It’s hardly a surprise that Rep. Ben McAdams decided to vote for impeachment. When he ran for office, McAdams campaigned as a moderate who would not be constrained by Democrat party orthodoxy, but here he is taking the side of the increasingly radical Democrat leadership in what was basically a pure party line vote on articles of impeachment. Rarely do so-called “moderate” politicians, Democrat or Republican, buck the party line on big issues, and when they do, it’s invariably because they would otherwise be crushed in their next bid for reelection.

The takeaway is that when you vote for a certain candidate in a federal election, you also cast your vote for that candidate’s party and its leadership. Even if your candidate sometimes departs from his party’s position, the fact that he has a “D” or “R” linked to his name adds power to his declared party in Congress. Thus, if you vote for Ben McAdams, you are in effect voting for Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, etc. 

In principle, one should vote for the best candidate based on his individual merits. In fact, you should vote for the party that best represents your interests because American politics is a team sport.

Steve Fillerup

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Elk Ridge

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