When I was a kid, Republicans were “live and let live” conservatives. I was young, but I do not remember that party being a haven for the cruel and ignorant. It’s hard to believe it now, but I was President of the Young Republicans at my High School. For all his flaws, Nixon raised the minimum wage and cared about the environment. Eisenhower was a conservative, but who warned against the “military-industrial complex.” I disagree with Romney on most issues, but how any real conservative can choose Rick Santorum’s hateful and ignorant ideas to represent their party over Romney’s or even Gingrich’s focus on more traditional conservative values is a mystery to me. At this point I realize I’m to the left of any political party, but I still care about electoral politics, which means the healthy expression of liberal and conservative ideas. This is a clip of a Republican who is weeping over the issue of same-sex marriage. Maybe it will stir some memories of a day when being fiscally conservative, was not linked to attacking other people, or disregarding human suffering, or being anti-science. To me this is what the Republican Party really is, but that doesn’t matter if they let hateful people speak for them. I do not believe most Republicans are cruel, but I do think they are responsible for allowing hateful groups to hide in their midst. To see the clip,
click here
Good heavens, I was the president of the Young Republican at my college. Love the fact that you’ve been down that same road. Then I had a conversion experience. The rest is history–for you and for me.
Sid, that is terribly strange. But I guess in another way, it’s not surprising that the same experiences would send us on the same path. And I really think neither one of us is talking about being liberal as opposed to conservative. It is very clear from your sermons and speeches you sim;y want a world where all are welcome. I know you hate politics as much as I do, but when people are being bullied you have to do something. We would both much rather be doing other things, and when everyone leaves everyone else alone to live their own lives, we do spend our time doing other things. I’ll take you to lunch sometime so I can hear the story of your short hair Republican days.