Some choices are tough. The toughest of those choices involve leaving what you once held close and dear. I am of course speaking of my leaving the Republican party. I was going to wait to post this blog until after my return from Vegas next week but I want to clear the air on a few things before that time.
The Republican party used to stand for something. It used to stand for limited government, low taxes, free markets and personal responsibility. All things that I held to be opinions and stances I could believe in. Somewhere between here and there, that has been lost. In 2000 when George W Bush was elected President, those that held those views could not have been happier. All the beliefs that we held dear were also held by our incoming President. A belief that a balanced budget is necessarry. The belief that lower taxes spur growth in the economy. The belief that people make better decisions for themselves than government. We believed that we had a President that was in tune with what we held dear.
WRONG!
That brings me to congress. Congress will keep him in check. Our representatives won't allow this out of control spending spree to continue. We control The White House AND Congress. Someone will have the cajones to speak up and slow this down right?
WRONG!
Heavy spending, borrowing and printing of money by our own administration left us with debt and deficits that won't be paid off for decades. Money our children will have to come up with. The price they will have to pay because we couldn't control our our own party leadership. Which brings me to the current administration.
With a historic election I was as optimistic as I had been in a while. America had elected an African-American to the White House. Something that was long over due. But my optimism didn't end there. In hearing Obama's plans during the campaign, I could forsee the price tag and the expanse of government it was brining with it. Finally, I thought, now the GOP will unite and get back to the roots it abandoned under Dubya.
WRONG!
It is because of the lack of leadership in the Republican party on a national level that I have found it the right time to leave it. No one stands for what drew me in years ago anymore. No one seems to care about the future my son will have trying to pay down the debt my party left him and the current party is making larger by the day. To make a long story short, the GOP has abandoned the principles that made me want to fight and work hard to promote every day. They have abandoned me.
And that is WRONG!
My leaving has nothing to do with U4Prez GOP leadership. My leaving has nothing to do with the platform committee. My leaving has to do with the party, on a national scale, abandoning it's principles. The principles that I hold dear. Not only the abandonment of those principles but the fact that no one seems to care.
This switch was not a last second decision. I have been researching the Libertarian views since I began to feel abandoned by the GOP. With the assistance of some candidates on here I have had the opportunity to see many things outside of the LP platform that have led me to believe that they are the best fit for the beliefs that I hold dear to my heart at this time. Can the GOP win me back? I hope that someone in Washington will at least try. If not for me for the rest of those who have seen thier principles abandoned for the sake of politics.
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I thought this blog deserved to be bumped up again....... we are still waiting........
PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION at MIDNIGHT EST
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thedemo/2009/04/18/
A-Public-Demonstration-of-Love
I hate to see any man of thought and resonable discourse leave the party but I certainly understand his reasons. The Indys gained a good man
Smashey, I sympathize in your position. If you want, send a message to Eric Gurr and tell him it's time for the Conservative Constitutionalist party.
Welcome aboard Smashey.... :)
I had left a while ago- i went back for solidarity reasons- but when i say down to think about it- the dems are not where i want to be nor do they represent my beliefs. i think markus is still finding his way in the game of politics. as for the dem leadership here i feel that they are content since we did win big in the election but are not taking a pro active stance against the constant obama bashing.- i will get off of my soapbox now:)
KT recently left and so did Markus both were what I would say committed Democrats on this site.
The Libertarian/ freedom movement is right here for you libby. Smashey has joined up, and so has Progress. Now tell me that freedom and smaller government is not the way to go. How many people have joined the Democratic party on u4prez lately?
I applaud you, Smashey. I am joining the Texas Libertarian Party here in the next couple of weeks. As for on this site, for now I will remain a Democrat. The Libertarian Party leadership is a little lacking at the moment. Hopefully, that will change in the near future; and perhaps I will reconsider my letter. LOL!
Smashey- i understand- i left my party for the same reasons...
I'm young. I have time, although at the rate of spending, borrowing and printing - the nation may not.
well pull up a chair MD cause the wait is gonna be awhile
From check and balances we have 'evolved' to collusion and unbalanced budgets.
The checks and balance system is still well in place today on our national government. The problem with it now is that each branch is making sure they get an equally great slice of the power pie instead of trying to cut each others pieces apart.
The political winds always shift. Reagan won twice on smaller government themes. Even Clinton won on his campaign "the era of big government is over". Then Bush started with big government again and Obama is following. It will swing back.
to run a small government conservative against them later and to lose AGAIN! This is not 1994 Mdummy, Americans no longer buythat "small government" bullshit! Obama winning tells you they don't buy that 100% failed ideaology. Americans have been hearing the "small gevenment" "no taxes" tune and it sounds like Charlie Brown's teacher whaaaa, whaaa, whaaa!!! Play a new fucking song already!!! Come up with NEW IDEAS AT LEAST!!
