I appreciate the argument you are making, but I disagree with the main premise that “republican” is some inherent identity akin to someone’s religion, and that we need to be magnanimous in our messaging about being involved with that political party in a time like this. This type of political affiliation is a check mark on a form that can be changed at any time. The kind of argument you are presenting is reminiscent of “all lives matter” or “not all men” arguments. I think it is missing the point. It is not to say that literally everyone who is a registered republican is an irredeemable monster, but that supporting that party, being a part of it, is not some neutral thing that can be ignored (maybe that would be different if their base fundamentally opposed the party’s actions, but they are supportive).

There is no evidence to suggest that reaching across the aisle in that way has any net positive effect. History has shown that the opposite is true. We can embrace those people if they leave their ideology and come to us, but not the other way around. We will not be able to counteract billions of dollars’ worth of media and propaganda apparatus by being accepting. It is better to make it clear that the actions of that organization are unacceptable.