When I was growing up my parents were registered Democrats, but they found over the years that they were voting more and more for Republicans. My father always said that they didn’t leave the Democrat party, the Democrats left them and they ended up registering as Republicans.
Politics and voting were serious things in my household. There was much discussion around the dinner table leading up to an election and the night before an election was always a family night where we sat around and discussed the issues and the candidates (even if you weren’t old enough to vote yet).
We didn’t always agree and my father told us that we didn’t have to agree, but we better be informed and always know why we were voting for a certain person or for/against an issue.
When I first registered to vote I registered as an independent because I didn’t want to be “labeled” LOL!
My 18th birthday was on election day Nov 4, 1976. I was so excited that I was getting to make my first vote for President. I voted for Ford and I was heartbroken when Carter won and I was sure that I had jinxed Ford.
When Reagan came along he won me over lock, stock and barrel and I registered as a Republican and have never had a second thought about being “labeled” as a Republican until this last year. Now, I might be registered as a Republican, but I am not as proud of it as I once was and I prefer to think of myself as just a Conservative. I hear my father’s words echoing in my ears and I think the Republicans are leaving me.
If we do, we are consigning ourselves to electoral oblivion. We are frittering away the great work built by Ronald Reagan.
As bad as any Republican Presidential nominee is, their nominee will be worse.