So long Republicans :)

[LittleLightShining]

Well, I became a Republican for Ron Paul. We have an open primary here in VT but he wanted us to become involved and reform the party and that has been my aim ever since. On the local level I feel I've made the right decision and am increasingly more convinced that this is where I need to be. I am the youngest person in my county and town committees at 34. Everyone else is old enough to be my parents or grandparents.

Last night our county committee had an input session for the state platform committee. It was absolutely the best meeting I've been to yet and I feel very confident that most Republicans in Vermont agree with the direction the state should be headed. We pushed for a return to government "of, by and for the people," increased local control in education and zoning and we are pushing for no new spending, reducing taxes and making sure funds allocated for one purpose (such as transportation) are not used to fund other programs (such as health care). We are all absolutely in agreement about a free market approach to health care and energy.

This was the first meeting that I actually got a chance to participate in discussion about issues as opposed to meetings where we sit around and talk about how we're going to talk about raising money at our next meeting. There is a leadership problem in our county committee and I feel like now I have a foot in, people respect my opinion and like me. When the opportunity comes up I'm going to make sure I get on the state platform committee and may even try to take the chair of the county committee.

 

[Todd]

I have been a Republican all my life, i am so disgusted with this party now with all the damage they have done to the world and this country both me and my wife have switched to "Independent" We will probably vote for Barr or Baldwin but not sure yet as we like both but realize that they wont even put a dent in the election and pray that Obama can truly be for less intervention in the world as McCain is nothing but a lunatic and should not be allowed to have anything to do with politics, if this man gets a hold of military power he will bring this country to its knees.

PS: I want to thank Ron Paul, his Family and all the Paulites for standing up to the Elite and helping us see the light.

Most of the people in my meetup joined the Republican party during the primaries for just that....to remain republican and get it back on track. Unfortunately, right now, the system is a two party one. Until the day when a third party is viable, this is how it works. If Ron's a Republican, then I am. I remember what it used to be like.
I think Paul also wanted to see the grassroots get involved at the party level....some of us were oh so close in Virginia with getting a Paul candidate in the Senate race.

But I will support Baldwin in this election. Ain't no way I'm voting McCain or Obama.

 

[Truth Warrior]

Vermont Declaration of Independence
http://www.vermontrepublic.org/vermont_declaration_of_independence

 

[LittleLightShining]

Vermont Declaration of Independence
http://www.vermontrepublic.org/vermont_declaration_of_independence

According to the tenth amendment of the U.S. Constitution, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." That which is not expressly prohibited by the Constitution is, therefore, within the legal province of the individual states. And therefore all states have a constitutional right to leave the Union. Indeed, when the federal government usurps their sovereignty and becomes destructive to "the preservation of life, and liberty and the pursuit or happiness," they have a constitutional duty to reclaim the independence in which they were formed.

We actually talked a lot about the 10th amendment last night and how we have allowed the Feds to take a lot of our sovereignty as a state by taking the opiate of Federal funds. This was probably the most exciting and inspiring part of the whole night for me. One lady said that we should make a plank in the state platform that says we will only accept Federal funds with no strings attached.

People are fed up and want their state back. How realistic is secession in a dominantly Democratic neo-liberal socialist state? I don't know. But the Republicans in my county committee seem very open to the idea of declaring sovereignty much like Oklahoma recently did.

 

[Truth Warrior]

We actually talked a lot about the 10th amendment last night and how we have allowed the Feds to take a lot of our sovereignty as a state by taking the opiate of Federal funds. This was probably the most exciting and inspiring part of the whole night for me. One lady said that we should make a plank in the state platform that says we will only accept Federal funds with no strings attached.

People are fed up and want their state back. How realistic is secession in a dominantly Democratic neo-liberal socialist state? I don't know. But the Republicans in my county committee seem very open to the idea of declaring sovereignty much like Oklahoma recently did.

 

[Uriel999]

I'll remain Republican but I will not be voting Johny boy. Old crazy loon. Ron Paul is right, we need to retake the GOP. Honestly, if we work over the long term, I don't see why in 10 years we couldn't have control of the party.

With the likely next 4-8 years of Obama reign we can use that to rail against his policies and show how they are the same as Bush/neocons. During that same time we continue to build up a collection of liberty minded delegates, take over local politics, and perhaps get us a few more congressmen and senators. I think we need to start grooming our next liberty candidate for president. Ron Paul would have been great, but the man is 73 and I think if he ran again for president in 4 years it would literally kill him. We need him in Congress for as long as possible.

 

[Andrew-Austin]

Remaining in the Republican party means to:

a. Tolerate all of the negative baggage that is associated with the neocons today. When you tell someone on the street you are a Republican, they might just perceive you to be some kind of ancient moral leper. You have to work against this if they even listen to you, explain how you are a different type of Republican, how you are different from the neocon GOP, etc.

and

b. At the same time, witness the banishment of conservatism by the GOP. You have to realize that in a certain sense they don't consider you 'one of them'. So while you work against the grain that is their legacy of horrid policy making, you must also bear their ostracism. Knowing full well that Ron Paul's message can revitalize the party (and set this country back on track) if accepted, you must witness their complete rejection of Paul.

Its your call conservatives, and I certainly understand the decision to lean one way or the other.

