As desmoinesdem notes over at Bleeding Heartland, the republican rank and file base is experiencing a high level of disillusionment over what has become of their party.
As a life-long democrat, I cannot even imagine leaving my party, for any reason. But the even more unfathomable is happening to the republican base. Their party has left them.
Columnist Steve Greenhut's opinion piece on why he has left the party points to the vast expansion of government under George W. Bush's administration. Republicans have always prided themselves on shrinking the ranks of government and concentrating on the fundamental rights afforded in the Constitution of the United States, primarily freedom.
Since the government has expanded greatly without providing any more freedom (can you say Patriot Act?), republicans are increasingly uncomfortable with identifying themselves with the moniker. According to Bleeding Heartland's example, the man and his wife intend to sit out the 2008 election altogether rather than settle for one of the current candidates, having been inspired by none of them.
This is a cautionary tale. This sort of abandonment can happen on either end of the political spectrum. The way I see it is this: When a party puts its own political needs and power before the needs and wishes of the people, the people will abandon it in droves.
I believe that the American people will vote democrat as an antidote to what has happened on the other side. And democrats therefore have a huge responsibility and a huge challenge to hold that precious trust, restore our democratic balance between powers, our reputation in the world and the good will of the people. I hope we're up to it.
Comment Preview