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Farewell, GOP
I joined the GOP when I turned 18, just weeks after Ronald Reagan’s re-election. Since I was unable to vote in that race, I accompanied one of my conservative friends to the polling place as a kind of silent vote. I had become a big Reagan fan in high school and began learning more about conservatism through Goldwater, various books on the Cold War, and National Review. (That made me quite the hit with the ladies, as you might imagine.)
These early studies of policy, patriotism, and civic virtue led me to enlist in the US Navy and, once I got to college, challenge my ex-hippie professors. For years I voted along party lines, donated to Republican candidates, and volunteered for their campaigns. I was proud to belong to the party of Abraham Lincoln, Calvin Coolidge, and, of course, Ronaldus Magnus. Even when Bush Sr. raised taxes, some GOP congressman floated bizarre conspiracy theories about Clinton, and Tom DeLay’s House spent us into oblivion, I still identified with the party’s higher ideals. Limited government. Peace through strength. Personal freedom.
Nominees like Bob Dole, John McCain, and Mitt Romney were all way down on my list of preferred primary candidates. (Both Bushes were as well, come to think of it.) But considering the odious Democrats running against them, I voted for the half-a-loaf GOP standard bearer.
But today, after an acrimonious intraparty trench war, I see the GOP as defined less by Reagan and more by Trump. Obviously, a large number of his voters agree. I don’t need to bore you with a catalog of Trump’s personal and policy failures. What’s most distasteful is his contempt for the history and underlying structures of our republic. Ignoring the Constitution while promising easy fixes by a strongman. The majoritarian rule of the “democratic” mob. The base appeals to tribalism.
So the night of the Indiana primary, when Ted Cruz suspended his campaign and Trump’s nomination gained nearly unstoppable momentum, I wondered if the GOP represented me any longer. I obviously was out-of-step with the plurality of its voters and directly opposed to the party’s new leader. I considered waiting until Trump’s nomination was official at the convention, but figured that would merely add two months to the grieving process. Why draw out the disappointment when I could just pull off the Band-Aid and get it over with?
One person changing his party affiliation will make few if any waves among the cubicles at the RNC. But if thousands made a similar decision, I figured it would send a message to Reince Priebus, et al. Maybe over the next month, we’ll see how the party rolls changed.
So, as of Tuesday, May 3, I am an independent voter. I no longer feel the need to champion the GOP’s myriad flawed candidates or spin their horrible decisions once elected. And, although it was rather sad to leave the party of my youth, it’s liberating not to be burdened with their metric ton of bad decisions.
Has anyone else here left the GOP and, if so, why?
Published in Politics
I guess these days my “my dog is a republican” bumper sticker means he’s the only family member who is.
No party affiliation in Georgia, so I say Im a libertarian leaning conservative, and the home for us is (was) the GOP.
Trump is making our home seem less friendly these days but some of our leaders are cronyists who just want to keep their power and aren’t that interested in advancing conservatism (certainly not libertarianism).
Trump may shake the order up, but he sure ain’t going to advance the causes of Freedom, Liberty, and limited government. He’s a damn sight better than Hillary and while I’ve flirted with #nevertrump, I imagine I’ll complain about him, but grudgingly vote for him in the end.
The thought of that wailing cackler giving 4 SOTU speeches and appointing SCOTUS picks is enough to make me #okwithtrump.
As for GOP, I don’t really care.
I’m hanging on until after the primary here so I can vote for Jim Bridenstine (one of the good ones), then I’m out.
Lucy, I think a lot of us have tried to fight. I’ve called, emailed, donated, met with my congressman, worked a recall election, attended some protests, caucused, etc. They just disregard us. They seem to want our votes and our money, and that’s all. We’re just the little people and our job is just to support them. Government now seems to exist to serve itself, and enrich it’s elite. (there are some good ones-but they seem to be in the minority)
I’m discouraged by the Trump thing. And I think he’s fooled a lot of good, but frustrated people. Trump is a thing because people gave up on the party. I think this has been coming for a long time. The only good that can come out of this is if our party (I still see it as my party) can rediscover limited government principals. Then all this Trump pain will have been worth it. Its probably a long shot though.
