The most controversial bombshell in the big Bruce Jenner interview last week? Not that Jenner feels like a woman. That Jenner’s a Republican (it says something about the media that this is considered controversial, of course).

That’s the revelation that seemed to shock Diane Sawyer the most, anyway, as she stared at Jenner, mouth agape.

OK, I’m exaggerating about Sawyer's expression but not by much. Jenner also revealed he was not a big fan of President Obama.

"Are you a Republican?" Sawyer asked. Jenner replied, "Yeah! Is that a bad thing? I believe in the Constitution."

I think the Republican Party should embrace Jenner (I'm using the pronoun he, as Sawyer did, because Jenner did not state a preference for otherwise at this point).

I’m not holding my breath, but I can’t think of a more immediately redefining gesture than that would be. The party should put out a statement welcoming him into the fold. Heck, let Jenner have a convention speaking slot. Plop him down in Clint Eastwood’s chair. And let him talk about the Constitution, mostly – why define Jenner mostly by his gender? 

Think I’m kidding? I’m not. And I don’t mean this as a joke. I am serious. But let me also explain why I think this way. 

On many issues – probably more of them – the GOP appeals to me (for starters, I’m pro-life, pro-concealed carry, pro a strong national defense, etc.). I generally think the GOP – at least in stated principle – gets more right when it comes to fiscal issues (my problems with them lately stem from ways in which I think they are deviating from those principles, such as the state debt and big projected budget shortfall that we just filled with a proposal for way too painful cuts). 

But the party loses me in a few areas. I don’t like the judgmental stuff, and I am not a fan of some stances on the environment (just look at Walker’s attacks on the DNR). I also don’t like the fact the party seems so non-inclusive. One Latino friend of mine told me that’s the sole reason he won’t vote Republican, even though he aligns with the GOP on a host of issues.

Some of the demonizing rhetoric is also troublesome, and I don't like craven politicians who bob with the breeze, but that occurs on both "sides." 

But who cares what I think? I’m just one person. However, I’d guess that there are a fairly large number of people out there who feel the same way. And I’d guess that the younger generation – those 35 and under – is even more inclined to think this way.

It would go a long way for the party to make a clear statement that all are welcome within its tent. Jenner could symbolize that. Would this anger the Christian base? Some, sure. But you might be surprised how welcoming Christians can be to fellow human beings. The only nastiness I saw on social media in the wake of the Jenner interview? Liberals bashing Jenner for saying he was a Republican. I think it’s a stereotype. One can make a libertarian argument for gay marriage, by the way. I believe in Jenner’s individual freedom to be whom he wants to be. He’s not harming anyone else. I only believe in judging people who harm other people (like child molesters or something like that).

I thought Jenner’s interview was courageous and human. It was also educational. It must be terribly difficult to carry such a secret for so long and then to have to address it in the public eye. Have you ever been judged? Felt different? Trust me, I get it. Media shamings are absolutely no fun. Cyber and social bullying isn't either. It doesn’t feel good. It was terribly sad when he said he’d contemplated suicide.

I believe that human beings are extremely complex. I choose not to judge people for their humanity. I hope he’s found peace. Oh, and he’s right on the Constitution (although it would be interesting to hear more about what he thinks of that.)

Why couldn’t the GOP, minimally, put out a statement saying something like that? Why not embrace someone who agrees with the party’s key message? Let him carry that message to a wider audience. Let him remind people overnight that the party is open to every American.

But I get it. It’s not that kind of campaign season. Instead, you have Gov. Walker on the campaign trail saying that he wants states to be allowed to ban gay marriage. That’s an arguable stance – it’s pro state’s rights perhaps more than being anti-gay. And I say that as someone who supports gay marriage. But I’m also under no illusions here; I think Walker was playing to the segment of the base that does think being gay is an abomination. And that’s unfortunate. Because this kind of strategy might win him the nomination, but it will make it harder to win the general election.

People have a right to their own religious beliefs. I also don’t like – at all – the tendency in society to label people bigots (and even cost them their jobs or reputations) because they hold a religious objection to gay marriage or homosexuality (or being transgender) in general that just a few years ago was quite accepted and common. People should have a right to their own religious beliefs just as they should have a right to claim their own gender.

However, I would like to see the GOP refocus like a laser beam on the issues that unite and most concern Americans right now: the economy and foreign affairs (ISIS, Iran, etc.). And, yes, the Constitution.

The GOP needs to be a party that expands, not retracts. The old demographic equations don’t work – again for a general election. To some young people, the party seems stuffy and mean and limiting. Yet they don’t disagree with a number of its positions, especially on national defense and fiscal matters. It's a branding issue, to some degree.

What better way to nuke the stale stereotypes overnight than by accepting and welcoming Jenner? Let him carry the banner further. He's got a lot of guts.

It would be the decent thing to do. It would also be smart.

But will the party do it? I'd be shocked. Which is one reason I'd rather call myself an Independent.