I don't know if I have formally done this yet or not, if I have, sorry, if I have not, here goes.
I hereby formally renounce my associations with the Republican Party and any membership I hold therein. Next time I'm at the DMV I'll ask how to formally change to independent if that's possible.
I'm doing this on its own, not attached to an issue, because I want to make clear that I'm not mad about any one thing and that this is not entirely reactionary.
I was a Republican because I am a conservative, and I have a strong belief in the pro-life issues they once championed. Though Republicans still claim to be a pro-life conservative party, that statement is not true objectively. It is true that they are more conservative and pro-life than Democrats, but that's not good enough for me.
I am not opposed to voting Republican, and in fact, I'm still more likely to vote for them than for Democrats. I am not opposed to one day coming back into the fold or even one day to accept Republican support in the event I ran for office. But as for being a rank and file elephant, I'm out.
Forgive me if it takes a while to stop saying "we" when talking about the party. I've been one officially for 10 years.
The party has become a thing I do not like, and I am done with that.
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ReplyDeleteHow is the GOP insufficiently pro-life?
ReplyDeleteOn the whole, I don't believe the GOP wants to win the abortion fight. I think they want to maintain it. If they win it, they can only campaign on it for one cycle.
ReplyDeleteThe only laws they're passing are sneaky attempts to impart personhood laws. I know why they're doing it, but I don't even think that will work, even if it were nationwide. They're operation on a lets make it harder to get an abortion platform, not a let's end the practice. (And for the record, I'm in favor of abortion as an option to save a woman's life, and I'd tolerate another exemption or two to get the ball rolling.)
But the point is, outside of a handful of Republicans, pro-life has the same meaning to them as "The Children are our future." It's just a line they tow because they want votes.
They're more interested in tax cuts for the rich and deficit cutting, two things I don't categorically oppose, but that's their heart and soul it seems. That and gay marriage.
But wait, there's more.
ReplyDeleteThe pro-life issue and all is not the reason I'm leaving the party. As I said, they're still a pro-life party for the most part.
My issues are many and varied. That Michelle Bachman got to be important for a minute, that the idea of having a doctor lie to a patient to prevent an abortion happened, that their best hope for a presidential candidate is the most non-awe inspiring person ever, that crazy is sometimes the new normal and that there is no accountability for the crazy things that get said, they all added up.
I guess you could say being pro-life and conservative are what kept me hanging around the party the last couple years. But they don't strike me as all the conservative these days and while they're doing some stuff on the pro-life front, I sometimes wonder if they're passing laws they know will get struck down by courts so they can do it again.
Wow. Congratulations. I think that's great John. I wish more people were willing to scrutinize their own party. Honestly, I think that it's a good thing that more and more people are becoming independents. It shows the two major parties that they are failing the American people badly. If independents vote and stay involved, I think that they can eventually help to bring about some real reforms in our political culture. Finally, I know many conservatives who are strongly pro-life but who have also become disenchanted with the GOP over its failures to be consistently pro-life. One thing I love about the Catholic Church is that it maintains a consistent position on the sanctity of life - it opposes abortion and capital punishment, and it promotes social justice for all people, including children born into poverty. Hard to argue with that.
ReplyDeleteThey pass these laws they know will get struck down by the courts so they can throw their hands in the air, sigh, and say, "Well, we did our part. It's not our fault the judges are Godless heathens. Vote for me!"
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, time and tax money are wasted in the courts defending unconstitutional legislation. That's just the GOP doing its part to save money.