Good to support this Governor. He’s doing a tough job right now, and I appreciate him.
I think its probably still a good thing to vote in the primary for someone other than Trump – it’ll stand against the argument that he’s the ‘peoples’ choice’. It’ll show that he’s “some peoples’ choice”.
I have as of here:
http://ricochet.com/better-late-than-never-now-lets-have-more/#comment-3299053
welcome to the post Republican world.
There is no question that I am voting. I am leaning towards Cruz with a futile and stupid gesture coming in a close second.
Wouldn’t it be great if Cruz got enough write-in votes to necessitate mention when the totals don’t amount to 100 percent?
But what about your local Republicans?
Trump is not the only Republican running for office in America. And there is so much work to be done in every state.
We have some great Republicans in my state (Massachusetts). They work hard, and they are very honorable people.
I want to support their efforts.
Republican Governor Charlie Baker just went out on a limb and said he would not vote for Trump. Local Republicans are angry, but he is remaining steadfast in opposition to Trump.
So he’s a Republican too.
Leaving the Republican Party just doesn’t seem to be the right answer.
Are you voting for John McCain in the Arizona senatorial primary?
I don’t live in a state with party registration.
But I’ve never considered “Republican” part of my identity. It’s merely the party conservatives have the greatest shot at influencing. So long as there are real conservatives still in it and still fighting, I’ll keep voting in the primaries and I’ll have their backs. So I suppose I’m still Republican.
But even as I write it occurs to me that if asked today on the street, I wouldn’t use the word.
I registered as Republican in 1978, in time to vote in the New Mexico gubernatorial election, and have voted Republican in every election since — enthusiastically for Reagan both times, somewhat less enthusiastically from then on, but the Republican nominee was always clearly the better alternative because I value freedom, equal opportunity for all (as opposed to outcomes), and limited government.
On the day after the Indiana primary, after Cruz and Kasich suspended their campaigns, I changed my registration to Independent. For the first time in 40 years, I believe either major party candidate would be disastrous for this country.
I won’t belong to a party that would nominate a Donald Trump. Not because he would lose the election, and not because I disagree with his “policy positions” (if you don’t like them just wait a few days; they’ll change.) It’s not even because of his poor character, his incoherence, or his ignorance of the Constitution.
I won’t belong to the Republican Party because it has surrendered itself to a fascistic movement: one that seeks to make a nationalist, populist religion that worships the State; using the power of the State to manipulate and control the People. (Of course, Democrats have been flirting with fascism for 100 years — read Jonah Goldberg’s Liberal Fascism). I expected better from the Party of Lincoln.
I’m a political junkie who’s become so sick of politics I’ll either sit this one out or vote for the Libertarian.
I’m a registered Republican, although I’ve never voted that way. My parents were Republican, so that seemed as good as anything at the time. I’ve always voted third-party (frequently Libertarian, but not always), which for me means 42 years. If there is no third-party candidate, I vote against the incumbent. I voted against Ronald Reagan – twice.
Still, I’ve never felt any reason to change my registration. I figure if I change to independent, I’ll just get bombarded with solicitation mail/calls from both sides. I have to say, though, I find it amusing to see all these people who are now ostentatiously changing their registrations and posting them online based on one primary season.
I’ve been reasonably happy with some Republican presidents and not so happy with others, even though I voted against all of them. If Trump gets elected, I’ll reserve judgement and make my mind up based on his performance in office. But, I don’t plan to do anything rash either way, such as change my registration after 42 years of less-than-desirable candidates offered up to me by the Republicans.
Although I vote Republican (there’s no place for a conservative in the Democratic Party), I’m not a registered Republican, so I don’t have to worry about formally leaving. In any event, it looks like the Party has chosen to leave me.