 

[enjerth]

You can either abandon the Republican party, or jump in and fully participate. Many people are upset with the Republican leadership. That means they're ready for something new.

If you have the strength in numbers and sound policies that can be effective outside of the Republican party, how much more effective would it be within? All you have to do is start participating in your county GOP. With a majority of delegates at the county convention (and there were 10 at mine, so a majority isn't that tough to get) you can DEFINE your local GOP, and elect good delegates to state.

If enough people do that, then we will have redefined the party. You can become politically effective without having to do the work to promote an impotent third party.

Politics are run by the people who show up. Show up and define your local party.

 

[Truth Warrior]

I SWAG NWO within 10 years. Tick, tick, tick. Hey, perhaps I'm wrong, it happens.

 

[shaunish]

I think by staying republican and NOT voting republican (barr or baldwin) it will have a much larger effect on the party than you switching.

Somebody at the party HQ will be looking at the data and say "wtf, 40million registered repubs, only 30mil voted for mccain... our policy must be off"

 

[Truth Warrior]

I think by staying republican and NOT voting republican (barr or baldwin) it will have a much larger effect on the party than you switching.

Somebody at the party HQ will be looking at the data and say "wtf, 40million registered repubs, only 30mil voted for mccain... our policy must be off"

They'll merely take the 30 mil as validation, and just write off the rest as anti-Bush, kooks and/or merely anti-neocons. There's plenty of scape goats to go around.<IMHO> Protect the guilty, punish the innocents, it's now become the Amerikan way.

 

[DAFTEK]

I see allot of mix replies here plus what i have talked to friends about this subject most hate McCain and said they just wont vote or vote Obama to screw McCain. I lost some friends over the fact that I am a republican who voted for Bush and for some reason they see me as a contributer to the devastation he has done and need someone to blame, most are struggling to make ends meet and times are hard, money is hard to get and most of the fun and partying is long gone. I know what most of you are saying and i agree with it all but to me and my wife after we talked long about it is just pointless now to remain a republican until 2012 and at least we can say we voted independent and registered independent.

Come 2011 We can always switch back but the way i see it Republicans gained most of the new registration because of Ron Paul otherwise how many people would actually register with the GOP after the destruction of the Bush legacy? Everyone i know even the ones who voted for him feel bad! betrayed! and embarrassed! So if most of the RP supporters would drop the GOP and some of the ones who just hate both parties the Independents are rising and on paper the GOP looks like shit.

We can argue this back and forth but for now it was the best thing we did and feel great about it.

 

[Kludge]

LP & GOP member (search "Did you know..."). I intend to stay well-connected with both.

 

[LittleLightShining]

LP & GOP member (search "Did you know..."). I intend to stay well-connected with both.

Me, too, actually. The Libertarian Party is much closer to all of my positions. I just see the Republican Party as a better vehicle to get to the place we need to be.

 

[Leroy_Jenkems]

Political parties are vehicles. (R) and (D) are really fast, powerful cars, but they tend to run people over a lot. (L), (C), (G), (Rf), (I), etc. don't run people over, but they also top out at about 10 MPH, break down every 100 miles or so, and are held together by bumper stickers.

We want to drive the fast powerful cars and stop running people over. After we do that, we can spend some time working on the junkers.

Whoa, duuuude, that's deep man...

Seriously, I like it - good analogy.

 

[brandon]

I have been a Republican all my life, i am so disgusted with this party now with all the damage they have done to the world and this country both me and my wife have switched to "Independent" We will probably vote for Barr or Baldwin but not sure yet as we like both but realize that they wont even put a dent in the election and pray that Obama can truly be for less intervention in the world as McCain is nothing but a lunatic and should not be allowed to have anything to do with politics, if this man gets a hold of military power he will bring this country to its knees.

PS: I want to thank Ron Paul, his Family and all the Paulites for standing up to the Elite and helping us see the light.

Interesting.

I have been an Independent all of my life and just became a Republican about 6 months ago. I will remain a Republican.

Why do you want to be an independent? As an independent you have no influence over any of the parties. It seems if you really wanted to try to change the political landscape in USA you would want more influence instead of less.

 

[Max Stirner]

Rlc

Join the RLC and stay in the party, remember all that talk during the primaries about taking it back? So it won't be RP this year, start racking up the precinct chairs, executive committee memberships, and steady, well-known Republican party members and we'll have our effect these next congressional elections and in 2012.

Ever wish Ron Paul wasn't the lone voice of reason in congress? Think he might get more accomplished and delivered for the average American citizen and less done symbolically and as illustrations of principle if there were 10, 20, or 50 Ron Paul Republicans acting as a concerted voting bloc? This is the way, stay in your local parties and get involved over the next 2-4 years when nobody cares and no one else is showing up at the party meetings.

Remember all the rhetoric, the oratory about the revolution? The shirts and stickers and banners and the fun stuff? Well now is time for the boring shit. The 2 hour long meetings with people older than dirt, falling asleep next to you. The bad dinners with dull people maneuvering to get positions most people have absolutely no understanding of. It ain't sexy, but let's be honest, it matters a hell of a lot more than waving signs by intersections that we have a local republican party membership dominated by liberty-minded Republicans.

The conventional wisdom now is that without Ron Paul actively running that this will all fall apart. Let's prove that assumption wrong.