I understand, but let me ask you a philosophical question regarding the creation of a majority of "small government conservatives". In the face of an electorate that for whatever reason would not look positively on such a philosophy, would you hold any trust or faith in a candidate who refrained from espousing a hard line small government conservative philosophy in order to get elected, and then, after winning, legislated as one? In other words, would you appreciate someone who mislead voters to get elected but led the way you want them too? That is largely how campaigns are run today. It is an issue I would like to get into more at some point but really can't go into detail right now.
I am not sorry he lost. I am not sorry McCain with all his global warming and other such pandering lost. I will not be sorry when Specter is gone either. Even if Democrats replaced the other two and will likely replace Specter - better that than having big government Republicans. At least with Democrats in office, you have the real opportunity to run a small government conservative against them later.
I will admit that I was disappointed by both the loss of Santorum but thatloss was achieved before his reelection. It came after a few disappointed votes he made.
I shed no tears when Santorum was booted from office. He was a big spender and I saw no reason to support him just because he was a Republican when he abandoned small government principles. If I'm going to have a big government spender in Washington to fight, I'd rather it be a Democrat so that a conservative could challenge him in the next election.
That is certainly true. The legislator who I am most proud to have served is one that neither you or practically anyone else knows of. He was a friend and state senator from Brooklyn. I willingly went through hell for his elections until finally the day came when a single vote that a union did not agree cost him reelection. The senate majority leader and state party leaders all told him that to vote the way he intended would mean certain defeat come reelection time. It did not change his opinion on the issue or his vote and it did lead to his eventual defeat. Senator Robert diCarlo may not be a famed name, but he is one of political heroes. He stood for more than just reelection.
I have to say I agree as a party we caved in to liberal pressure to be mre "moderate"
Toomey was one as well, but they are the minority. Maybe they are with the majority in their opinions, but they are in the minority of politicians. Once elected, most become enamored with power and do anything to keep it and the party supports them in their re-elections using the 'lesser of two evils' defense.
Mduminiak, there were several true foot soldiers in the cause. people like J.C. watts, John Kasich were among them but they maintained their beliefs and limited their own tenure in office.
As a party, we caved and the fruits of that concession are responsible for where we stand today. A place that has people Smashey fleeing in disgust. That is why I for one will not tolerate the forces of confusion who seek to dilute the cause.
Given how the members of Congress acted after Gingrich makes on wonder if they ever believed in what he stood for if they were only pretending.
I agree kemp. They were more worried about perception than what their job was. They chucked him under the bus
Musicman....it is expected of the opposition to demonize the leaders they oppose, my point is that our side did not stand by Newt Gingrich in the face of the oppositions deminization. Instead other members of congress began to distance themselves from him because of the aggressive reactions to Gingrich and the standoff that shut government. they were afraid to face the same heat he was up against and feared being tainted in their own reelections. Republican supporter also were guilty. The grassroots tired of defending Gingrich's tough stands and dealing with the demonization process that the opposition undertook.
The dividing line between democrat, republican, libritarian, conservative, or liberal should be clear otherwise the checks and balances system falls apart. The difference I am talking about is case in point with Obama and McCain............... there was very little exept color
but what if the leaders seek to water down the principles? Should the followers follow or fight? Under Bush, they followed to disastrous consequences.
If the leadership (and I am not addressing u4) sticks to a specific set of principals and the followers wish to water down those principals My opinion is the leadership is not at fault
The government should have been left shut down. Essential services continued. What more should be government actually be doing than essential services anyway? Nothing.
Well it depends on the leadership does it not?
I agree Kemp the demonization of our GOP leaders is one of the most damaging things going on
I was happy to with the government shut down. But today's GOP is well.... Smashey says it best.
I can not and do not disagree with anything that Smashey has concluded. It is a sentiment expressed throughout the ongoing tea parties across America and it is a warning call that Republicans need to heed. One thing that disturbs me, and it has nothing to do with Smashey, it has to do with what happens to leaders who take strong stands on the principles seemingly abandoned. In the 90's, Newt Gingrich's exit from leadership and power in government began after he was blamed for shutting our government down for days due to budget negotiations between Republicans under his leadership and the Clinton administration. Gingrich held to many of the fiscal positions beliefs that republicans hold. Yet, instead of praise for not going along to get along, Newt Gingrich was demonized. He was called irresponsible. Personally I saw the shut down of government as a good thing, especially based on the spending measures that Gingrich and Republicans opposed. When all was said and done, for doing the right and taking the right stand, Gingrich was slowly pushed off the stage. It is the collective will of the people which is what helps to insure that the leaders of our cause succeed or fail. We allowed for the failure of Gingrich.
Thanks Smashey, well written, and no rumors can start now.
Excellent blog.
Well written.
You reached the same basic conclusion I did 18 months ago. I haven't decided to be a Libertarian. There are still some issues with them that I am not comfortable with. Good luck to you.
Before I hit the pool at the Mirage I wanted to clear the air. This has less to do with U4Prez politics and more to do with national politics. Cut Austin a break. He's trying to do something that those of us that have been there before know is a tough, thankless job. The platfrom committee has many good people on it. They will be ok.
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