I think my days of being a Republican are coming to an end.  There are a few reasons for this, but an analogy first:  Sometimes, you find yourself liking a team where maybe the franchise isn't your favorite, but there are some players you admire.  At this point, that is a fair description of how I feel about the Republicans, where I have many friends, but I am coming to see that the party itself is as much the issue as anything.

The system is broken.  We live in a nation where people care as much about who is saying something as what is being said.  Politicians are separated by the people they are supposed to represent behind layers of bureaucrats, lobbyists, functionaries, aides, and donors.  Whether you're a Democrat or Republican, this is equally true and to my mind of thinking, it is equally wrong.

People join parties because they expect a certain set of policy views to be adopted upon successful election.  Leaving aside for the moment whether or not I think blanket platforms are a good idea, the one thing I have certainly observed is that people are not getting what they voted for from either side.

On the Republican side, the national committees for both the House and Senate, recognizing that people are unhappy with a Democratic government controlling all branches of the government, know basically any Republican can win and they are choosing the most inoffensive, unencumbered by ideas, system hacks that they can find.  With contempt for the grassroots that is fueling this possibility, the Beltway insiders rely upon fear for the other party to drive desperate voters to more of the same.

Even Democrats must be disappointed.  Obama was elected with the promise of many things, of being a transformational candidate, but what is the reality:  He is someone who has supported massive federal spending, much of it going to huge corporations, and looks clueless in handling a major war abroad that continues to spiral out of control.  This may sound like heresy to some, but how different is that really than what the much reviled "Dubya" was doing?

To my eyes, not much.  The reason for this is that money and the entrenched interests that can afford to populate K Street run this nation with little regard for the people who elect officials, because they know they can.  They know that Democrats will vote out of fear of Republicans, and vice-versa, but they get what they want, running off with the bank while we tear ourselves apart as a nation over social issues.

If we are to survive, I believe this must change.  I know that neither party has the heart to do, but I hope that we find a way as people to make something better, and to fix this system.  I do not believe the people involved are all bad (though there are some), but rather that it is a self-perpetuating parasite that needs to be demolished.

In the weeks ahead, I will share some of my ideas about how this could happen.
 
 
Would it be impolitic to admit that parties irritate me sometimes?

I work actively within the Republican Party to get things done, but I will confess that there are many times when this is hard because I find myself in alliance with people who do not share my beliefs.  A certain level of maturity helps me to see that this is an inherent part of the process, no matter where I locate myself politically, but I find that I am not necessarily the best guy at working within boundaries that I set for myself.

I'm a Republican with a little "r" because even though I support a platform of limited government, the party too often ignores this once elected.  I'm a libertarian with a little "l" because I believe in the ideas that people should be free with their lifestyles and their finances, but that we don't need a million smaller parties.  Frankly, we don't need any parties.

What we need are principled people speaking about issues from a personal understanding based upon a coherent worldview.  I understand why it is popular for the political classes to break down each issue, picking whatever side might be most convenient at a moment, but thid is why our government is so confused and a big reason why our nation finds itself deep in debt.  I respect people who have beliefs that make sense to me, because whether I support them or not, I know where they stand.

I work to be that person myself, to make my party behave that way, and convince others why this is the right way.  It isn't always easy, but I have found myself as a remarkable animal:  a politician with a clean conscience.
 
 
Rules allow us to make sense of our world so that when we don't know what we are doing, we can follow the rule and make what should be a better informed decision than we might through ignorance alone.  A sound principle, but one that begins to get tested as rules turn into laws, mandates that remove sensible action and replace that thoughtful deliberation with formal procedure.  Politics, and parties in particular, are rife with this foolishness.

The City of Pittsburgh is having a mayoral race this year.  The heavily favored incumbent Democrat, also, through the artifice of a write-in campaign, is on the Republican ticket.  Even though his policies run counter to all that the GOP theoretically supports, the committee people seem unwilling to stand in opposition because he followed the rules.  This is absurdity, and is one of the continuing reasons why people rightfully don't trust parties.  When bylaws replace sense, and laws replace judgment, then our process is truly broken.

For all the reservations that it sometimes brings me, I continue to work within the party for the moment because I take a flexible view of our relationship.  I will not support anyone whose views I do not like.  I will support, regardless of party, ideas and people moving in the right direction.  I have no intention of ever smiling when I see crap and saying that I am simply a "party guy".  But, we need organization, and we need people who will come forward with new ideas and vision for the future that is compelling.  Parties can help with that.

We need a party that represents conscience over protocol.  Republicans have lost their own base because the conservatives and fiscally responsible people out there are tired of being force fed this crap about what is necessary according to the rules of some other.  Vote your mind, show your heart, and give people something to believe.