I think it’s time to mention how we all wherever we are, whatever we believe, need to be able to have conversations. We can be opposites politically all of the time and yet, we can should be able to talk about things, even politics. People have lost that ability and I think it’s sad. We all don’t have to be bobble headed sheeple for either political party, but we need to relearn the art of conversation and meeting in the middle to get things done. To that end and this topic, has everyone seen see the article in the Daily Local about Jim Gerlach?

I have to admit, I would not have chosen that title for the article, I find it cringey and awkward. But because it was about someone I like and respect, I read the article. Here’s an excerpt:

Jim Gerlach has taken on a new position.

The former congressman has joined the board of the Pennsylvania Democracy Defense Project. The organization was created to support the transparency, safety, security and validity of Pennsylvania’s election system.

“I’m excited to join this bipartisan coalition of Pennsylvania and national leaders working to restore faith in our election system,” Gerlach said in a release announcing his appointment to the board. “Now more than ever, we must work to dispel the misinformation surrounding our elections and restore trust in the process.”

Gerlach most recently stepped down from his post as president and CEO of the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance last year. He  had been with the chamber since March 2020.

Before taking over as leader of the local chamber, Gerlach represented parts of Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties as a member of Congress for 12 years. The Republican lawmaker, who was widely regarded as someone willing to work with his colleagues across the aisle….Gerlach joins former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, former U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart and former State House Speaker Keith McCall as board members of the Democracy Defense Project in Pennsylvania.

This bi-partisan approach is not new to Jim Gerlach. He practices what he preaches on this topic, he always has, from the State House to Washington, D.C.

In 2022 he co-authored an Op-Ed in The Hill:

The Hill Opinion>Congress Blog
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill
It’s time to put civility back in our politics
by Former Reps. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) and Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.), opinion contributors – 04/11/22 9:00 AM ET

Two hundred and thirty-three years ago last week, on April 6, 1789, the first joint session of the U.S. House and Senate met in New York’s Federal Hall and proceeded to count the electoral votes that would establish George Washington as the nation’s first President. That remarkable proceeding was peaceful, dignified and the outcome was accepted by all participants – candidates and supporters alike, those who prevailed and those who did not. Thus began the first full session of an institution now in its 117th iteration.  

Since the founding, more than ten thousand Americans have had the honor and privilege to represent their constituents in the House of Representatives and Senate. As legislators, their primary responsibility has been to accurately reflect the will and needs of those they represent and, most importantly, engage with their colleagues and the executive branch to formulate public policy that best advances the rights, opportunities, and security of their fellow citizens.  

Because our nation is so diverse, our people’s representatives are as well. Consequently, to achieve passage of legislation in either chamber, productive members are those who interact with each other, engage in meaningful conversation, and ultimately find the common ground that is the foundation of public policy advancement. They do so by respecting each other as colleagues, regardless of party label.  It is certainly true, that during that first Congress and ever since, spirited policy debate has been the hallmark of the American legislative process. But that debate must be conducted civilly and responsibly if we are to advance as a nation. 

Unfortunately, in the past few years, the conduct of far too many members of the House and Senate and in legislative bodies across the land has devolved into angry exchanges and name-calling that serves no other purpose than to inflame passions and harden sentiments against fellow officials. We are concerned that too many of those serving in and seeking elected office are willing to degrade our centuries-old representative democracy by riding a wave of tribalism and division. Instead of engaging in dialogue to achieve practical policy solutions, these outbursts of acrimony only serve to further separate members from each other and inflame individuals and organizations among the broader public. Worse, the rhetoric is increasingly involving threats or encouragement of acts of violence. 

In response to this dangerous and divisive trend, as two former members of Congress with a combined 24 years of service and coming from different regions and political parties, we have authored a “Civility, Not Violence Pledge” that has now been signed by a bipartisan group of over 100 former members of Congress. Together, we have all have pledged to withhold our support of any candidates – regardless of party – who advocate or threaten violence against their political adversaries. The pledge reads: 

“Recognizing that a strong, vibrant, and unified republic is founded on our citizenry’s mutual respect for the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others, and 

That our local, state, and federal elected officials have a special and solemn responsibility to recognize and promote such mutual respect in the conduct of their public duties, and 

That their conduct should at all times be civil, respectful, and ethical in action and discourse, 

The undersigned do hereby affirm and pledge that they will: 

• Responsibly conduct themselves in speech and action in a manner that fosters civility and respect among fellow officials and citizens, 
• Decry and oppose any conduct or activity that encourages, supports, or condones any act or threat of violence against any individuals, groups, elected officials, or government employees at any level of government, and 
• Decline support for any persons or organizations that encourage, support or condone such violence.” 

…Having served in office ourselves, we call on current members and candidates for Congress to join us and publicly demonstrate their recognition that public service should be founded on mutual respect for their colleagues and constituents, and that their words and conduct should not be used to support or condone any form of violence in the public square. We also call on the public and the media to hold elected officials and all candidates accountable to make and abide by this same commitment.

See the pledge and the signers at www.civilitynotviolence.org/  

Baird served in Congress from 1999-2011 and Gerlach served from 2003-2015. Both are members of the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress. 

Jim Gerlach was our Congressman for many years and he was a terrific congressman in my opinion. He helped us in Ardmore with eminent domain for private gain many years ago and the hallmark of his tenure in Congress is his door was always open for anyone regardless of political persuasion. You do not have that today and then there is the pecking order or if you can’t do anything for most elected officials with few exceptions, they don’t have time or they are more aptly put handled out of reach of every day constituents.

Now he has joined the board of the Pennsylvania Democracy Defense Project. The organization was created to support the transparency, safety, security and validity of Pennsylvania’s election system. Gerlach joins former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, former U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart and former State House Speaker Keith McCall as board members of the Democracy Defense Project in Pennsylvania. This group wants to bring together trusted leaders to bolster faith in the integrity of election systems. They said the organization will run a campaign to raise awareness of efforts to subvert elections across the country and help move people beyond polarizing rhetoric. This is BI-PARTISAN.

I think this is a great idea and I hope it’s successful. I am tired of the rhetoric. I am tired of the baseless crazy conspiracy theories and ridiculous litigation after every election cycle. And I know most of you are so I hope you all pay attention to this.

I am sure the critics of this post will become giant mina birds as to why this won’t work, and to them I simply say, what if it does? We have to start somewhere. The extremism of politics is ruining this country. Pure and simple. And no someone like Donald Trump won’t seriously support something like this because most simply put, a project like this is a complete threat to his insanity. He is essentially an autocrat, a dictator in training and has destroyed the Republican party. He is about whomever gets all the toys wins and HE wants all of the toys, he will never as a malignant narcissist care about anyone other than him which is exactly WHY when something BI-PARTISAN pops up, we all as Americans need to look at it.

The website is below.

Happy Friyay all.

https://www.democracydefenseproject.org/pa