My Increasing Political Involvement

For most of my adult life, I was not affiliated with either the Democratic or the Republican parties. As a result, my voting record is varied. I have failed to vote in as many primary elections as I have voted. I also believe that in the primary elections in which I have voted, I have drawn a Democratic ballot as often as I have drawn a Republican ballot.

In the past year, I joined the Republican Party. This occurred, first, in my efforts to assist a friend begin his candidacy to seek the Republican nomination for the US Congressional seat for my district. This was not the reason to join the Party, however.

My decision to join the Party resulted from my concerns over the direction of the country as a result of the Democrats wielding power in both the legislative and executive branches. This concern was further supported when I realized that our State's financial difficulties, at both the governmental and business levels, originates from Democratic control of both branches.

The decision to join the Republican Party was not an easy one. I don't line up completely with all of the Party's current positions. In particular, I have difficulty with a number of its social positions. I do, however, line up strongly with its economic and tax positions and its beliefs in the U.S. free market system.

As I considered my own positions, I realized that I could be categorized as a moderate Republican or a conservative Democrat. Considering our current political environment, I chose the Republican Party because I believe there is an inherent corruption to one party dominance in Springfield or Washington. We need more Republican representation to provide the necessary check and balance to the current ruling party.

I also believe that being adding more moderates to the Republican Party will improve the Party's chances to be more representative of the American public and to diminish its image as being run by the religious right and ultra-conservatives.

This latter objective is difficult. It's always a challenge to be tolerant of opposing points of view; more so when the opposing points of view are intolerant. It's also difficult to immerse one into a group where one's credentials are whether one has consistently voted Republican.

Yet, the challenges and efforts will be worthwhile if I keep in mind my desires, dreams and objectives for an improved government and a more represntative political process and I remain true to my own values.