That Donald Trump- may his name be a byword and curse for generations to come- has had such success in his bid for the GOP nomination for president did what years of articles from Reason, interviews with Rand Paul, the charm of Ricochet’s own Mollie Hemingway and Fred Cole’s good humor could not: convince me to switch to the Libertarian Party. For now. And only at the Presidential level and down-ballot elections where the R candidate is soft on life and liberty issues. Hey, I vote in Texas. It happens.
What really drove me though – aside from all of Trump’s own faults as human being- was the sheer indifference of his followers to even anti-semitic attacks on conservative media champions like Andrew Klavan and Ben Shapiro. And this is the light of Trump’s own assertion that he would be “neutral” in the conflict between the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors and other Jews and the ideological grandchildren of Hadj Amin Husseini. Let me predict the typically juvenile and unserious responses of Trump’s defenders: “You can’t prove those were Trump supporters”, or “The other side has racists, too!” , or “You’re just a closet lefty for using the word racist!” That should- unfortunately- save some time for certain members.
Ask a Whig.
-wbajr tbc
Why couldn’t you have joined a party, KC?
In my mind I have left the party. I’m looking for a new home before I make it official.
Lucy: Please thank your husband for me. I relocated from the deep blue depressive State of California to NC, where for the first time in my life the folks I voted for WON! The transition of NC from Blue to Red (though if fear it’s ‘purpling’) is due to folks here long before I was, folks like your husband. (And I suspect folks like you too.) Thanks.
Sorry. Can’t support a party dedicated to completely open borders.
Then you will need to make the Long March through the Universities like the Left did in the 60’s and replace all the professors and teachers polluting the kids.
DITTO.
I’ll be writing in a candidate for the presidency and voting down ballot for republicans. There are some local elections I’m interested in, like replacing that weeping cheeto, John Boehner. After that, I guess I’m an independent by default. The republican party is now headed by a person who has not morals, standards or principles other than self promotion; not what I want to be associated with.
No legal reason against it. But I’m of the opinion that if you’re in a religious order, your religious allegiance should be the only commitment you make.
What is a party anyway?
If it’s a commitment to vote for candidates whom you would have voted for anyway, a political party adds nothing. But if it’s an organization that expects you to commit to vote for their candidates even when you really don’t prefer them, then it’s pressure I don’t want.
Our local state senator was a friend of my dad. He once explained the day-to-day working of the party. He said that the party came to him and said, if you have a strong opinion on some issue, feel free to vote that way. But there are a lot of issues you’re asked to address that you might not have any preference, or know much about. Maybe you’re an expert on local business regulations, but you don’t know much about sewer systems, etc. When you have a vote on an issue you’re not strong on, let the party guide your vote. That’s what we ask in return for supporting your election.
Frankly, that sounds reasonable enough to me. If that’s all a party did, I’d be OK with it.
But look at the reality. Priebus, Gingrich, et al,, insist that I vote for Donald Trump (an opponent on many issues that I do care about) just because Trump is nominally a Republican. They want me to vote against my interests.
No. That corrupts what voting is supposed to be about.
KC, a political party is a vehicle for getting people you like into public office. On the national level, it is failing (both parties are, incidentally), but on the local level it may succeed. It’s the people who spend their evenings making phone calls and doing grunt work who get to influence those decisions, and I understand that not everyone has the time to do so, but those of us who don’t participate are allowing those who do to make all our decisions for us.
I cast my last vote as a Republican in the Maryland primary. I am in the process of moving to Florida and when I get there I will be registering as an Independent.
I haven’t read through the comments so pardon me if this has already been asked and answered, but should those of us for whom the Trump takeover was the final straw make a point of letting the party leadership know we are leaving and why?
Yes. Absolutely. No signal is clear unless it is expressed clearly. I would also urge you to contact Speaker Ryan.
Contact information for Reince Priebus. Link to contact page for Speaker Ryan.