Making good laws is not rocket science — it is even harder, and more complicated, than shooting rockets into space. (Take note, Elon!)

The representative form of democracy that has served our nation well for 250 years involves an intricate web of human interactions, solid principles and guiding values, rules and procedures; it requires knowledge of the past and a willingness to envision a better future; it takes engaging with and listening to a wide variety of people.

When I first arrived in the Maine Senate, a seasoned legislator from the opposite side of the aisle gave me this friendly advice: If people can trust that you say what you mean and mean what you say, whether they agree with you or not, you’ll do fine. It’s all about building trust and relationships.

In my nine years in the Senate, in addition to trust and personal integrity, I came to see that as legislators, the glue that held us together, and made governing possible, also included these:

1) The ability to take pleasure in our shared humanity. I could disagree with someone’s position on an issue yet still enjoy their being — their smile, their stories, their worries, their love of family, their frustrations, their pride in their community. As a fellow human being, they were deserving of my respect no matter their political beliefs.

2) The acknowledgement that the democratic process we were all engaged in, while imperfect, messy, slow and sometimes tedious, does work to solve problems or move us forward, and it is a noble endeavor.

3) The recognition that what motivates us, as elected officials who undergo public scrutiny in order to serve the public, is the desire to do the best we can on behalf of the people we represent. True, some are humbler than others about their motives and ambitions in seeking public office, and yes, the power of money and the influence of power, can warp the intentions of others. But by and large, each of us takes our responsibility — our ability to respond to the needs of constituents and serve our communities — seriously.

Sadly, the potency of the “glue” that kept us — R’s and D’s and I’s working successfully together, here in Maine and nationally — has eroded over the past 10 years. In place of trust, fear has become dominant and stoked by the current leader of what was once the Grand Old Party. Fear of the other, fear of losing out, fear of being taken advantage of or laughed at, fear of unknown dangers.

Fear fuels anger and distrust in an ever-downward cycle; throughout the country, people have become afraid of losing their jobs, their homes, their right to support themselves and their families, and to lead safe and healthy lives.

And at this moment, Republicans in Congress are afraid that if they do the right thing and speak out against the fear monger in chief, they will be targeted. I can only imagine what kinds of threats, intimations and directives have been hurled to keep their deafening silence of acquiescence in place, as the power and duties of Congress are stripped away, our laws thwarted, and our people mistreated and misled.

And so, my plea to Republicans:

• Be brave, take courage from the communities you serve. Do what you know is right. (Most of you do know.)
• Remember your shared humanity and respect even those who may disagree with you.
• Recommit to the democratic process and to the oath you took to defend and protect our Constitution and our nation from enemies foreign and domestic.
• Take actions that benefit the common good of the everyday people you represent, not the billionaires, oligarchs and autocrats who seek only to line their own pockets.

You will need to work to rebuild trust — hold your hand out to your Democratic colleagues. Many of them may also be afraid — afraid they may not be strong enough or quick enough or unified enough to save our democracy.

“We are all on this together” was my campaign slogan during several of my campaigns and I still believe in its truth. We do not need a king, or a DOGE, to right this ship of state. We need all of us to do our part to uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of all of us.

Right now, we need Congressional Republicans to step up to the bully, to disavow the lies and hate. Do what you know is right. Do it now.

Eloise Vitelli is a former Maine state senator, D-Arrowsic, who represented Senate District 24, which includes all of Sagadahoc County and the town of Dresden in Lincoln County.