Goodbye Grand Old Friend

Jan 29, 2008 a day that will live in infamy. Not to most people of course. And 25 years from now it will be celebrated by historians and academics as a great turning point in American politics. It may well even be a national holiday of sorts, at least in the Hispanic community,which will be the majority of the country.

This day will be remembered as the day capitalism died in the USA. It will be remembered as the day the non-Hispanic majority died in the USA. It will be remembered as the day government's role in the daily lives of Americans was increased like no other post-FDR period of time.

It is the day John McCain won the GOP nomination. And it is the day that the US as it has existed for 200+years ends. For no matter whether he or Hillary wins in November, the end result will be the same.

I have identified myself a Republican ever since I can remember. It seemed logical. I am a conservative and the Republican party was - or so it seemed - a conservative party. The party of Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater. That was then.

First George H W Bush appeared. He was supposed to carry on the Reagan legacy. He instead raised taxes and puked on a Japanese prime minister. That's OK, they can't all be winners.

Next up we got George W Bush. Talked the talk. Most definitely did not walk the walk. This man spent in ways that would make LBJ and FDR blush. Yeah but he was still better than Dems or so I tricked myself into thinking. Sure he acted like a Dem, but he wasn't a Dem. And that made sense to me in the ever twisted pretzel my logic had become. Sure he wanted amnesty, but he wasn't a Democrat. Sure he created the medicare drug nightmare,but he wasn't a Democrat. Sure he fumbled and bumbled Iraq as badly as it could be fumbled and bumbled, but he wasn't a Democrat. Sure he can't, after 8 years, say the word nuclear, but he wasn't a Democrat.

OK so the lesson learned was not so much the party but anyone named Bush. 2008 would change that and with a clean slate. We'd get back on track with a conservative. We'd get back on track with limited government

And in 2008 instead of Thompson, instead of Romney, instead of Rudy, instead of Ron Paul the Republican nominee is John McCain. A man who has spent 20+ years fighting against every single conservative issue. Fighting against lower taxes. Fighting against secure borders. Fighting against reduced spending. Fighting against the 2nd Ammendment. Fighting against the 1st Ammednment ever with McCain-Feingold.

Fighting WITH Ted Kennedy. Fighting WITH Hillary Clinton. Fighting WITH John Kerry. Fighting with every liberal Democrat he could find in order to advance his cause.

So farewell GOP. It's been fun. We've laughed, we've cried, but now it's time to say goodbye. I can no longer in good conscience support a party that stands for nothing I stand for. If you ever get your act together, give me a call and we can have coffee or something.