Honesty and integrity aren’t just virtues, they’re the bedrock of who we are. These principles shape our values, guide our decisions, and define our legacy. Whether in business, relationships, or politics, they must remain our compass. Without them, we lose direction. Without them, we lose ourselves.
This truth is especially urgent in politics, where the temptation to compromise is constant. Politics touches every corner of our lives, our communities, our freedoms, our future. And yet, those of us who engage in it often face a painful tension: the pressure to win versus the duty to do what’s right.
We’re told that losing power means letting the other side win and that such a loss must be avoided at all costs. But that mindset is a trap. It’s the excuse used to abandon the very foundation we claim to defend. It turns principle into a casualty of strategy.
But this mindset becomes the very excuse for abandoning the foundation of who we are, our honesty and integrity. It creates an internal battle: we know what is right, yet fear that doing so may cost us politically. In the end, we must never sacrifice honesty and integrity for the sake of winning. To do so would destroy the very thing we are fighting to preserve.
Josephine County is a very conservative county in which republicans out number democrats two to one. Our community is now facing a serious dilemma striving to keep Republicans in power, even if it means compromising our principles. But as conservatives, we must always stand for honesty and integrity first, and politics second. Without these values, we lose not only our moral compass but also the very identity of our party.
In the upcoming days, weeks and months we will as a community be challenged in our quest for honesty and integrity as conservatism moves forward, with or without the party!
