Every time a politician acts, a principle is either weakened or preserved, although these principles are easy to miss in the feverish rush of politics.

By opposing Pete Hegseth’s confirmation, Sens. Collins, Murkowski and McConnell demonstrated one of these important principles, that political leaders should be willing to act independently, and all three deserve recognition for their recent votes.

The ability of leaders to act independently is essential for the maintenance of democracy and forms the core of the American political ideal. One need not agree with the decision of these senators to respect their action.

The individualists who reside in America’s history books and in the imagination of Americans made their own decisions about how best to live. Our politicians understand the image’s appeal and some present themselves as kindred spirits of the American frontier. The same politicians often subordinate themselves to the strict demands and conformist thinking of party politics and make themselves nothing more than caricatures of the traits epitomized by America’s frontier. We recently saw something different, individualism in action through the principled votes of three Republican senators.

Their decision to oppose Hegseth’s confirmation was unpopular with tens of millions of Americans, with many of their own constituents, and most of all with President Trump’s supporters. But Hegseth was an unconventional nominee and lacked experiences that are normal prerequisites for leadership at places like the Department of Defense.

Though nominated to lead an organization of 3 million people, Hegseth’s leadership experience was particularly thin and his personal life was checkered in the extreme. Hegseth has some redeeming qualities, but these were insufficient to overcome the principled resistance of Collins, Murkowski and McConnell, and every senator who caucused with the Democrats.

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President Trump had a muted reaction to the Republican defections but showed no graciousness toward the senators, and with this omission, he missed an opportunity to lead. By carefully considering the issue and then acting independently, Collins, Murkowski and McConnell reinforced a critical idea: regardless of party, elected officials should think freely, trust their own judgment and remain true to their conscience.

Democrats have an equally powerful tradition of independent action, and former Sens. Manchin and Sinema saved the filibuster by rejecting their party’s calls for its elimination. Both were held in contempt by the parts of their party that value uniformity and conformity over political independence and free will.

Even the significant consequences of eliminating the filibuster look small against the principle that Manchin and Sinema demonstrated by conducting their own analysis and exercising their political free will. Without a willingness by our leaders to act independently, America would move toward a system where political leaders are avatars for someone else’s thinking, concentrating power in the hands of the few, or the hands of the one.

Regardless of their views on Hegseth or the filibuster, Americans should celebrate the independence of political leaders who are willing to oppose party positions through their exercise of value-based free will.

The actions of Collins, Murkowski and McConnell, and Manchin and Sinema before them, set an example for every politician to follow. Their votes against Hegseth shouldn’t imply that independent action is always necessary or right, but should imply that every political leader is elected to exercise their own judgment and should never diminish their position by fading meekly into a political crowd.

The respect of Americans for political leaders willing to cast independent votes can’t be held hostage to the expectation that we’ll agree with them on every decision. Collins’ intent to support Tulsi Gabbard will likely upset the same people inclined to praise her for the independence she showed on Hegseth.  That same decision to support Gabbard will be well received by the people who were dismayed by her position on Hegseth. It’s a difficult place for any political leader to be. But if political independence is a virtue we hope to see survive, at some point we must trust the judgement of leaders who have shown a willingness to act independently and celebrate that independence even when they cast votes with which we disagree.

More significant than the nomination of any defense secretary, and even more significant than preserving the filibuster, is the principle of political independence and the willingness of leaders to act in accordance with principled contrarian views. If Americans fail to celebrate this type of independence when we see it, we risk forgetting one of our fundamental political principles.

Sens. Collins, Murkowski and McConnell, and former Sens. Manchin and Sinema, acted in ways that are deeply rooted in the folklore of American individualism, made better by their thoughtful and intellectual analysis of the issues.

Most Americans are represented by senators who vote reflexively along party lines, and appreciation is owed to those few senators still willing to make independent decisions. Appreciation is also owed to the voters who sent them to the Senate.

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