In going through my emails an interesting article caught my attention. As I was reading this article, I Was Thinking About Becoming A Republican... Published on SmirkingChimp.com. As I began to read it, I rubbed my chin and a smirk of all things came across my face. How I adore articles that make you sit up, take notice and make you go hmmm.
While the writer points out what the Republican Party should be and shows its present day duplicity, at one time being a Republican was actually fun for me. Yes, did I shock you? I was a Republican. Are you seeing where I am going with this yet? If not, hold on a little bit longer.
During the 1990’s, I saw a party that I was once proud of being slowly hijacked by two groups of people. One, the Neo-Conservatives and the other group the Evangelical Christians and both had an agenda and not necessarily the people’s agenda. Inch by inch and step by step, I began to feel alienated within my own party. But, what caused me to leave the Republican Party was when high ranking elected officials within the party chose to impeach former President Bill Clinton. Never having voted for Clinton, I thought to myself; well what about the people’s business? Nah, they sidelined that.
Great things could have been accomplished had these groups not co-opted the party. Who knows if NAFTA would have ever been passed? Just maybe these moderates may not have subscribed to this new way of doing things. They may have even sided with the American workers. They would have seen right through the Neo-cons desire to screw the American people.
While the writer shows the duplicity within the Republican ranks, I must admit on a local level, I met and campaigned for numerous Republican candidates who did work tirelessly on behalf of the people and still do. In fact, I worked for the Nassau County Board of Elections (located in New York) which was a patronage job, but a job that I thoroughly enjoyed. No where in that building was there a polarizing atmosphere as Republicans worked along side Democrats. In fact, we were all good friends. We even cared when the opposing side lost an election or cheered when they won. Well that was back in the early eighties.
Fast forward to 1998 and feeling disenfranchised by the direction of my party, I switched to Democrat thinking I could make a difference and in some small way I did. Working for various campaigns on a local level again, I found Democrats whose only agenda was the people’s agenda. I really think those in Washington, could learn from local elected officials. At least the local ones are more in tune with ‘we the people’. Again, working for various campaigns it afforded me access to many wonderful candidates and elected officials. The same can be said as mentioned above when I was working on behalf of the Republican Party.
Speaking of the local level, over the years even after switching to Democrat, there have been Republican officials that have been willing to help me and for that I am grateful. Case in point was when my Republican legislator cut through the bureaucracy and got my road paved. To me that was important.
Now fast forward that to the war in Iraq and the immigration issue, I was angry with many of my Democratic officials for voting for this war and siding with those who support open borders. I am a staunch advocate against illegal immigration. In feeling yet again that my voice was not being heard, I left the Democratic Party and presently, I am not aligned with any party.
David Michael Green rightfully points out in his article, his belief in the Constitution in which he believes in the separation of church and state, and originally that was the Republican Party. It was that way until the Evangelical Christians brought pressure to bear on the Republican Party.
He mentions that Congress should be an oversight branch and not just followers of a Republican president and I use that label loosely to describe Bush and not merely a rubber stamp. In looking at Bush and Cheney, in my opinion, they are not Republicans, but extremists who are more aligned with the Neo-Conservatives. As I have mentioned previously, these Neo-Conservatives are a frightening bunch.
Any dismantling of our Constitutional rights I do see as being unpatriotic, servile in which anyone thinking of doing so is a traitor. Let me remind these modern-day Republicans of what a former Republican President had to say, “To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." Teddy Roosevelt said that. It was wrong of Bush and his fellow Neo-Conservatives to draft the Patriot Act and use the people’s fear in passing it.
In writing ‘we the people’ should be protected under the Constitution and be free “from government search and seizure without probable cause and a judicial warrant.” As Green wrote, the Republican Party of yesterday before it allowed itself to be co-opted would have stood in defense of our Constitution and not looked to dismantle it through both Patriot Acts and the Military Commissions Act of 2006.
Green also mentioned that he would become a Republican but stated that he would not want the rest of the world to hate us. There have been Republican presidents in the past and we were not as hated as we are now. Again, Bush is an anomaly.
In stating how his kids would hate him “when they get the tax bill our generation is leaving them.” Or when he mentions, “my government have become giant cash cows to be milked dry by plutocrats.” I would live to remind all that true Republicanism is one of fiscal conservatism. These modern day Republicans are spending our money hand over fist and that is certainly not the principles held dear by Republicans past.
If you look at many of the earmarks contained in various bills, I am certain that some Democrats are just as guilty with being frivolous with our money.
When he mentions that he would become a Republican but decided against it because he is “not corrupt enough”, I would like to remind my readers that I have known many honest Republicans and still do. Hey, some do not even like Bush and Cheney.
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