I Left The “Grand Old Party” Today
I Can’t Be A Member Of The Party Of Trump
Last night, the unimaginable happened. Donald Trump became the presumptive Republican nominee with his win in Indiana. His remaining rivals for the nomination, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, have bowed out of the race, and the RNC is now treating him as the winner. Which means it’s time for me to be a man and stick with my promise from back in August and March. It’s time for this Republican to leave the party.
I explained in greater length back in March how I ended up a Republican in the first place. I have been a member of the Grand Old Party since I was in seventh grade. But now almost two decades later, I find myself no longer being able to convince myself to stay in it.
The Republican Party I joined promoted fiscal responsibility, strong foreign policy abroad, and individual liberty. The party that I’ve seen of late is one that is none of that.
The Republican Party fought against slavery under Lincoln and fought the KKK under Grant. Now, it nominates a man who hesitates when confronted with support from the KKK and has manually re-tweeted racist and anti-Semitic accounts.
The Republican Party fought for the women’s vote during the 1920 Presidential election. Now, it nominates a man who refers to them in obscene matters and cheats on them regularly.
The Republican Party fought for fiscal sanity under McKinley and Coolidge. Now, it nominates a man who believes in expanding government programs, reaching deeper into your pocket.
The Republican Party fought for Civil Rights under Eisenhower and alongside Senator Everett Dirksen. Now, it nominates a man who wants to limit legal Immigration and stop the incoming of some merely because of their faith.
The Republican Party fought the Cold War and terrorism under Reagan and both Bushes. Now, it nominates a man who believes 9/11 conspiracy theories and has pushed for more isolationism.
The GOP’s new face is more than this though. Donald Trump has openly supported war crimes, has pushed birther conspiracies, has made disgusting personal comments about others’ wives and even their parents, and he pushed fake scandals via The National Inquirer to smear his opponents in a way not seen since perhaps the 1828 Presidential election. Not to mention his comments regarding POWs and how he likes “soldiers that weren’t caught”. Or the fact he mocked a disabled journalist, and acted out a stabbing scene regarding another candidate on the campaign trail is also a negative against him. In fits of childish petulance, he outed a Senator’s private cell phone number and called into question the looks of a female candidate’s face.
I could go on and on. After I finish writing this I’ll likely remember other disgusting things to be appalled at that I forgot. Almost every day the man shows he can stoop to a new level. Whether it’s refusing to disavow the KKK three times when asked, or saying a candidate’s father was involved in the Kennedy assassination. This man is unhinged, amoral, and a disgusting human being.
Now, there is a strong argument that this is a one-time fluke. And frankly history says it might just be. 60% of the Republican primary electorate has rejected this man so far, a record against a front-runner. Obviously there is some push-back. Some will stay in the party even though they oppose Trump, because the party at large is not Trump. But I have decided I can no longer stay in this party. Let me explain…
I have been seeing worrying signs about the party’s core base for quite some time now. Increasingly since 2012, I have seen a party that is becoming more nationalist and flirting with fascists tendencies one that has winked and nodded at racists and bigots.
When a controversial crime case erupts of a white man killing a black man, a core part of the GOP base hits social media wanting to show examples of when a black individual killed a white one as some sort of reply, I’ve also seen comments like “Wetback” and “I’ll sit down over at the border and shoot these people as they come through.” I’ve seen candidates run bigoted racist stereotypical ads about the Hispanic community in this country. I have seen petulant children start government shutdowns that accomplish nothing and throw fits when a more modern and popular Republican in Paul Ryan takes the Speaker’s gavel. I am sick of dealing with these mental midgets who would rather stew in a car listening to talk radio and looking up to entertainers as leaders than working hard to get elected candidates in that will stand for what they claim to be for.
I am a Millennial, a generation that so far has been pretty heavily Democrat. So of course I have found myself many a times being the only guy in the room when hanging out with personal friends defending the party and its ideals. But all that I have fought against, all those stereotypes, are becoming a reality.
Enough is enough. I can no longer continue to be loyal to or defend a party that is okay with nominating a man who wants to persecute a group of faith, push for war crimes, and has trouble disavowing racists. Trump is an amoral incompetent man who has failed in various business ventures. He has shown himself to have no temperament and promote the very things the GOP supposedly is against. If this is the face of the GOP, I’m out.
Therefore, as of today, I am switching my registration to “No Party Affiliation”. It will stay that way, barring a decision to run for office myself, until the day I leave this Earth. I don’t care if Trump bows out suddenly, the GOP runs candidates I vote for the rest of my life post-Trump, or if a new party emerges. I will no longer be loyal to any party after this whole mess. The Republicans have become a party with a chunk of support for fascism and nationalism while the Democrats’ economic and foreign policy keep me from joining them.
This doesn’t mean I’ve changed my politics. If this is just a fluke, I’ll probably be voting GOP for president again in 2020 and beyond. But I just can’t keep tying myself to a party that said “Yes we’ll make you our face this year” to such a vile creature as Trump.
The Republican Party doesn’t deserve my loyalty anymore.
