a significant amount of help from Ukraine’s Western allies. —Associated Press

• “A crisis without precedent.” According to Defense One, “more people have fled their homes, and faster, than in any other conflict in recorded history. That's according to the latest metrics from the United Nations' refugee agency, which is tracking more than 3.5 million Ukrainians and others who have fled in just 25 days, almost a tenth of the democratic country's [pre-war] population. Another 6.5 million are displaced inside Ukraine—for a total of 12 million people stranded because of Putin's invasion.” —Defense One

• The cyber threat. Russia may be planning cyberattacks on the U.S. as well. As reported today in The Know: “Yesterday, President Biden warned that Russia could conduct malicious cyber activity against the U.S, calling it a ‘part of Russia’s playbook.’ What’s the evidence? The warning is based on evolving ‘intelligence that the Russian Government is exploring options for potential cyberattacks,’ according to Biden.” —The Know

• What are the Renewers saying? Appearing on “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Renewer Rep. Liz Cheney said, “I think that we in the West, the United States and NATO—we need to stop telling the Russians what we won’t do. We need to be very clear that we are considering all options, that the use of chemical weapons is certainly something that would alter our calculations.” Renewer Rep. Josh Gottheimer also took to the airwaves to discuss his takeaways from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to Congress last week and the situation in Ukraine as a whole. —Politico

MORE: Damien McElroy: Will Ukraine be a death blow for Europe's far right? —The National News

Rubin: To save democracy, build a coalition that transcends party

“[A] pro-democracy coalition requires voters, donors, and operatives to get over their allergy to supporting people from opposing parties. If, for example, J.D. Vance or Josh Mandel winds up as the GOP nominee for Senate in Ohio, pro-democracy Republicans of good will—such as former President George W. Bush, former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and their donors—should back the moderate Democratic contender, Rep. Tim Ryan. Republicans truly dedicated to unshackling their party from the MAGA bloc must be willing to put democracy over party.” —Jennifer Rubin in The Washington Post

Jennifer Rubin is an attorney and political opinion columnist at The Washington Post.

MORE: Joseph Murphy: For this GOP civil war, don’t look nationally. The battlefields will be the primaries —PolitiZoom

Focus on voting and elections

The primary season that began in Texas is bearing down on the rest of the country, and yet, some states haven't figured out what their U.S. House districts are yet. In Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Ohio, legislators and governors still haven't agreed on the final contours of their respective maps—and in some cases, are caught up in litigation—leaving voters in limbo as to which candidates they will be able to vote for. Perhaps New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu summed up the quagmire best: “The citizens of this state are counting on us to do better.” Indeed. —The Hill

• “DeSantis doesn't want to look to be the politician—the governor—that gave control of the House of Representatives to the Democrats.” Florida’s issues are seen as a reflection of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ national ambitions. He is threatening to veto the approved maps in order to reconfigure two particular districts. The effective result would be to dilute the African-American vote, and make it less likely for Black candidates to win those seats. Under DeSantis’ proposed map, Republicans would likely gain three seats over what they have now. —NPR

• “It does appear that it encourages more people to run, particularly nontraditional candidates.” Will Missouri be the next state to adopt ranked-choice voting? If John and Laura Arnold get their way, it will. The couple are the primary funders of a political action committee raising money to bring RCV to the state. The group wants to get an initiative on the 2022 ballot that would abolish partisan primary elections and allow voters to rank their top four choices, regardless of party, via a constitutional amendment. We’ll be keeping an eye on that. —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

• “He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, but that was about the dumbest thing he’s ever said.” In Wisconsin, Gov. Tony Evers is contending with a state assembly that is still relitigating the 2020 election. As in other states, Republicans who control the legislature there have sought to enact new voting restrictions, and some have pushed to illegally “decertify” Joe Biden’s victory in the state. Evers has criticized Robin Vos, the speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, who is leading the charge, claiming widespread voter fraud in 2020. Incidentally, Evers, who was narrowly elected in 2018, is seeking a second term this fall. Needless to say, a lot is riding on the outcome. Stay tuned. —The Guardian

MORE: Is gerrymandering to blame for more extremism in U.S. politics? —Raleigh News & Observer

The Choice: Power or Democracy

By Steve & Cindy Fogleman

This past November our family gathered at the historic Fraunces Tavern in Lower Manhattan for a special Thanksgiving Dinner. We discussed and compared the two times in which the leader of this nation faced a choice during a potential coup against our government. Our first president, George Washington, chose wisely. Donald Trump did not.

Pulitzer Award-winning author Joseph Ellis’s book “The Cause” describes the efforts, tantamount to a coup, against Congress in 1783. Following the Revolutionary War, the grievances of our soldiers were serious. They had served valiantly and at great cost. But Congress had failed them by not providing back pay or a pension. Now, serious backlash was afoot. 

