Confession of an Ex Republican

I confess I’ve been a fan of Abraham Lincoln since I was a little kid. His story transfixed me. I became very interested in the history and political environment of his time. That led me to a growing interest in American history and political science in general and how they interact. Although I was born into a Republican family, I came to my own conclusions about Republican versus Democrat at an early age. By high school graduation I was seriously following political news and a supporter of the Republican Party. I was the geek in my senior class who was interested in all of these things. They mostly were not.

Then college days. As a freshman I became even more conservative. I joined the Young Republicans and got involved in local elections in rural Illinois. I even attended a few meetings of the local John Birch Society. But by graduation my rabid conservatism was replaced by a big swing to liberal – a political philosophy that realized that government is necessary in our lives, and in balance, can be a major source of social justice and quality of life. Not government for its own sake, or all-controlling; but serving the needs of its society with that society directing and controlling the government. Much of this change in thinking was linked to my education in micro and macro economics, public policy related to economics, and the history and causes of cyclical recessions in the US. 

After graduation, I became even more supportive of the Republican Party and helped co-found the Republican Organizational Volunteers, ROV for short. We called ourselves ROVers. We helped any Republican candidate in Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois. We canvassed upstate and downstate for voters and for public opinion data. We supported Charles Percy for Senate, Henry Hyde for Congress, Dick Ogilvie for Sheriff, then Cook County Board President, then his run for Governor. Percy, Hyde and Ogilvie won all the offices they ran for during this period. We helped field and support a Republican slate of candidates for Chicago city offices including Mayor, but they were defeated by Major Richard J. Daley’s Democratic machine. As expected.

In a way I felt the Chicago area was under the control of a Democratic machine and the playing field needed leveling if the two party system was to work effectively.

Later after I married and had moved to DuPage County in suburban Chicago, I became concerned that, unlike Cook County and Chicago where Democrats held control, DuPage County was controlled by Republicans.

I became alarmed at how lopsided the political playing field was and began fighting conservative ideology and demagogic Republican candidates. Increasingly I became more liberal, in part because conservatives were growing in influence and I didn’t think that should be the party’s identification. Middle of the road worked for me and I felt then, and still feel today, that centrist thinking gets more done; it’s practical.

When George H. W. Bush openly welcomed to his camp the Christian Right Wing Conservatives, I had had enough and turned Democrat almost completely.  Today I label myself an independent but vote in Democratic primaries to help build balance in our region.

Skip forward to present time. The Republican Party is now really the American Conservative Party and ought to change its name to that label. I firmly believe Abraham Lincoln would shudder at what the party has become.

Tomorrow I’ll profile the current Republican presidential candidates and let that speak for what the Republican Party is about. If that picture is not comfortable, or doesn’t fit with America, then let the party deal with it. I warned back in the 1960’s and ‘70’s that a swing far to the right or left would cripple the party. Is that what has happened?

Let’s continue this discussion tomorrow.

Feburary 10, 2012