It's okay not to agree all the time

I was recently saw a quote by President Reagan, “The person who agrees with you 80% of the time is a friend and an ally, not a 20% traitor.” His quote summarizes what so many of us are feeling. I’ve never shied away from speaking my mind and seeing that quote made me realize I’ve been afraid to speak my truth. I’ve always believed when you shy away from telling your truth, you begin to lose your identity. I don’t want to lose sight of who I am, so I think it’s important to share my truth.

Regardless of your party, you may have seen the disgusting Facebook post by Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman, John Bennett, where he compared vaccine mandates to the Holocaust. He asked all “Patriots” to call for a special session to address vaccination requirements. Once other members of the Republican Party began denouncing the comparison, Chairman Bennett doubled down, following up with a video basically shaming anyone who didn’t agree with his comparison.

During the Holocaust, an estimated 11 million men, women and children were brutally murdered in gas chambers, starved, tortured, and shot. Their bodies were buried in shallow graves with hundreds of others piled on top of them, not even given the opportunity for a proper burial.

My husband’s grandfather fought during WW2 and fell in love with the most precious German woman that God ever made. I remember the one and only time I ever heard her speak of the Holocaust; she had family who served in Hitler’s Army and others who helped Jews escape the horror. She lived through that and, eventually, my husband’s grandfather sent her to live in the States until his return home to America. I’ll never forget the trembling in her voice and the tears rolling down her face as she shared her story. Although born in Germany, Grandma McBee was an American patriot who loved and supported the U.S, respected her elected officials, regardless if she agreed with them, and taught her children, many of whom served in the U.S. military, to love and support their country too.

All of that said, I find myself in a situation where many of my colleagues and I don’t agree with Chairman Bennett. His comments are insulting to my family and others who had loved ones who lived through the Holocaust, and the millions of families who lost loved ones. But because we disagree with him, we’re called RINOs (Republican in Name Only) and accused of being “fake Republicans”. Every day, we’re threatened with being voted out, harassed on social media, and receive emails telling us how horrible we are. Seeing the Reagan quote reminded me that just because I don’t agree with Chairman Bennett 20% of the time doesn’t make me a traitor to my party or not a patriot. 

There are many different types of Republicans, just as there are many different types of Democrats and Independents. At the Stephens County GOP Fish Fry, Sen. Lankford said that you can’t call someone “more Republican” because they’re louder than others or someone “not Republican enough” because they aren’t as loud. You also can’t call someone a “RINO”, “fake Republican”, “an enemy” or accuse them of not being a patriot just because they don’t agree with you 20% of the time. 

A patriot is someone who loves and supports their country, just like Grandma McBee. She had a thick German accent, loved German food, and celebrated German traditions during the holidays, but that didn’t make her less of an American patriot than her neighbor.

As patriots, we shouldn’t let the few things we disagree on tear us apart completely. There are so many things we can do to make Oklahoma a better place like improving access to healthcare, building safe roads and bridges, and strengthening our schools, just to name a few. We can only move Oklahoma forward by working together, and that’s my commitment to you.

If you have any questions or concerns on legislative matters, please contact me at the Capitol. Please write to Senator Jessica Garvin, State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd. Room 237, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105, email me at Jessica.Garvin@oksenate.gov or call (405) 521-5522.