Right now, on a local Facebook group (and presumably on Facebook groups around the country), a “conversation” is happening that looks something like this:

“OMG, the school committee is silencing its critics!”

“What do you mean?”

“They won’t allow people to show up at meetings and speak their minds on any random topic.”

“So, like, they plan and follow an agenda?”

“Yes! So if I want to rant on some other topic, I can’t do it.”

“Don’t you do it all the time on Facebook?”

“Yes, but they won’t let me derail the school committee meeting.”

“Um…”

“And, get this: They end the Monday meetings at 9:30pm. They won’t stay all night to debate unless they decide a topic is really urgent and has to get resolved.”

“So they want to get home to their families and get some sleep before doing their jobs the next day?”

“Yes, but what if I want to say something and it’s after 9:30?”

“…”

I really don’t know how elected officials do it.

The 115th Congress has begun. Republicans enter the session feeling triumphant, with majorities in both houses and a Republican (albeit a rogue one) in the White House. Indeed, even as unpredictable as he is, President-elect Trump is clearly on the side of dyed-in-the-wool Republicans on a lot of issues: lower taxes for the wealthy and corporations, reduced environmental regulation, and hawkish foreign policy, to name a few.

But there’s a difference between being an ideological conservative and being a… well,whatever it is that Donald Trump is. And the next two years will show who are the real conservatives—those Republicans that actually stand for something bigger than themselves—and those who are political hacks.

The evidence will begin mounting early, as the president-elect’s nominees for the executive branch come up for confirmation. I’m not calling on the Republican senators to reject every nominee that I disagree with. I’m calling on them to reject those that don’t represent good government. Not “good” in the sense of “how Democrats think it should be.” But “good” in the sense of “will strive in good faith to do the job effectively.”

Here’s the oath of office that all civilian appointees of the federal government must take, per U.S. law:

I, name, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

Can anyone really believe that Rick Perry, who said he wanted to eliminate the Energy Department, will “well and faithfully discharge the duties” of the head of that department? Will Jeff Sessions, the presumptive nominee for Attorney General, really “support and defend the Constitution,” when he clearly believes that Constitutional rights do not apply to all Americans?

Yes, it’s time for the real Republicans to stand up. Now is the time to show that they are fighting for a better America, rather than a better position on Trump’s naughty-or-nice list.