Why I Am Not a Republican
Not me, of course, but a Republican-- that is, newly ex-Republican-- explains how his decision to leave the party came about. Two words: intellectual honesty. One more word: guts. Highly recommended.
Fifty years from now, the Republican Party of this era will be judged by how we provided for the nation's future on three core issues: how we led the world on the environment, how we minded the business of running our country in such a way that we didn't go bankrupt, and whether we gracefully accepted our place on the world's stage as its only superpower. Sadly, we have built the foundation for dismal failure on all three counts. And we've done it in such a way that we shouldn't be surprised if neither the American people nor the world ever trusts us again. . . .
We have mortgaged the country's fiscal future in a way that no Democratic Congress or administration ever did, and to justify the tax cuts that brought us here, we've simply changed the rules. I matured as a Republican believing that uncontrolled deficit spending is harmful and irresponsible; I still do. But the party has yet to explain to me why it's a good thing now, other than to say "... because we say so."
This piece is spot-on, and goes well beyond matters of partisanship. Anyone who gives a damn about the future of this country should be feeling the exact same concerns. As I've said many times, I don't have a problem with people being conservatives. I have a problem with people to whom the word 'Republican' is more important than their country and the well-being of all its citizens. All the party currently represents is power, corruption, and lies.
(Wow-- references to Bertrand Russell and New Order!)
Fifty years from now, the Republican Party of this era will be judged by how we provided for the nation's future on three core issues: how we led the world on the environment, how we minded the business of running our country in such a way that we didn't go bankrupt, and whether we gracefully accepted our place on the world's stage as its only superpower. Sadly, we have built the foundation for dismal failure on all three counts. And we've done it in such a way that we shouldn't be surprised if neither the American people nor the world ever trusts us again. . . .
We have mortgaged the country's fiscal future in a way that no Democratic Congress or administration ever did, and to justify the tax cuts that brought us here, we've simply changed the rules. I matured as a Republican believing that uncontrolled deficit spending is harmful and irresponsible; I still do. But the party has yet to explain to me why it's a good thing now, other than to say "... because we say so."
This piece is spot-on, and goes well beyond matters of partisanship. Anyone who gives a damn about the future of this country should be feeling the exact same concerns. As I've said many times, I don't have a problem with people being conservatives. I have a problem with people to whom the word 'Republican' is more important than their country and the well-being of all its citizens. All the party currently represents is power, corruption, and lies.
(Wow-- references to Bertrand Russell and New Order!)
posted by Matt Sandwich | 1:08 PM
<< Home