Officially an Independent

I went and voted today in the Maine primaries, mainly so I could vote to approve the school budget. But in the lead up to today’s vote, I started to get texts. Soooooo many texts. All of them telling me how I had to vote for somebody because he’d be the one person to stand up for Trump, or how he did something for Trump, or how he knew Trump’s gardner’s grandfather’s ex-bowling buddy.

Guess what! I didn’t care about any of it. In what should surprise no one, knowing someone supports or is supported by Trump is the best way to get me to not vote for someone at all. It was like seven or eight texts in a row, followed by more this morning. And that was enough to make me just decide to call it a day for the Republican party. They’ll be better served not trying to get my vote these days. I suppose I could have hung around just as a way to make them waste money, but who’s got time for that?

So after I voted, I asked if removing myself from a party was a difficult process. It was not. I just went over to a different part of the room, put my name and address down on a card, checked a box, and signed it. It will take two weeks for it to take effect, but maybe this will mean I won’t get as many texts and flyers in the mail this November. That would be lovely.

When I think about where I used to be, politically, and where I am now, part of me is very surprised. I was a pretty staunch Republican. What changed? Some of it is definitely due to changing views I’ve had on social issues, but I would say a much larger part of it is due to the dramatic shift in the Republican party to areas I am very (very) uncomfortable with. The leaders of the party feel like they’re part of something totally different than what I believed in. I’d held off making the change official for years, but it looks like there’s a point for everyone when enough is enough.

I’m sure many Republicans who are left in the party would read this and say good riddance, but I would suggest they might want to take another look at what their party is doing politically that is actively driving once ardent supporters away from it. Typically, people want parties to get bigger, not smaller, yes? At the moment, it feels to me like the Republican plan is get elected one last time, and then change the rules to make sure they can stay in power. That’s the only thing that makes sense to me with the sort of scorched earth, “Trump or Bust” mentality they’re embracing.

But whatever. Done is done.