If you’ve spent a significant part of your life trying to be a moderately conservative republican, then you are probably in the same leaky boat that I am in.
In 2016, when trump was kidnapping the Republican party, any faith that I had in the GOP started to evaporate. I remember vividly, the night we were visiting relatives in Raleigh, my wife went to a family gathering—a mourning event—and I chose to stay in a motel and watch the prospective GOP nominees debate.
It was a terrible night. Not only was their death in the atmosphere, but that was the night that trump bullied his way into the party nomination by so rudely and crudely ignoring all the rules of standard debate. Then later, as it all unfolded in 2020, he crudely broke all the long-standing principles of good governance and statesmanship, even instigating treasonous insurrection.
For this centrist republican, these last four and a half years have been all downhill, with the very bottom of Republican integrity being dragged into the mud to be slung upon our Republic (if we can keep it, as Ole Ben had said.)
Now, a few brave Republicans, most notably Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, with help from the bench regularly provided by Susan Collins, Mitt Romney and (what-the-heck-happened to Paul Ryan?) a few other brave souls. . . remind me that there may be some salvation yet to be found for the party of Abe Lincoln.
Anyway, now here it is . . . autumn of midterm election year, and the bully trump crowd may be being slowly driven back into their holes.
But hey, life if funny, y’know?
Suddenly, up pops the anomaly (to use one of JordanP’s favorite words) and I am reminded why I forsook the democrat party back in the early days of my maturing phase.
The unexpected development was a proposed bill in Congress that I discovered while reading email, on this gloomy post-storm Saturday morning. This proposed legislation is House bill 1209.
Here is the paragraph that I found in the inbox, which—upon reading it— renewed my political identity crisis:
H.Res. 1209 is designed to elevate the LGBTQ agenda above freedom of religion and will make abortion a federal right. In addition, it will use our federal government to punish anyone who will not promote the LGBTQ agenda or abortion. I’ll explain more below and share how this resolution is intended to harm both parents and children. —Mat
This is a perfect example of why being a centrist nowadays is such a conundrum.
I am okay with assuring Constitutional provisions that allow other citizens to define their own identities, sexuality and personal lifestyle, even their friggin’ marriage. I get it.
But when these disruptive doctrines about sexuality are dragged into our public schools to be used as propaganda fodder, lesson plans, for grade-schoolers . . . I just don’t get it.
And so once again I find myself agonizing over my trump-instigated exit from the Republican party.
Because sometimes Republicans do make better sense.
But other times, Democrats are much better attuned to protect the rights of minorities.
But sometimes their zeal for defending alternative lifestyles crosses a boundary called religion, which is a Right that is protected by our First Amendment.
So I am not suggesting that everybody needs to be religious. I am only saying that parents are allowed to teach their children religion-based morality, if they so choose.
And they should not be required by politically-obsessed schoolmasters to have their children’s faith undermined by progressive doctrines of sexual identity.
Sorry Dems; read ‘em and weep. This House Resolution 1209 is not a good idea.
And maybe you can discern, through this complaint, the conundrum I have—along with many other centrists—who find ourselves caught between a rock and a hard place.
My only hope for returning to the GOP would be found in their nomination of a true statesman to be our next President. Apart from that development, Joe is okay with me. I voted for him last time. We’ll see what the elephants in the gloom come up with in ’24.
God forbid a replay of the trumpian disaster.
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