Ignoring parties achieves nothing; share your dissatisfaction by voting

By Orrin Johnson

Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016 | 2 a.m.

It’s fair to say most Nevada Republicans have major gripes with their party. The complaints are as diverse as they are often mutually incompatible (“Too extreme!” “Too moderate!”), and yet plenty have merit — often feckless leadership and absurd cries of “betrayal!” after every point of disagreement has allowed government to grow and debt to rise in spite of Republican governing majorities nationwide.

The trend, in our state and elsewhere, is for people to reject party politics and either not vote at all or register as nonpartisans to haughtily announce they aren’t beholden to either party, then complain about the parties they refused to help keep in check. With caucuses the temptation to stay home is even worse, because they’re inconvenient, messy and run by inexperienced volunteers.

I understand the sentiment. But even so, how foolish. How childish, even.

No party or candidate will ever perfectly reflect your own beliefs. But by both custom and now by law, our two major parties are firmly rooted in our electoral system. And indeed, forcing candidates to find areas of compromise and agreement across a broad array of intraparty factions — and to form those coalitions out in the open before Election Day — is actually a good thing.

To refuse to participate before the general election is to give up a crucial role in our republic. Nonpartisans aren’t making a statement; they’re giving permission to be ignored. They have surrendered their moderating influence on the parties and ironically help exacerbate the partisan excesses that caused them to leave in the first place. They’re mere spectators while caucus-goers and primary voters chose our next leaders, and as importantly, set the tone for the national debate that is an election.

You don’t like Trump, don’t think he ought to inherit the party of Abraham Lincoln and are frustrated with “the Party” because he has so much support within it? I dare say a large majority of registered Republicans feel the same way. So why would you stand by and do nothing while a single-payer health care-supporting personality cult leader and Hillary Clinton donor who has yet to articulate a single coherent policy position blusters his way to a possible GOP nomination? Caucusing can be a pain, but do you really want to have to explain to your great-grandchildren that you let Trump, Clinton or Sanders happen because Tuesdays are bunco night, and you couldn’t spare an hour to vote for someone qualified?

The future belongs to those who show up. Register, and chose a party if you haven’t already; it’s not too late. The broader the base of people who vote, the saner and more representative of citizens’ true priorities the winning candidates will be. (Too late this year for the Dems, but there’s always next cycle.) Caucusing is more fun and more productive than yelling at cable news at home, and it’s a great way to get to know your neighbors.

What our parties — and America herself — will look like in another decade will not be decided by Machiavellian “Establishment” bosses in smoke-filled rooms or crazy fringe groups claiming to be the “grassroots.” It will be decided by whoever shows up on Feb. 23.

Orrin Johnson is a criminal prosecutor in Northern Nevada. He wrote this for the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Nevada caucuses

Democrats: Saturday, Feb. 20 at 11 a.m.; find your precinct caucus at nvdems.com/caucus/locations

Republicans: Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 5 p.m.; find your precinct caucus at www.nevadagopcaucus.org/find-my-location.html