A new friend recently asked me an interesting question:

Any thoughts on how to turn the Republican party into a force for constructive change? McCain,
for instance, is solidly behind cap and trade, and also supports
amnesty for illegals. Bush kicked off the rush toward socialism with
the first bailouts. All of them seem to be terminally politically
correct and support race and gender preferences. Bush sold out in
principle on global warming… The Republicans seem to want to do gradually what Obama wants to do immediately

In other words, how do we return to sanity?  How do we force government to represent We the People, instead of them the “authorities”?

That’s a good question.

Do I think the major parties can be changed?  No.  Do I think politicians can be changed?  No.  Do I believe that we can change the political landscape of this country?  Yes, I do. 

Question is: do we have the guts to do it?

I haven’t voted for a major party candidate since 1992, which was the first time I was actually legally allowed to vote.  That time I voted for Bush Sr., and we got Clinton.  I voted Libertarian every other time I walked into the voting booth – not necessarily because I agreed 100 percent with their platform (there’s no party with which I agree 100 percent) – but because I wanted change.  Real change.  Not change spewed forth as a platitude to placate the dissatisfied masses.  Not change from something bad to something worse.

I voted my conscience each and every time.  And each and every time I had supercilious cowards berating me for not choosing the lesser of the two evils.  I remember last year when Newt Gingrich came out with this little gem: No reasonable conservative is going to vote for anybody except McCain if the alternative is Clinton or Obama,”; I told the former speaker (on my blog, obviously – not in real life) to go fornicate with himself. 

Fact of the matter is, my vote is my gift, telling the recipient that he/she has my confidence to represent me.  As I wrote previously, “My conscience tells me that my choice for President is my vote of
confidence to a candidate who I feel is most qualified to lead this
country.  My vote tells the candidate that I trust him to reflect my
values and ideals.  My vote is my vocal affirmation of my belief that
the person whom I choose as Commander-in-Chief will be an intelligent,
rational, courageous, honorable leader.”

Does this mean I demand that the candidate I choose agree with me 100 percent or even 90 percent of the time?  No.  I’m not so narrow-minded that I do not accept differences of opinion as to how to best rescue this country.  But when presented with two choices – each of whom claims to represent my views, but none of whom actually represents them, I choose neither.

My dad voted for Arlen Specter in 2004 – a politician I despise with a fiery hate that rivals a burning case of the clap on a teenage hooker in the middle of summer in Thailand.  When I asked him why, he replied that he didn’t want to vote for a Democrat – that given the choice, he’d rather cast his vote for a Republican, no matter how noxious and odious that Republican happens to be.  Well, guess what, dad!  You voted for a Democrat, because you were afraid to vote your conscience.  You were afraid to give the seat to a member of the opposing party. 

When the GOP stood staunchly behind Specter giving him a very narrow win over Pat Toomey, because they were afraid Toomey was too conservative and would alienate the moderates, giving the seat to a Democrat, I wondered what the hell they were thinking.  They gave the seat to a Democrat, because they were afraid.

So back to the question.  What is it going to take to return this country and this government to sanity?  For every single voter to vote their conscience, not their fear.

The Republican Party has screwed its supporters too many times.  It used to be the party of fiscal responsibility.  It used to be the party of smaller government.  It is now the party of “whatever it will take to get us elected,” and that is a NO-GO.  And yet, you have GOP faithful trudging to the polls and voting for the same stale GOP election cycle after election cycle.

Why?

Because they’re afraid. They’re scared of the big, bad Democratic monster that will gain control if they withhold their vote from the Republicans.  They’re scared that they’ll get the greater evil.  Well guess what, folks!  You got it!  You went out there and gave your vote of confidence to those who don’t deserve it – who have betrayed your principles time and time again.  But instead of turning away from them, you rewarded them with your vote, because they promised to screw you just a bit less than the other party.  You rewarded them for betraying your values.  You rewarded them for helping turn this nation toward socialism.  You rewarded them with your vote, because you were too scared of the alternative. 

Well… the alternative is here.  You voted for those who betrayed you and your principles and every fundamental ideal upon which America was built.  And now you have the nerve to bitch about the results??

If you’re going to force a change in this country and in your political party, you’re going to have to reach deep down and find some guts.  You have to find your inner hero and vote these assholes out of office once and for all.  I don’t care if you’re a Republican or a Democrat.  If you’re voting for the same stale thing because you’re afraid that the other party will gain the advantage, you’re part of the problem, not part of the solution.  And with a more than 90 percent incumbency rate in this country, we have a lot of problems.

Being a parent has taught me many things.  One of them is that rewarding bad behavior will not curtail bad habits; it will exacerbate them.  Likewise, rewarding power-hungry socialists, who don’t represent your views, and whose only goal is to suck at the public teat just a few years more, with your vote time and time again, merely because they’re what you perceive to be the “lesser of the two evils,” will make the problem worse.

You want a revolution?  Don’t reach for the ammo box quite yet.  You haven’t even begun to use the ballot box!