Why I Stopped Identifying with a Political Party
I feel sick of all of the inefficiency, infighting and apostasy that happens within both of our political parties. Neither Republicans nor Democrats make positive or productive comments about the other party. They complain about legislation, we complain about inefficiency and no one listens to each other. For years, Americans have been publicly demanding better bipartisanship in all three branches of government. But with Donald Trump as our president, congressmen fighting within their own parties and legislative failures such as the American Health Care Act, our party system is inching towards implosion. Modern Democrats are moving further left than ever and Republicans are not staying true to conservative beliefs. Because of their movement on the political spectrum and their lack of compromise and organization, I have decided to stop identifying with a political party, and you should too.
Another reason I choose to not to be loyal to one party is because of the wild idiocracy that plagues them.
One thing I need to make clear is that, especially in today’s political climate, being a Democrat or Republican does not directly correlate to being a liberal or conservative. As I am currently experiencing in the intensely liberal climate at Exeter, the definition of a moderate Democrat is moving more and more to the left every day. As Winston Churchill once said, “If you are not a liberal at 25, you have no heart. If you are not a conservative at 35 you have no brain.” Thus, it is normal for students who are millenials to feel liberal. But we have associated a political party, which has the ability to be fluid in their beliefs, with a standard political ideology. The idea of being liberal fluctuates with whatever the current day opinions of the Democratic Party are, and the same goes for conservatives and Republicans. These two things, party and political philosophies such as conservatism and liberalism cannot and should not be grouped together.
Another reason I choose to not to be loyal to one party is because of the wild idiocracy that plagues them. For example, the Republicans have recently put a bill forward that would repeal and replace Obamacare. This is a battle that the GOP has been fighting for the past seven years, intent on getting rid of the current healthcare system. And this has not been a shy effort. Our president has been quoted saying Obamacare will be “so easy” to repeal and replace. In the past month, getting rid of the ACA has proven to be a more difficult task than some originally thought. One of the factors that played into the epic failure of Republican healthcare reform was deep infighting within the party. Major Republican sponsors such as the Koch brothers came out in strong opposition to the GOP plan. Because of argument within their own ranks, the party was not able to compromise and pass a bill they deemed important. For your average Joe like me, it is easier and better to distance myself from the ridiculousness that the parties bring. It is more logical and simple to identify as a social libertarian, centrist, far right conservative or whatever term best suits your beliefs. By separating from the political party system on a personal level, it allows you to see the good and bad that both the Democrats and Republicans bring our country through an unbiased lense. But, just as importantly, it allows you to define yourself for who you are and what you believe in, not what an inconstant party does.
It is impossible for me to commit to political parties that are forever changing their position on the political spectrum and that fight themselves to the point of an incapability to harvest change.