Why I don't like being called a Democrat

The party of spoilers

In our holistic two-party systems of liars and thieves, it’s hard to find a side. I resent the forced opposition of a two-party system and genuinely believe both democrat and Republican politicians are evil. There are some good ones I identify with, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Lina Khan come to mind as people I genuinely revere, even though there are many differences I have with each.

For reference, here is some of my background. Throughout my upbringing, I was raised a Republican, with Republican values and ideals. As a child, I went to church. I wasn’t exactly pro cop, but I was raised very pro-gun. Life, in many ways, was easier. Men had their tasks, women had theirs. My mom seemed to do everything while my dad watched TV and ran a failing business. Life was okay, we never had enough, being kept afloat by food stamps and a mother working too damn hard.

One day, I hit an age when my parents and my politics shifted. I remember this fairly clearly. I had a black friend who stole a Pokémon card from me, which I really liked. I went and first spoke to my uncle on my dad’s side, Uncle David, “That’s just how n*****rs are, kiddo,” he said so matter-of-factly. I was shocked, my 11-year-old brain processing what he said, a pseudo-fork-in-the-road moment presenting itself. I walked away without much of a word, upset at what he had said.

My mother wasn’t home, so I confided in the only other person I really could, my father. I approached him as he watched a baseball game. He was a fan of the Arizona Diamondbacks and would often sit shirtless in shorts, lounging on the couch while my mother worked. “Hey, Dad, can I ask you something?” I said, somewhat conflicted on what he’d say. “Uncle David said something that I really didn’t like,” I explained the situation and what he had said. “Well, son, he’s not wrong. That’s just how those people are.”

I was stupefied and even angrier. Even to this day, that stick in my head, the time when my politics shifted. On that day, I knew I would divert from the path my family set for me. My mother, on the other hand, was fairly liberal despite my father. Having grown up as an 80’s child, she had a genuine live-and-let-live policy. She never judged a soul, worked hard, and is someone I fully respect.

All of this background is to say, I am by no means a dying heart liberal; by all accounts, my moral compass guides my politics more than anything. I believe in expansive welfare; I believe people should not have solid gold boats while others starve.

Now onto the main point, I know what you're thinking, “You sound like a Democrat.” Nope, just a human being. I revere many Democrats for their progressive nature, but the Democratic Party of today is not something I can align with. It’s a party of pussies and spoilers, a rotating cast of villains in safe seats able to bail out the rest, stopping genuine progress from happening.

For my Democratic readers, remember notable names like Kyrsten Sinema, who opposed a $15 minimum wage and healthcare expansion, and Joe Lieberman, who opposed Obamacare. These rotating villains do the bidding of the rich and then get cushy jobs later on doing lobbying for the very democrats you elect.

My genuine goal of this post is a thought experiment: what made your politics? Are you a single-issue voter? Are you actually happy with your party? The pressing issue of this recent election was affordability (which, according to a glorious orange man, is fake) and immigration. Do you feel better now that affordability is worse and people are being disappeared by ICE? Are things really affordable? Do you think either party will genuinely make changes in your best interest?

If the answer to all of these is a resounding “no, hell no, or you have a point,” then listen to me when I say we really only have one option: expand the parties. Our choices should not be Trump or Biden, Pelosi or McConnell, or even me vs you. This division is destroying us. No seat should be safe; every politician should be run against. The best candidate should win, and we should never have an establishment vilifying young people for running against demented old folk who have 40 years in politics. Don’t allow the few with the much trample the many with the little.

P.S. Democrats, if you rerun Kamala Harris in 2028, I am writing in Trump.