Why I am Neither a Democrat nor a Republican

I grew up in a politically aware home. Dad started life as a Democrat but repented in his late 30’s. Mom was and stayed a Democrat. When they went to vote they were just going to cancel each other’s vote.

I started life as a Republican because I so admired two Republican legislators, Thruston Ballard Morton, of Kentucky and Edward Everett Dirksen, of Illinois. After studying Political Science in college, I realized that Washington no longer welcomed Statesmen of their stature. It seemed that the Republicans were only interested in serving wealthy supporters. I find it impossible to be and vote Republican. I became disillusioned and drifted onto the Democratic side of the aisle. The Democrats seemed more interested in the common man and willing to work for us. It took me a few years to figure out that was incorrect. It was with my powers of making astute observations or the obvious, that I discovered very few of the Washington politicians gave a crap about anything but themselves. Why, for years, have Democrats talked about improving life for African-Americans and, over the decades, nothing got better? A bigger mystery is why has a large block of that community continues to vote Democrat?

The conclusion I have drawn about our legislators is that a vast majority are only interested in getting re-elected, gaining power, getting rich, and talking. They are the epitome of the old saying, “When all is said and done, more is said than done.” They talk about helping us and protecting us, but all they do is talk. I have a dear friend who was the mayor of Memphis, TN who told me how disappointed he is with his many friends who were elected to office in D.C. who, within months became unrecognizable. There must be something in the water.

Party members are different from the party politicians. The only mistake the members make is listening to the politicians and believing them. I can understand the young people believing the swill coming out of Washington, after all, they are young and stupid naïve. But if you haven’t figured this out by age 40, they should revoke your voting privileges.

As a former member of both major parties, they both continue to embarrass me and support my decision to be an Independent. The Republicans continue to stand for a whole lot of nothing. What they claim to stand for, such as smaller government and less governmental spend, they are as “guilty” of practicing as the Dems. What a bunch of spineless phonies. Then there are the antics of the Democrats since Trump was elected. (Dems, what did you expect to happen when you ran horrible Hilary.) It is summed up best by saying they have been throwing a two-year temper tantrum. Then there were the Kavanaugh hearings. What an unethical, borderline immoral spectacle. I am both embarrassed by their actions and jubilant that I am no longer a member of that party.

So, that, in a nutshell, is why I am an Independent. I really don’t understand why everyone else isn’t.