First, I want to thank the management of the Lincoln Herald for providing me with the opportunity to share my viewpoints with the public.  Since I moved as a child to Lincolnton from New York, this has been home.  The people who have lived here for generations are kind and always willing to help out a neighbor, while the newcomers to our area contribute in so many positive ways to our economy and community.  We live in a beautiful place, whether you reside at the lake, the foothills in the western part of the county or in downtown Lincolnton (which I often say is something out of a Norman Rockwell painting).  Yes, as a lifelong runner (now jogger), I often feel that connection to the landscape.  It is something about the land here that brings one a sense of great peace.  All of us need more peace these days.

I am a moderate Democrat, but I sometimes vote Republican as I try to focus more on individual candidates’ platforms and whether they speak to me.  Senator Thom Tillis will always have my vote as he quickly came to support Israel and Jewish Americans after the October 2023 Hamas attack.  Also, I consistently supported former Republican member of the NC House, Jason Saine.  Mr. Saine was a great encouragement to my son who has been on his own political path as a Republican and Libertarian (and is now very politically active on his college campus).

Living in a mostly conservative county has influenced me over the years.  I am proud of my Jewish heritage, but follow Christ’s teachings.  Increasingly, I find I agree with the idea that the political far-left has gone too far in its cancel culture, and too often diversity programs are intolerant of Christians, southerners and white males.  In my book, I provide a plan on reparations for slavery, yet I think the idea of “canceling” our Founding Fathers who happened to have owned slaves has no legitimate merit.  We don’t celebrate our Founding Fathers because they were men of their time, but because they were visionaries of our time.  These visionaries laid the groundwork for the end of slavery and the expansion of individual liberties in America and around the world. 

On the other hand, as a moderate (and a Democrat), I have a major issue with the conspiracy theories of far-right Republicans and the madness and lawlessness on January 6^th.  If President Trump is re-elected, I will do everything I can to support him, but I question his allegiance and that of some of his followers to our U.S. Constitution, which requires the peaceful transfer of power when an incumbent loses.  Can we all please agree that President Trump did indeed lose the 2020 election?  I do give President Trump proper credit for Operation Warp Speed in which the federal government worked with private pharmaceutical companies to invent the highly effective COVID-19 vaccines.  Unfortunately, it was President Trump’s mixed messaging and even opposition to what medical professionals were informing the public on, that resulted in an overall bungled response to the pandemic.  I argue that this bungled response was the reason that President Trump lost the 2020 election.  Finally, the United States must always stand with our NATO partners and Ukraine.  While we welcome a peaceful co-existence with Russia, China and North Korea, the president of the United States does not buddy up to dictators and those who deny individual liberties to their citizens. 

Clearly, I am no fan of the political extremes, but I want to finish this article with an explanation as to why I was recently motivated to write a book.  As a mid-level, local governmental employee, I do try to stay out of politics publicly.  However, I felt compelled to begin to speak out because the divisiveness in our nation is such a concern for me.  The main message of my book is that we need to remember that at the end of the day we are not red Republicans or blue Democrats, but we are red, white and blue Americans united under one flag.  We need to debate, disagree and passionately express our political beliefs leading up to the election.  However, after the election is over, we then all need to work together to achieve that “shining city on a hill” as President Reagan so eloquently described in his visionary outlook for our great nation.  As I discuss at length in my book, we can achieve this dream not by listening to the extremes on the political spectrum, but by focusing on rational approaches that are often expressed by moderate voices.  Let’s begin. 

About Eric Nachamie:  Eric has worked in NC local government for over 20 years.  He received his bachelor’s degree in political science from NC State University and his master’s degree in public administration from UNC-Charlotte.  His recently self-published book is Man in the Middle:  A Collection of Essays by a Red, White and Blue American which is available from major retailers in both e-book and paperback format.  His book website is https://www.redwhiteandblueamerican.com/ and he is on YouTube as well where he shares his social and political commentaries @ManIntheMiddleRWB.   Eric is also on LinkedIn and Facebook.