Why I Remain A Republican

   I know many people who follow me here at Delaware Right, and maybe also read my writing at my former blogging homes, Delaware Politics, and Politically Frank, wonder about my conservatism, and my party affiliation.  Back in April of 2012 I wrote a piece titled, “How I Became A Liberal”. In that post I explained the way people’s perception of my politics had changed and why. Here is a link to that post. Please read it in its entirety before continuing to read this post, it is important for you to understand my political journey, to understand where I am politically today.

How I Became A Liberal (An Oldie, But A Goody)

Ok, so now you know the path I have taken, well at least up until 2012. Let me attempt to fill in the last five years.

Since I wrote the post in 2012, I have, I believe, continued to apply my core values and principles to all issues and events. And as I wrote back then, I have continued to hold to the idea that conservatism lies at the center of our political world, and our society. People want to be in charge of their own lives, even liberals. Most are willing to take responsibility for their own actions, and live with the consequences.

And, as I have held my straight line of conservatism, others around me in the GOP, have continued to veer further to the right. However, the difference is, where once it was a faction within the GOP, it seems now, at least on the surface, the entire Republican Party has chosen to become a caricature of itself. As this transition of the GOP, from being the flag bearer of conservatism, into nothing more than a political party bent on winning elections, and nothing more, my stand on principle has alienated me even further from the so-called party loyalist.

Again my conservatism is called into question, not because of my stand on any particular issue, but because of my lack of support, and out right criticism of candidates and elected officials who happen to be Republican. It seems as though the Republican Party has decided as a whole, you are never to question, criticize or challenge an elected Republican. If you do, then you must be a “liberal”. I have even been accused of being a Democrat secretly working undercover as  a Republican to undermine the GOP.

Okay, I admit it, I am a sleeper cell for the Democrats. I registered as a Republican decades ago, and have been waiting for the signal to flash across the night sky, telling me it was time to take out the GOP.

What I have been doing for decades is watching as my party of choice, has gone through many changes. This is not unusual for a political party, in fact it is exactly what should happen. As I wrote in the post from 2012, we all should challenge ourselves to expand our own circle of knowledge. And as we do this, our views on issues are naturally going to change, that is, if we are honest with ourselves. If we look at issues based on our core values, we can change our views, without sacrificing those values.

The problem within the GOP today, as I see it, is very few Republicans are being honest with themselves, or anyone else for that matter. No matter what happens, they will apologize and excuse anything a Republican does. They will abandon their core values at the drop of a hat for the sake of the party win. They are more concerned with the win, and the brand, then they are about the direction and success of the nation. The success of the party is all that matters.

The irony is, if they would be honest, if they would show integrity, if they would hold to stated principles, the wins would come much easier.

In large part, this is due to what took place in 2010 with the TEA movement. A grassroots movement came into the GOP and had success. The TEA people began as a group who were concerned about taxes, and morphed into a melting pot of so-called conservative ideals. Unfortunately, what began as a movement with real potential for positive change, was taken over by sub groups who were thinly veiled racist and people who were just angry in general.

With the election of our first black president, President Obama, that racism and anger was sent spiraling out of control. For eight years it festered and boiled. They waited and waited. And then the perfect candidate appeared on the horizon. A person who spoke of immigrants as thieves and rapist. A man who said in no uncertain terms Muslims would be targeted under his administration. A man who said all the same angry things, the angry citizens were saying.

As a Republican who felt the GOP should be the party of the future for the nation, I certainly didn’t want anger to be our future. I didn’t want racism to be our future, I didn’t want the eradication of religious freedoms to be our future, and I never believed for a moment, this angry man would be the future of the GOP. Well I was wrong. Not only did the Republican voters nominate him as our presidential candidate, he is now the President of the United States.

I have been a Republican for decades. I have been just a voter, I have been a member of the party, I have been an outspoken supporter, and an outspoken critic of the GOP. I have been proud of the party, and I have been, and I am ashamed of the party. Right now I hate the Republican Party. I hate the party leadership, and I hate the voters who refuse to see, in my opinion, we as a party made a terrible mistake.

