Carly Fiorina
In this country, we pledge allegiance to the flag, not the president. We swear fidelity to the Constitution, not the party. Our flag is a symbol of “one nation... indivisible... with liberty and justice for all.” Our Constitution is the document that protects those liberties and delivers that justice.
When we pledge allegiance, we reaffirm our citizenship in a nation founded on ideas and ideals - not ethnicity, race, religion or origin. When we swear to “protect and defend” the Constitution, we promise to uphold the rights, the laws and the institutions that define and govern our nation.
When did so many Republicans decide that we should also pledge allegiance to The Party and swear fidelity to President Trump? I have been called “disloyal” because I am critical of Trump. I am not alone. Many others have been intimidated into silence or compelled to defend the indefensible.
It is not a citizen’s role to be a “loyal fan” of one side or the other. We have no obligation to follow party orthodoxy, whatever it is. When we silence our voices, we relinquish our power as citizen leaders to shape the nation. We abdicate our responsibility to help create a “more perfect union.” And in this country, the citizen, not the President, is sovereign.
Every elected official, including the President, is there to serve the citizenry, not the other way around. It is not a citizen’s job to “be loyal”; it is the official’s job to earn our loyalty. And when they cannot, we vote them out of office.
As citizens it is both our responsibility and our right to hold elected officials accountable: for their words, their actions and the consequences of both.
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