I'm done. I'm a lifelong Republican and I'm done. I've been a Republican since I was 6 and I saw Reagan speak on our old 13" black and white television set about freedom and about the evils of the Soviet Union, where I was born. I grew up listening to Reagan and I kind of always thought that he was what the Republican Party stood for. For individual liberty at home & abroad. "Moderates" like George H. W. Bush seemed like some sort of aberration to me, an exception to the conservative Republican rule. Looking back though, it's pretty clear that Ronald Reagan was the aberration. In 1988, instead of nominating the father of the Reagan tax cuts, Jack Kemp, the GOP nominated the anti-Israel squishy moderate George H. W. Bush. In 1996, instead of nominating the stalwart conservative Phil Gramm (lifetime ACU rating of 95) or the flat tax visionary Steve Forbes, the GOP nominated another squishy moderate, Bob Dole (lifetime ACU rating of only 82). 2000 was a joke as the establishment had pre-decided that W was going to be the nominee and he really didn't have any real opposition. W, the "compassionate conservative". We all know how that ended. Ballooning federal spending and even a new entitlement! It was so bad that even in his home state of Texas I heard of people say that he destroyed the Republican Party by governing the way he did.
Looking back before Reagan, I think the last Republican President I actually would have liked was Calvin Coolidge, who was elected in 1924, a whopping 88 years ago (even Reagan's 1980 election was a hell of along time ago, a whopping 32 years). So in 88 years, there have been a total of 2 Republican Presidents and only 3 nominees (add Barry Goldwater in 1964 to the mix) who believed in small government, free markets and individual liberty. Being a Republican who believes in those things seems to be a great way to torture yourself. You are constantly tempted into thinking "maybe this time" but more often than not they end up giving you someone you despise but feel you have to support as they are the lesser of two evils. Well, I am done supporting any sort of evil, lesser or otherwise. Alternating the Presidency between lesser evils and full-on evils are how we got into the mess we are in. When the Democrats are in charge, the size and scope of government is increased dramatically (except under Clinton, where he tried to nationalize healthcare but was stopped and then a Gingrich-led Republican Congress kept him in check) and when the Republicans are in charge, government also increases, albeit at a slower rate. We're now to the point where even if we cut all discretionary spending to zero, we will just be balancing the budget, thanks to all the promises of entitlements made in prior administrations (Mary Meeker has a great presentation on how screwed we really are).
Romney is just the last straw for me. I can't really say for certain what I agree with him on or exactly how he differs from how Obama has been governing (as George Soros said, "If it's between Obama and Romney, there isn't all that much difference except for the crowd that they bring with them"). He believes in the individual mandate as a way to reform healthcare despite it being an abrogation of individual liberty. He is going to raise taxes if elected President, he has said as much. I'm not even sure how his foreign policy would be different. So far, all I understand is that he would leave Afghanistan 3 months later than Obama and would only criticize Israel in private. Sure, I'm sure his decisions would be less bad than Obama, his regulations less over-reaching, but that is simply not enough for me. And the worst part of this whole process was that so many conservatives stood on the sidelines, not doing all that they could to keep a progressive from becoming the GOP nominee. Where was Sarah Palin's endorsement? Where was Jim DeMint's? Why weren't they out there campaigning, highlighting Romney's terrible record as Governor? The establishment had clearly decided on a candidate and these so-called iconoclasts didn't want to hurt their own careers. They just wanted to go along to get along. The conservative press was no better. They didn't want to hurt their future access to politicians and/or the White House.
That particular author then asks, "So what now?" to which he then explores his own route. But the crux of what he's said above, I do believe, speaks to the heart of conservatives' concerns. Here's a different, yet similar sentiment from a new friend, who after ruminating over the excitement as she was looking forward to the 2012 primaries, only to have those hopes dashed by the outcome that the two 'Government parties' have chosen for the People, and after exploring the innate similarities among both establishment wings, expresses a poignant message, as well as advice, for all conservatives to consider...
"The Conservatives have remained where they were, while holding on tightly to the Constitution but are having a hard time dealing with the shift of the (R) party. This has caused a great divide in the Conservative movement.
Conservatives are struggling to find their foot hold. Some are wandering around not knowing which way to go. Some are sticking with the (R) party, either because they do not understand what has happened or they never really were Conservative to begin with. It might come as a surprise to some but not every one understands their own views or understands which party they actually line up with. This actually takes deep thought in soul searching to figure out.Its not about what one might wish they were. Its more about who they are as a person. Personally, I spent long, mentally struggling hours just coming to terms with who I truly am as an American and where my views based on my own life, upbringing and experiences leave me. Its not an easy task I can assure you! Its one of the more daunting tasks I believe I've put myself through intentionally. But since I know who I am, where my views line up .. I have an unwavering political passion. Do I still struggle? Of course I do! I question myself and my views constantly. You have to remember that with time and experiences we ALL change. Its knowing how we are changed that makes all the difference in the world. I guess its like fact checking myself. What I have found is no matter how much I question myself or my views politically. I always end up back on track with my core Conservative beliefs. For me this is a good thing because its what I believe in.
If you are doing this, might I suggest not staying there so long that you lose yourself. Thats not your goal! My goal is to find my next path as should be yours. Then how will you deal with what you know about yourself and your views?
So for me, its like Ronald Reagan said "I didn't leave my party, my party left me." The (R) party slid so far left beyond my own reach that I can no longer associate my views with them.I can no longer be part of the (R) party as a Conservative. So I'm taking a different path. Something that I know is uncomfortable because its new but I understand also that its not new to me at all because I know who I am politically. I am a Conservative that believes in the nation our Founding Fathers gave to us, brave men and women died to preserve and a free nation I want to leave for my grand children.
Will the Conservative party be a strong party? I believe it will in time, once other Conservatives figure out what I have. Maybe in my lifetime and maybe not. I'm unsure since I have lived the better part of my life already. I just hope I can somehow make an impact for my grand childrens sake and they will follow my path in their own views. If we do not fight and take a stand to be who we are, then we are nothing at all of any use to our nation and preserving our most precious documents."
Yes, she and I both know that there is a Conservative Party, but you'll notice she purposefully uses a small 'p' to get the point across. Although, there's food for thought. But you can literally look out across the fruited plains and find multitudes more expressing similar sentiments.
It's time to let the establishment apparatchik know that this abandonment of principle for party loyalty and power grabs will no longer stand. Maybe Reagan and other great conservatives like him were exceptions to the rule, or rather the ruling class, but when he gave that truly historic 1975 speech to CPAC, calling for "a new and revitalized second party, raising a banner of no pale pastels, but bold colors," drawing a line in the sand for conservatism, and unambiguously announcing to the establishment that "if there are those who cannot subscribe to these principles, then let them go their way," that was a call for conservatism to ascend and the establishment to fall away. We know now that those leeches have persisted, and that the memorable words that spawned a vibrant base have been abandoned by the second party. So although what comes next may be uncertain, it's quite clear that resilient, principled conservatives must stand together, against both establishments and the odds they've rolled out, and fight on! Whether that means switching candidates, encouraging someone else to step in, write-ins, finding a more appropriate platform to align with, whatever the call, don't be a victim to the establishment line that if you don't vote for Romney, you're voting for Obama. BULLSHIT! They can vote for their messiah. It is your right to vote your conscience and your conviction. This is the only way to resurrect a country of the People, by the People, for the People...not the Party, neither of them. God help us stand up.
(h/t: Faith Ntx, Malcolm Hunt, Bridget Blueskye)
