Some of you are angry. Some of you are confused. Some of you are sad or disappointed. And a few of you understand. A few of you get it.
Why would someone who has been involved in the Republican Party not get on board and work for unity? Why would any Republican continue to point out the flaws and be critical of the Republican nominee? Why not simply support the nominee and fight the real enemy, Hillary Clinton?
Let’s not pretend that this discussion is limited to me and my friends. This is the topic of discussion across the nation and throughout the Republican Party. From Paul Ryan to George Bush to Mitt Romney and Glenn Beck, people have decided that they cannot support this year’s nominee and there is significant backlash on all sides. In the past week there has been considerable discussion of party unity, and this morning on the Sunday news programs Republicans were out talking about unity while also clearly holding their noses in many cases.
Much has been written about the anger and frustration in the electorate and their desire for change. There is widespread agreement even across political and ideological lines about the need to change the direction we are heading in, but the visions of what needs to be done and what direction we should be going span the entire spectrum of thought.
I can only speak for myself.
Regular readers will now want to slowly roll their eyes and sigh as I once again describe the building blocks of my views on government philosophy. I believe in limited government. I champion individual liberty. I demand fiscal responsibility. I believe in personal responsibility. I believe the purpose of government is to “secure these rights” – specifically; government exists to protect the life, liberty, and property of its citizens, nothing more.
You can go back and scour my previous posts and public statements and you will find that these core principles have never changed. I believe in federalism, which means I am a champion of moving power away from the federal government and back to state and local governments. I think people should be free to do as they please so long as they do not infringe on the rights of others. I believe in free markets and competition; I am a capitalist but not a crony one. I think all life is sacred and should be protected; and so I am Pro-Life and anti-death penalty.
If you want to win a debate with me simply point out where my position on an issue violates my own core principles. It does happen and some of you have figured this out. In those cases I change my position on the issue, and not the core value.
The reality is that very few people agree with the core values I just outlined. For example, anyone who feels people have an inherent right to have health care provided for them cannot hold the positions above. If you believe in free speech except for Nazis or the KKK then you don’t get it and we do not agree. If you think you believe in free markets but you want the government handing out corporate subsidies then we are not on the same page.
I have very little problem with people who admit we have different core values and can state theirs clearly. We simply disagree. As long as a liberal is consistent in application of their own values I can at least admire their integrity. But those of you who claim to agree with the values above but then act otherwise, or contradict yourselves, or switch values depending on the issue, present a problem for me.
I am not a fan of pragmatism. I am not a populist or a nationalist. America is a great country, but not because our people are magically superior, or because God gives us special favors. America is great because the people who founded it based our country on the principles that I hold dear. Those principles, like the fragile system of government they established, were the basis for the amazing story of our great country.
But as we have strayed from our core principles we have lost our greatness. The founders knew this was likely. They saw the dangers that we would face in terms of the corruption of our government. Sadly, their fears have come to pass.
I am still knocking doors for Republicans. I did so yesterday. I am still advocating for people who share those core values listed above, and I will continue to do so. I will support anyone who is a champion of the principles our nation was founded on. I will be voting for a great many good Republicans this August and November. But I cannot support your nominee for president.
If that makes you angry then I suppose you will be angry. This is not a popularity contest. I do not vote out of fear. I am tired of voting against someone and choosing the lesser of two evils.
Obviously I am not talking about any of you readers, but have you noticed that the Republican nominee has attracted a lot of people we now call “alt right”? They used to be called paleo conservatives. Another term is ethno-nationalists. On the other side of the spectrum the Democrats are openly courting a Socialist. I have nothing whatsoever in common with any of these people, and do not wish to be in their tent.
I think all of these people are horribly misguided. I think the pragmatists who tell me they don’t agree with the positions or policies of their nominee but think we need to get behind him anyway have a lot of explaining to do. What happened to your values, or were your values different from mine all along?
I made it very clear two months before the Iowa Caucuses that I could never support the man who is now the Republican nominee. Before a single vote was cast and before anyone left the race. And the reality is I was not on board with him from the very beginning; it just took some time to decide to state it publicly.
Having said all that, I am also aware that when I attack Donald Trump many of you are taking it personally. You feel personally attacked when I post a video of your candidate saying something I know you disagree with. It makes you uncomfortable and puts you in a bad position.
Let’s face it, a lot of my friends wish I would stop.
I will never stop advocating for my ideas and for my vision of what this country should be. I am not going to change my positions (unless, as I said, you point out where I contradict my own values). But I have come to realize my criticism of Trump is, at this point, simply useless. Anyone who will listen already knows how I feel.
By the way, I have found a candidate who does share my values. His name is Austin Petersen. I will be sharing positive things about Austin instead of negative things about Donald Trump. I will be pointing out the many flaws of Hillary Clinton from time to time, but let’s face it that is just as worthless. Everyone is aware (even Democrats) of all of Hillary’s flaws. The Democrat loyalists still have to hold their nose and support her, just like the Republican loyalists will have to hold their nose and support Trump.
If you see me toning down my rhetoric and if I stop going negative please understand nothing has changed with me. I have not altered my core values one bit. I have just come to realize the complete futility of continuing down that path.
And there is another reason, one a little closer to home. I found myself observing some people that I respect very much. I listened carefully not just to their words but their tone. And I realized that much of what I admired was their positive message, their enthusiasm for our state and country, and the articulation of a vision for what we can be and how we can get there.
The people I admire don’t spend their time destroying, they spend their time building. They recognize problems, but then they offer concrete solutions. They articulate the very values I listed in a positive manner and I think that is much more effective than the negativism we all fall into from time to time. I want to be like that, so I will need to change.
I may require medication, or I will end up with a bleeding tongue…
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