Just after the election, I posted about how unsatisfied I’ve become with the Republican party.  I wasn’t happy with the “Compassionate Conservatism” of the Bush years, and I’ve been, well, unimpressed with the party in its role as the “loyal opposition” to the Obama administration.  Basically, the libertarian wing of the party seems to have been eclipsed by the go-along-to-get-along leadership that is heavily influenced with the side of the party that mirrors liberal Democrats in wanting to spend my money and tell me how to live my life, just in different ways.  I don’t see that changing anytime soon, and it’s a big reason for my dissatisfaction.*  Big government Republicans, to me, are as much to blame for the mess we’re in as the big government Democrats.

So I’m considering leaving the party, and to be honest, being registered as “Independent” is looking more and more likely.  Doing this is going to impact my ability to contribute to elections because Kentucky has closed primaries.  I actually agree with that law; I just have to live with not having that ability to voice my wishes.

I’ve considered the third parties, and to be honest, they’re a mess.  I guess the closest one to my political leanings, at least on paper, is the Libertarian Party.  Their platform ties in with my wish that the United States take a good hard look in the mirror and decide which overseas commitments are worth the money and blood, which domestic programs are a waste of money, and which sacred cow will make the tastiest hamburgers.  But to be honest, I look at the history of the party and I’m discouraged.  Guys, until you start fielding presidential candidates that have been big L Libertarians for more than a fortnight, you’re always going to be the NIT of primary races.

I think that a viable third political party would do a lot of good work toward cleaning up and cleaning out our political system.    However, I think the problem I’ve seen with alternate parties is that they all seem to be trying to hit a home run and field a winning presidential candidate without having a lot of people in lower offices already.  Yes, it worked for the Republicans in the 1860 election, but that was a unique situation.  Our country is in a crisis, but the issues we deal with aren’t as easily talked about as “It’s wrong to own other people”.  That’s a lot easier to sell than “We need to stop giving you free stuff”, or “You need to get off the couch and get a job”.

To me, what third parties need to do is build a base, and work toward a viable presidential candidate at some later date.  Get people elected to state legislatures and maybe the House of Representatives.  Work toward putting governors in office, then Senators.  Once people see that you’re not a bunch of fringe wingnuts because you’re the guy they see on the school board or who holds townhall meetings with them as part of their duties as a legislator, they will start to consider pulling the lever for that parties candidates for higher office.  Putting up a presidential candidate every four years just to say you can does nothing much besides spend money and time.  Build a base, then shoot for the moon.

Anyway, I wish the Republicans well, but I think my time with them is over.  If they wake up, reverse the decline that’s been going on for 20 years, and return to trying to limit government and be wise custodians of the people’s money, I’ll consider voting for their candidates.  Until then, I’ll be over here doing my own research and picking the best person for the job when I step into the voting booth.

*I know, I know, Tea Party, Rand Paul, rah rah rah.  Witness the recent removal of fiscally conservative Republicans from key committee positions by Speaker Boehner.  Anyone who challenges the party leadership, in or out of office, is being put in their place so that any deals they make with the Democrats will get through Congress without a hitch.

There’s a cliché that was running through my head today:  Freedom is messy.  You have to accept that when you have the right to do something that makes you happy or makes your life better, someone else can exercise that right in a way that you don’t like.

Our freedom to own guns means that others have the freedom to not own guns, or even to believe that guns are evil.

Our freedom to speak out also means that someone else can speak out against us.

Our freedom to vote as citizens means that others can vote for causes and candidates we oppose.

Our freedom to worship means that others have the right to worship differently, or not at all.

That being said, their rights end where ours begin.  Their freedom to choose to not own guns does not give them the right to demand that we not own them.  Their decision to not be religious should not preclude us from worshipping, even if it is in the public square.  And above all, their politics and all that they entail should not be used as a cudgel to drive our politics out of that public square.

We must guard that we don’t use our outrage at those with whom we disagree as an excuse to try to drive them away from the debate.  When Bob Costas chose to express his opinion on guns the other night, I disagreed with him, and I wasn’t alone.  Some of us were quite vociferous in our disagreement, and thankfully, some were quite eloquent at it.  Some, on the other hand, expressed an opinion that Mr. Costas and Mr. Whitlock should not have expressed their beliefs on the subject.  To me, this is a dangerous way to look at it.  We must guard against becoming what we oppose, even if it means that things we don’t agree with get a wide audience.

I read a story once about how before Caesar was opposed by  Cato on some issue on the floor of the Senate.  Cato chose to try to run out the clock on the issue by talking at length in front of the Senate.  In order to force the issue, Caesar had men come in and drag Cato down from the speaker’s platform, an act that shocked the other senators.  It was undignified and sacrilegious to men who considered the political process to be sacred.  As Cato was led out, the rest of the Senate walked out with him, including senators who supported Caesar.  One of them told Caesar “I’d rather be in jail with Cato than here with you.”

Our rights are as sacred to me as the Republic was to those senators.  When someone opposes me, so long as they don’t intrude on my rights, I will respect their right to do so.  We are not at the point where our institutions are useless, nor are we at the point where disagreement leads to revolution.  Until we reach that point, we need to respect the fact that others have the same rights as we do, even if that means swallowing our pride and working harder.   I would rather be locked in an eternal debate with the anti’s and Obama supporters than be locked into step with people who demand that others not exercise their right to oppose us.

Well, it’s over.  Mitt Romney ran a good race, but when the votes were tallied, he lost.  Badly.  Seriously, given the state of the Union after the last four years, he could have at least made it close on election night.

So we have a Republican House, a Democrat Senate, and a Democrat President.  In other words, pretty much what we had on Monday night.  Obama will continue to ignore his opposition in Congress.  Fast and Furious will never be fully investigated, and neither will Benghazi.  Even if the high keening I hear from the Internet was right and voter fraud was a problem, again, nothing will happen.  Eric Holder will never lift a finger to penalize the people who kept him in a job.  Obama will use Congress’ intransigence as an excuse to expand an already imperial presidency.  And the rest of us will quietly slip into economic oblivion as we continue to bump along the bottom.

To the Republicans, all I can say is “Thank you, and good night”.  You got beaten badly in 1992, 1996, 2008, and now 2012.  You almost lost in 2000 and 2004.  Face it, you don’t have what it takes to fight for a presidency.  You were handed an election that should have been a walk-off home run, and you hit the umpire in the crotch with the bat.  Unless you pull your thumb out and stop giving us milquetoast candidates that blend in with the background, we are through.  Seriously, if the next few candidates don’t breathe fire, I’m looking elsewhere for my source of junk mail.  As for your ‘leadership’ in the House, you better grow a bloody spine.  My suggestion is to pass a budget resolution every week until the President and Harry Reid get a clue and make a credible counter offer.  For those of you in the Senate, the word is “filibuster”.  Look it up and use it prodigiously to discourage the lesser natures of your Democrat colleagues.

Oh, and here’s a hint:  NO-ONE CARES ABOUT THE CULTURE WAR WHEN THEY’RE WORRIED ABOUT HOW THEY’RE GOING TO KEEP A ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS AND FOOD ON THE TABLE!  QUIT IT!

To the President, congratulations.  I hope the next four years age you terribly.  As for me, I’ll be up here with the rest of the monkeys screaming and throwing waste every time you step out of line.  I wish you and your family no ill, but I hope that by the end of this term, you regret ever getting into politics.

For the rest of y’all, thank you for letting me vent my spleen and cry in my beer a bit.  Strap yourselves in, this is going to get a bit bumpy.