To the editor:

They didn’t have political parties in 1790, just Americans. Their word for “party” was “faction.” There were disagreements between the likes of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, but they identified themselves as Americans. George Washington refused to identify with any party. His enormous prestige tamped down parties. This fear of faction is reflected in the initial method for selecting president and vice president. Second place became vice president. This method rejects party; all candidates stood for the same idea: America.

The Federalist Papers repeatedly warn against the dangers of faction, what we now call parties — Republicans and Democrats. For true American patriots, parties serve the interests of the nation, not the reverse.

Recently, 103 former and current Republican officeholders publicly endorsed a Democrat, Paul Davis, for governor. Their reason: social and economic policies of the Brownback administration have been fiscally irresponsible and have hurt education and the economy. A 104th, former Rep. Jan Meyers, initially listed with the 103, has issued a statement disavowing support of Davis.

She said: “I’m trying to stay out of the race. … If I endorsed anyone, it would be Sam Brownback because he’s our Republican candidate.” The report finished with a quote that she was “trying to be a moderate,” but concluded she “would never publicly endorse a Democrat over a sitting Republican governor.”

Rep. Meyers’ support of Republicans, and her disdain for Democrats, highlights the problem of politics today. What would George Washington say of a representative of the people who supports her party first — right or wrong?