I have known some of these people for years. I like them personally, they are intelligent. But for the sake of the party, for the sake of the brand, they have sold their political souls. They refuse to admit even the least wrong doing of our current president. Instead they attack those like myself as traitors, as liberals and worse.

I wonder when Republicans became Democrats? As I attempt to discuss and challenge them to expand their circle of knowledge, they act and react as Democrats always did when I would do the same about President Obama. They will not answer direct questions, they instead deflect by asking questions about Hillary, or Obama. They attack and name call when challenged on their assertions about what a great job President Trump is doing. Their tactics mirror those of the left when defending their brand.

So, I have stated I hate the current state of the Republican Party, so I know some have wondered before, and some are wondering now, why do I remain a Republican?

The easy answer is, because being a registered Republican is my ticket into the greatest show on earth now that the circus has died, that being the Sussex GOP monthly meetings.

But seriously, I have asked myself this question. Why do I remain a Republican, when I seem to be at times, the only person upset with the direction it has taken. When I feel like I am the only Republican alive who feels like we are on the verge of a real disaster for the party, and maybe the nation, and the GOP will be held accountable for it, because we as a party chose party over nation.

I remain a Republican because it is still my party of choice. It remains the only party which I have even the smallest hope of being represented by. And it is the party I hope will again go through changes and find its way back to the conservative center. Right now the GOP is not about being conservative, it is only concerned with not being Democrat, it is only concerned with the win and the brand, it certainly is not concerned about the state of this nation I call home. But it can be again.

Yes it may take years, maybe decades, but the GOP can be about being conservative again. Oh not that TEA Trump party, “I hate everything and everybody“, kind of conservatism. But the type of conservatism which talks about self-responsibility, not about making “America Great Again“, but in recognizing we have been great all along, in every form and under every manifestation of this form of government which has given us the freest nation in the world.

The GOP can be the party which leads again, not by mandate, but because we do the right thing for the nation, not what might win an election. Those who have followed me know I attempt to keep the cursing here at a minimum, but “FUCK” the brand.

We need to be Americans first and foremost, and the parties be damned. If the two major parties do not see the Trump win was not a victory for the GOP, but a warning to the political establishment in general, they run the real risk of being run over. The fact that Donald Trump could become the Republican nominee, and then win the election, foreshadows dark days ahead for the political parties.

Some will say this is exactly what the nation needs, and maybe so. We might be better off without the entrenched politicos. Or it could be the leading edge of chaos which will consume not only the parties, but quite possibly our representative form of government. This chaos could lead to the establishment of a dictator who would come forward and wrest control from the people in the name of safety and stability. And no, I do not believe it would be Trump, if it were to happen I still think we are years maybe decades from it. However, lightning strikes without notice, and this is why it is important for the people to hold all elected officials accountable, not just those of the opposing party.

This is why I remain a Republican, because I want to work to bring the GOP back to the classic GOP, to bring it back to the Reagan GOP, back to when the party wanted to lead, and not just win. When being a Republican meant more than just not being a Democrat. I want to push, pull, criticize, compliment, kick, scratch, holler, whisper, whatever it takes to return the GOP to a position of respect, not because the party won the White House, but because the party has vision, and goals, and leaders who can not only win, but who once they have won, inspire people to follow them. Not people whose only inspiration is to hate and be angry.

I remain a Republican so that maybe someday, I can say, I saw the darkest days of the party, and I was not afraid to stand in the dark and shout for light. That I stood my ground as the rising waters of despair rose around my feet, and when it got to high, I stepped up upon my principles and waited. So I can someday, look back and hold my head up, and know that I did not give into pressure to go along to get along, that I saw wrong and pointed it out when it was unpopular  to do so. I remain a Republican so that my party of choice shall not vanish from the face of the earth.