Leaving my second tea party with my kids yesterday, #1 son was asking me about “far right” and “far left.” The woman behind us said those not in those categories can’t commit. She said you either choose a stance or you fall. I told her I only leaned right and that I was firm in my convictions so she was wrong. She went on to rant about being Christian and I bit my lip as I’m not (so wasn’t going there with her in front of my kids). Spending the day with people who were airing their grievances publicly about “fiscal responsibility” with our government (which I am a firm believer in) felt great. However, throughout these experiences, I also pointed out many differences with those in attendance by their signs and conversations.

So, this Saturday on my radio show http://wistradio.com AM 690 from 9-10 AM central time, I’m going to be talking about how we all fit into a political party. Do you fit a mold? Have you evolved? Will or can you shift you beliefs? Are you confused? More questions and comments welcome in the comment section or you can email me gretaperry at gmail dot com

Call in to the show too 1-888-880-WIST or (504)260-0690

Please support my new show sponsor, Ces Guerra, author of Pill Pushers. This book is absolutely amazing and eye-opening. Ces is also available for lectures on the pharmaceutical/health care industry and you can see his business website here.

3 Replies to “The Political Party Mold”

  1. In 1996 I was a committed, tried and true Republican. Back then party labels still had some meaning. In 2000 I backed McCain in the primaries, but after the primaries were over I quickly came around and put tireless effort in to help Bush. In 2004 I was still, unquestioningly, on board. Then in 2006 I really started to notice some things that the party and I were growing apart on. For me the economic conservatism just isn’t all its cracked up to be. I’m more of a budget hawk, less of a free trader than I used to be. If you live in a manufacturing state, you’ll know why.

    Lately, though, I really feel like the growing voices of the Republican party are pushing me out. The “conservatives” are getting louder, nastier, and more ideologically distant from me. The sad thing is, I haven’t changed much on a great many issues. I’m still an ardent proponent of the 2nd Amendment, a strong supporter of the military, I prefer balanced budgets, oppose judicial activism, oppose race-based preferences in employment and college admissions, and prefer that the rights of the states not be infringed. The few issues I’ve taken a more leftward swing on, gay rights and immigration, both are rooted in the notion of America being a great land with a wide embrace. Unfortunately, I’ve always had a deep and abiding intolerance for bullshit, and lately I’m seeing a lot of that out of the “conservatives.”

    Lately I’ve been feeling more and more isolated as a voter. The Republican party is becoming a southern sectional party with very little appeal to me, but the Democrats are still too far to the left. I don’t ascribe to the more anarcho-capitalist leanings of the Libertarians, and the Reform Party is dead. I think if the Blue Dog Democrats formed their own party, or if Bloomberg ran, I’d probably go over to them instead. My patience for the GOP’s rightward lurch is just exhausted, and I really don’t feel like I can get behind it anymore.

  2. When dealing with the two leading political parties, this “either-or” talk is the bleating of sheep . . . the yowling of people who have the mental strength to think for themselves. Neither party has earned our trust or devotion. Neither has delivered on its promises. Each has sold its soul to special interests. Each has but one goal: to be in power, for power’s sake. And those who blindly cling to the party label do so not because of any serious evaluation of the party and its performance in delivering its promises, but for the emotional security of a seat on the bandwagon. Neither the far left nor the far right is going to see its dreams fulfilled . . . although the “losing” side may feel that the success of a particular party is the final sign of the Apocalypse. Obama did not win by appealing to the far left . . . he won by persuading the middle that he would be less of a disaster than the other guy. And McCain didn’t try to appeal to the far right . . . he tried to persuade the middle that he would be less of a disaster than Obama. The performance of the Bush White House was the tipping point. against McCain.

    And it should be noted that Bush appealed more to the far right – especially the religious far right – than any president in my lifetime. Even so, he betrayed a wide spectrum of conservative priniciples. Whatever he was, he wasn’t conservative; he had his own unspoken agenda. Obama also has an unspoken agenda.

    The two-party system is unconstitutional – in the sense that it’s not provided for in the Constitution. The fact that two parties have managed to hornswoggle enough blind adherents into an either-or mindset weakens us as a nation. The only thing keeping us afloat is the independent middle, which (one hopes) takes each candidate on a case-by-case basis and makes a choice based on a healthy skepticism.

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