TALES OF A (REPUBLICAN) PARTY CRASHER


I hereby submit my resignation as a "Republican". I used to be a proud pachyderm and considered myself died-in-the-wool, but no more. Three main reasons: 1) repubs are (lately) as corrupt as democrats 2) The republican party seems to stand for "the polar opposite of democrats - whatever that may be", instead of uniting under their own distinctive direction. 3) Sure, Harry Ried is a corrupt self-server on behalf of the people, but now the would-be hope of NV - republican Ensign - is a dirtbag adulterer who takes no responsibility and dodges accountability. My state is in the hands of a senate majority-leading liberal megalomaniac, whereas the republican "good guy" turns out to be a corrupt adulterer who stands for conservative values. I love being a Nevadan right now!


Information is a funny thing. News can be so probing and the scandal coverage so nauseating. There are so many new sources and outlets of information that it is nearly impossible to engage in any form of corruption without someone somewhere somehow finding out about it. Aside from tawdry celeb scandals and DWTS updates, the pervasiveness of news does also expose myriad corruptions on the part of our elected officials. In this case, advantage general public. Too many republicans have been caught up in scandal in recent years for me to believe they care any more about country than they do self. We elect them and they manipulate us. That isn't working for me anymore.


So now I feel like an orphan, a vagabond, a Ronin. Human nature is such that we want to belong to something. What will I say the next time someone asks if I'm a democrat or republican? Can't say "independent", what does that really mean anyway? I think saying you're an "independent" is a quasi cop-out. All it says is that you don't stand with either party. Great. But what do you stand for? "Independent" is more nebulous than democrat and republican combined. What I do know is that believing in something is of much greater importance than merely belonging to something.


So I guess I'll go with "Pro-republic who advocates adherence to the constitution with a government that facilitates private enterprise while repudiating corruption." Sounds like Theodore Roosevelt, he seemed to cover all the bases. Maybe I should consider myself a "Rooseveltian Progressive"? Not to be confused with the other, more revered and canonized Roosevelt (argument for another day)...


Ideally, I'd like an amalgamation of things. Kinda like a cake mix. The batter being a lot of Teddy with some Jefferson & Reagan, William F. Buckly Jr, Arthur Laffer & Adam Smith, some Ayn Rand, but probably hold the John Birch; that's going a bit too far. What would you call that all mixed together? I don't know, nothing more than a lot of name dropping I suppose. Oh well, I give up. Who is John Galt??