Michael Cianchette is a Navy reservist who served in Afghanistan. He is in-house counsel to a number of businesses in southern Maine and was a chief counsel to former Gov. Paul LePage.
I love my wife, my brother, my sisters, and my parents. But I don’t always agree with them. And that’s OK.
It is healthy to have disagreements sometimes. You saw it last weekend at the Maine GOP convention.
One of the traditionally important parts of any political party convention is the adoption of the platform. This is a vestige of another time. Conventions used to be much different affairs, where party business was conducted and party candidates selected.
Since then, parties themselves — as private organizations — have lost influence over the candidate selection process. Platforms used to be important rallying documents serving as a lodestar to the electorate in determining which party to support.
Nowadays, with primary elections, platforms are much less impactful. Candidates of either party can ignore or refute the platform and there is not much the party — as an organization — can do about it.
Nonetheless, the platform debate itself serves as a barometer on where the activists and core party faithful lie. That is where healthy disagreement comes in.
The Maine GOP convention had several platform proposals placed before it. From topics as varied as the libertarian “defend the guard” proposal, to questions about the transgender “shield” law, same-sex marriage, gold standard, free press, or the death penalty, convention delegates had some choices to make.
There was debate about these proposals. Some ideas passed; others failed.
Similarly, there were contested races for party leadership positions. That meant people had to make a choice about who the best person was for the job. Which meant that someone had to be the first runner-up.
That’s OK.
The same will inevitably hold true with the primary battle between State Rep. Austin Theriault and colleague Mike Soboleski for the Republican nomination in the 2nd Congressional District. Only one of them can win the race to take on Jared Golden.
That’s OK.
On most things, Theriault and Soboleski probably agree with each other. There are some areas where they differ. Yet, simply because they are opponents does not mean they are enemies.
It is healthy to have disagreements with other people. The world would be a pretty boring place if everyone monotonously held the same views.
But disagreements need not devolve into spite. The GOP convention was a great example of that; even if someone didn’t get exactly what they wanted, the delegates departed as a unified team with a shared goal of electing Republicans in Maine.
As the great Ronald Reagan reminded us, “the person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally — not a 20 percent traitor.”
Republicans need to keep that quote front of mind. We are headed into an election season where, by most pundits’ predictions, the Democrats hold an advantage in keeping control of the Maine Legislature. To overcome the odds, the GOP needs to stand firm and stand together.
Democratic unity in Maine is showing signs of fraying. Next week, we will almost certainly see a majority of left-leaning legislators attempt to override Gov. Janet Mills’ vetoes. While the vetoes will likely be sustained, the roll calls will show Democrats breaking into different camps.
And before the Legislature has even officially adjourned, jockeying has already begun on the left side of the aisle to succeed the term-limited Democrat Troy Jackson as Senate President.
Whatever disagreements Republicans have — whether about the platform, a policy, or candidates — they are OK. Keep your eye on the prize and President Reagan’s adage front of mind: 80 percent agreement is friendly. You can like each other without always agreeing with them.
Just ask my family.