Gen. Horatio Gates was leading what became known as the Newburgh Conspiracy. Gates, a British-born supporter of American independence under Washington’s command, and a plantation owner in what was then Virginia, plotted with others to undertake a coup against Congress. Alexander Hamilton got wind of the conspiracy but argued that Washington would never agree to such a plot. Ellis reports Hamilton’s view of Washington: “His virtue, his firmness would never yield to any dishonorable or disloyal plans….he would sooner suffer himself to be cut to pieces.”  

In March 1783, General Gates called a meeting of military officers at Newburgh, New York, to plot their strategy. Washington, who knew of the meeting, showed up unexpectedly, took the stage, and gave what Ellis calls the most important speech of his life. Defending his record of service and commitment to the military and “The Cause” he led, he warned the officers: “…let me conjure you, in the name of our common Country—as you value your own sacred honor—as you respect the rights of humanity, & as you regard the Military & national character of America, to express your utmost horror & detestation of the Man who wishes, under any specious pretenses, to overturn the liberties of our Country, & who wickedly attempts to open the floodgates of Civil discord, & deluge our rising Empire in Blood.” 

As the officers listened, Washington pulled out a letter from a Virginia Congressman reporting a hopeful development—that some members of Congress were considering a partial pension. In what became a turning point in the speech, Washington—unable to read the letter—took spectacles from his pocket, saying: “Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in service to my country.” Many officers were deeply moved by Washington’s words and now his humble, manifest vulnerability. Some wept. The coup was doomed. Officers applauded and passed resolutions supporting Washington’s negotiations with Congress and condemning those who promoted the conspiracy.  

The Fraunces Tavern, where my family gave thanks, is the site of George Washington’s farewell dinner with his most loyal military officers nine months after the Newburgh Conspiracy was thwarted. On that final occasion, Washington bid an emotional farewell to his most loyal military officers as the defeated British troops finally sailed away from their last outpost in New York. Independence had been achieved, the Newburgh Conspiracy against Congress had been thwarted, and America was on a path to democracy and the peaceful transfer of power. 

At that moment of history, Washington aligned himself not with the common historical pattern of dictators emerging from a revolution, but instead with “The Cause”, becoming the first of our leaders to model the principle that no leader is indispensable and that The Cause of liberty and democracy was above all.

I am a lifelong civil servant, and my wife spent more than 15 years as a staff member for Republican House Members and Committees. I, like my fellow American citizens, watched in horror as the events of Jan. 6 took place. The hallowed institutions that my wife and I dedicated our life’s work to were under attack. The Cause of liberty and democracy was being ambushed.

If a book were written comparing the Newburgh Conspiracy and the Jan. 6 insurrection, it could be titled The Choice. In both cases, the leader of this nation faced a choice: to seize power belonging to representatives of the people or to honor the cause of liberty and the democratic values they had fought so hard to establish and preserve. Trump and his cohort conspired 237 years later to do what General Gates failed to do: undertake a coup against the Congress, the representatives of the people, in fulfilling its Constitutional role in counting the duly cast electoral votes. Washington chose fidelity to the core values of our nation; Trump chose self-interest.  

Isn’t it worth considering, when Americans enter the voting booth, which direction their candidate would choose?

Steve Fogleman is a retired NASA adminstrator. Cindy Fogleman is a former Capitol Hill staffer.

MORE: Pearce Godwin: America is at risk of failing. We need to act now before it’s too late —USA Today

I agree with Paul G. from Utah. In my opinion, we should have put the threat on the table before the invasion that Ukraine would be granted admission to NATO if an attack occurred. Obviously that opportunity is lost. However if chemical, biological, or tactical nukes are used by Russia against Ukraine that should be enough justification to grant them membership to NATO. Failure to do that at that point would in my opinion be the worst possible mistake. —Steven R., California

It is heartening to hear that RAM is continuing to have a conversation about what American conservative values are at their core. Conservatism is about traditional interpretations of the role of government and preservation of its core institutions with deference to Constitutional limits. These are liberal values. Our Constitutional order is liberal to its core. From Adam Smith to Milton Friedman or Voltaire to Benjamin Franklin, the essence of Americanism is classical liberalism: Popular sovereignty, free markets, hard limits on political power, and a clear separation between the institutions of church and state. If we are to breathe life into a new American political movement (rather than try to resuscitate the one that was the Republican Party of old), our shared liberal values need to be openly acknowledged as such. Classical liberalism is the fundamental basis for our social contract and our inherent point of agreement as Americans. —Christopher J., California

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff, the Renew America Movement, or the Renew America Foundation.