I did it quietly Friday, on-line. I wasn't going to tell anyone other than my wife, but I've been amused by the synchronicity of the talking heads and bloggers who have read me right. It seemed only fair to begrudgingly give them credit for picking up on trends...
I changed my voter registration from "independent" to "Dem" so that I can vote in the California primary. I fully expect to change it back at the first opportunity after the election... but as I thought about sharing the act with y'all in the first place, it occurred to me that my rationale might interest those of you who wonder why anyone would be other than a "yellow dog dem".
I don't think I've supported any major republican for office other than Schwartzenegger (if you aren't from California you are unlikely to understand what that election was really about - happy to answer questions... but I digress). I have been pretty disgusted with the whole process and the lack of choices for most of my adult life (I'll be 49 next month).
Presidentially since 1980, I supported Anderson, Mondale, Dukakis, Perot, Clinton (the only winner i've picked), Gore (ok, half credit for picking a winner... but if he doesn't take office, does that count?), Nader (no whining... it was clear that Kerry was going to take California so it was a safe protest vote).
Like every other citizen and voter, I think I'm unique. I belong in the demographic of centrist, atheist, progressive, veterans who run small businesses. Three year tour of duty in the volunteer army. College degree. Three children (now grown). Small businessman for the past 16 years.
The traditional message of the Dems don't always resonate with me.
I see limited use for labor unions. Certainly they had a historical purpose, but today they seem to work to further their own interests with little care for their members. I see teacher's unions protecting incompetent teachers from losing their jobs, and prison guard unions making campaign contributions in California to support legislators who vote for longer sentences. This isn't about fair wages for a fair day's work... it seems like just another special interest.
I think there should be a safety net for people who fall on hard times, but I have no interest in supporting the slothful in the manner to which they would like to become accustomed.
I think the time has come for single payer health care because health insurance is astronomically priced and as an upper middle class family, I see the insurance companies doing everything in their power to limit our ability to get care. As vocal and intelligent people, we can usually fight the system... meeker, more passive, or less intelligent people would just be exploited.
I don't object to paying taxes. I would be willing to pay more, if the money were used frugally to support necessary endeavors. One bit of wisdom I learned from the Libertarians, "There is no limit to the good that some people can do WITH OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY". Taxation empowers men with guns to take your property for the good of all... that should be sobering for people who want government to do things like "support the arts".
I do object to the tax system being used to grant political favors or modify behavior. I also object to the friction that the arcane tax code imposes on my business and my life... tax compliance and record keeping costs about as much as my tax bill. I am well aware that if I made about three times what I make now, I could probably pay less tax with a modest investment in lawyers and accountants. If I made ten times what I make, I could add an investment in campaign contributions and have more arcane tax regulations passed that exempted my business, or gave me Federal contracts to offset the tax burden. On its face, this is flagrantly unfair and inefficient.
I think we have lost our way. The Bush administration, claiming to be for small government, has expanded government power in astounding ways. Waging a war of choice against a country that didn't attack us. Violating constitutional separation of powers, violating the bill of rights, and choosing to break treaties like the Geneva Convention that I think of as sacred.
I voted for Dems in 2006 to try and correct this, and the result has been a HUGE disappointment.
It may be politically incorrect to observe this, but the United States is NOT inherently a "great country". Our country is only as great as its most recent history of action. Our recent history is despicable.
We need to reclaim the Supreme Court. We need to retreat from the brink of fascism. We need to restore the rule of law. We must remember that government exists to protect the rights of the people.
For these reasons, I'm abandoning what I see as a principled stand against the inadequacies of the two party system, in hope that maybe, perhaps, things have gotten so egregiously out of hand that a new Democratic president can take the side of the PEOPLE and salvage our republic.
The pundits have it right... I'm trying to vote for change. I'm skeptical whether it will work. I know many of my fellow bloggers at this site are more liberal than I. I implore you... if we can take a step toward the center, I think that there is a lot of healing and good we can do. If the next Democratic president uses this election to unite and heal the country, rather than as a referendum on traditional "red meat" liberal issues (tax the rich, empathize with the lazy, empower labor unions, support the arts) it might move our governance to a new plane, and let us discuss the more subtle points of leadership and policy in a civil way.
If the next leader continues with the status quo... trying to accumulate more power in government to support multi-national corporate (donor) and union (donor) interests while paying lip service to the rule of law and justice, I (and any who share my spectrum of view) will be lost to the Dems for a generation.