Is There a Place for Me?

I am a homeless man in the arena of politics. I used to associate myself with conservatives and Republicans, but in the wake of the tumult of 2016, I no longer do so. I switched my voter registration to Independent as soon as Donald Trump secured the Republican nomination. Unlike many Never-Trumpers, however, I did not switch my allegiance to the Democratic Party. The same principles that demanded I remove myself from the Republican Party prevented me from joining a party that I viewed as equally twisted. I had hoped that the Democrats might change my mind over the last four years. "All they have to do is not be crazy" I said on more than one occasion. Yet here we are in 2020, faced with yet another election cycle in which I cannot in good conscience associate myself with either party.

Donald Trump has proved to be as unpresidential, unstable, and unkind as I feared, although he has yet to end our Constitutional order as some prophets foretold. He may accomplish that given another four years, but I remain skeptical on that point. However, the Democratic Party has behaved with such partisanship, vitriol, and animus towards any semblance of sanity that I remain equally concerned about handing them the reigns of presidential power. I must conclude that there remains no home for me in the political landscape of this country. 

I refuse to choose between the lesser of two evils any more.

Slaughtering of innocent children in the womb vs. the slaughtering of innocent children abroad

Injustice against immigrants vs. the breakdown of national identity that comes with open borders

Racial intolerance in the form of economic white supremacy vs. racial intolerance in the form of Critical Race Theory

Crony capitalism resulting in continued wealth inequality vs. democratic socialism resulting in widespread disincentives for economic success and the complete upheaval of the most successful economic system the world has ever known

Anti-science on climate and environmental issues vs. anti-science on human life, gender, and sexuality

People dying because they have no access to health insurance vs. people dying because the wait list for treatment through the national health service is too long

Until more people refuse to participate in a system which forces its adherents to choose between evils, these evils will continue. I long for a system which would allow people to support good things.

Valuing the life of the unborn child while also caring for the mother in tangible ways

Welcoming the contribution of immigrants to America while also recognizing the importance of controlled and regulated immigration to maintain social and cultural cohesion

Celebrating and protecting the successes of free market capitalism which has lifted billions out of poverty while also recognizing that the system has some serious flaws that the government might have a role in correcting as we enter the 21st-century

Protecting freedom of speech and free exercise of religion while also combating racism, sexism, and misogyny in the public square

Taking real steps to address pollution, climate change, and other environmental concerns without resorting to mass hysteria that results in socialism or the forced abandonment of free market steps towards environmental sustainability (natural gas as a transition fossil fuel, acceptance of nuclear power as an emissions-free solution)

 

 

Imagine if we had more than two real choices each election cycle? Yes, there are other parties, but those parties are prevented from competing on equal footing due to the design of our electoral process. If you want real choices in politics, push for election reforms such as ranked choice voting, majority elections instead of plurality elections, or even some form of proportional vote distribution (though I am a bit hesitant to abandon the principle of representatives representing distinct districts).

If we don't get substantive reforms like these, I fear we are doomed to a national political model that produces representatives, Senators, and Presidents that do not represent the majority of their constituents' views on most issues. We are doomed to Trump-Pence and Biden-Harris in perpetuity. If one of those tickets represents your views across the board, good for you. But I suspect that most of my fellow Americans have major concerns with both. 

 

Until we can create a system that allows for more targeted political views to be represented in viable national parties, we will continue to have a government that does not represent we the people. Until we have a government that truly represents we the people, we will struggle to deal with even the most fundamental issues in a productive manner. That's not the America that I want. I know America can be so much more. Let's make that happen.