Claudine Schneider: Republicans' betrayal of principles

I was born and schooled in Clairton, where I learned a great deal about our nation’s courageous founders. They put their lives on the line at Independence Hall to advance the principle of “rule of law.”

When I came of age politically in the mid-1970s, the nation was recovering from the Watergate scandal that shook confidence in our constitutional system of government.

Fortunately, some Republican Members of Congress put country above party.

Republican Sen. Howard Baker (Tennessee) and House Members Lawrence Hogan (Maryland), Hamilton Fish (New York) and William Cohen (Maine) considered the incriminating evidence against then-President Richard Nixon and called for Nixon’s impeachment. These Republicans epitomized the constitutional rule of law.

The integrity of these Republicans 46 years ago helped save our democracy — and the Republican Party itself.

These responsible leaders reinforced my own decision to run for Congress as a Republican. I had always believed in key Republican principles such as fiscal responsibility, free trade, the rule of law, states’ rights, family values, individual rights and environmental protection. When I was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1980, I set out to put these Republican principles into action.

While I had no experience in government, I knew the difference between right and wrong.

Today, almost every Republican in the United States Senate does not.

Republican senators have, in effect, sold their souls and have become enablers of the corruption, abuse of power and uncaring attitudes that characterize today’s Republicans.

Senate Republicans have voted repeatedly (though unsuccessfully, so far) to kill the Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance coverage that over 20 million Americans rely upon.

As a cancer survivor, I know the importance of health insurance.

Why do Republicans want to rob this peace of mind from Americans who rely on ACA coverage, or from the millions more Americans who have lost their jobs — and employer-provided health benefits?

The federal government estimates that in its first seven years, ACA reduced health care spending a total of $2.3 trillion. Average monthly premium costs went down by 4% this year.

ACA is a health care success story, yet Republicans still support “repeal,” with absolutely no “replace” plan in mind.

The Senate Republicans support President Trump’s relentless efforts to kill ACA at the Supreme Court, along with its protections against pre-existing conditions … in the middle of a raging pandemic!

A decision on Trump’s Supreme Court case to kill ACA is due after the election, so voter beware: health care remains at risk.

This is not the only outrage with Republican fingerprints.

Recently, the world learned that Trump remained silent as the Russian government paid bounties to Taliban fighters for killing American troops in Afghanistan. A Taliban fighter who hunts and kills an American soldier gets up to $100,000 from the Russian government.

Yet Trump remains silent, trying instead to ignite a racist cultural war that pits Americans against Americans.

Where is the outrage from every Republican? Every senator and representative should stand united in defending America’s national security, American soldiers’ lives and America’s interests.

Instead, Republicans are either making excuses for Trump or changing the subject.

Where is the integrity of today’s Republican Party and its elected officials?

As a member of Republicans for Integrity, I long for a return to the days when Republicans put country over party, defending our nation against threats to our constitutional democracy and national security, whether these threats come from the president or from foreign nations — or both.

The Republican Party will need to live in the electoral wilderness until its leaders return to the principles that attracted so many of us to the party in years past.

Claudine Schneider is a Republican former U.S. congresswoman and a founding member of Republicans for Integrity.