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Coming Home

Back in February, I wrote about how I was still on the fence about finding my political home (Time To Come Home. But where is home?), torn between the Libertarian party I’ve been part of since 2001, and the Republican Party with I’ve only become involved in within the past year.

Well folks, after almost a year of deep consideration, I’ve decided that I will not be renewing my membership in the Libertarian Party next April when my years dues are up. A lot of factors went into this decision, but here are my main points.

• In the GOP, rising to power means you will realistically be able to accomplish something. For example, your influence on candidates, the people at large and policy is greater. Basically, saying you’re a “higher up” in the GOP gives you a lot more cloud, within the party and outside, than being a higher ranked person in a third party.
• The people you meet will be able to do a lot more for you as far as people to volunteer, make phone calls and raise money. Even as a Ron Paul republican, I’ve met a lot of people who have been more than willing to help as long as we can do each other right, even if they were McCain, Guliani, or Bush supporters.
• The elections can actually focus on trying to WIN the seat you’re running for. The biggest problems within the LP was that every year we struggle to raise money just to try to make seemingly simple things like ballot access a reality. As a GOP candidate, you have everything in place and you can focus your time and resources on winning your race.
• Less explanation with the general public. If you say “I’m a Libertarian” you first have to explain what that is and deal with all their questions before you can even begin to talk about yourself and what you believe. Now, I can just say “Libertarian Republican”, “Ron Paul Republican”, “Republican, more more liberal on social issues”, or “Republican who joined the party now because I like it, but because I want to change it and make it better”.
• Better Networking. It’s no secret that the LP, the Constitution Party, The Green Party, etc. inherit a fair amount of crazies and wackjobs who were rejected by the major parties. The people in the GOP, while I don’t agree with them politically 100% of the time, are already opening up to me and providing me with more opportunities and people than I could have imagined.Not to mention the Campaign for Liberty people who have been awesome.
• You get people who actually know how to run campaigns involved. Within the LP, it’s hard to find a long time LP member who has experience actually winning elections. It’s good having people on your side who actually know what it takes to win things. Basically, I’m sick of donating to campaigns to watch the money being spent on stupid things that make me facepalm like you wouldn’t believe.
• The LP is constantly badgering me for money and whatnot. The GOP, not so much. That’s nice.

Instead of paying my $35 / year to stay with the LP, I will instead be using that money towards Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty, where I’ve already signed up as a precinct leader. Which has already been a greater social networking and online resource than the LP has been. Not to mention all the educational stuff that comes with it. The people I’ve met through the Ron Paul campaign and now the Campaign for Liberty have been what the LP has needed for so long, but to realistically win elections and change the way things are done, we’re going to have to be republicans to make it happen.

So we all joined up as precinct delegates. We are coming to the meetings and conventions. We’re known and (more or less) liked (well, at least tolerated, if cautiously at times) by much of the old crowd who is excited to see new energetic people in the party (although there are some who have been less enthusiastic. BTW did I mention that I am not supporting Saul Anuzis for RNC chairman? Maybe I’ll do a blog post on that sometime soon as well for my upcoming Michigan GOP statewide election endorsements as well).

On a side note, I have also joined the Objectivist Party, newly formed in 2008 by Dr. Thomas Stevens. Just because it will be nice to help grow a party up from the ground up and this is truely a group that really, really represents my views as a person at the core, which I can even say the LP does not do, since it is geared towards America and the Constitution, Objectivism is a way of life and a Philisophy for anywhere. While it advocates free market capitalism to the point of making Adam Smith blush, it is most importantly about doing best for the self: that if everyone looked out for ourselves everyone would be taken care of. Its a message that I personally take to heart and the more I think about it the more I realize that Objectivism really has shaped the person that I am today. And while i’m no Howard Roark myself, it doesn’t mean that I can’t aspire to be.

This is not to mention the involvement I’ve had with the John Birch Society. While I don’t feel their stances on religion as much as I do the pro freedom and constitutional message, they’ve all been great people and I’m very glad I decided to join up with these folks. As a matter of fact the regional recruiter Tom Rice whom I met a few months back called me up last week just to touch base and wish me a Merry Christmas. Another person who’se aquaintence I have been glad to make this past year.

So this is where I’ve nested. Officially in the GOP, the Campaign for Liberty  and the JBS with a place in the Objectivist Party as well. I’ve already begun making headway. I’m attending conventions and social functions meeting some great people. I was also recently elected the Treasurer of the Macomb County Young Republicans, appointed an ambassador in the Campaign for Liberty, and am working hard with people on all sides of the isle. I’m loving it.

And while I will still be supporting LP candidates in races in the future, I will continue to do what I’ve always done: vote for who I feel is best equipped for the job and who I feel best represents the direction the country needs to go in. Regardless of party.

Considering it all started off with me being able to campaign for Ron Paul last January, looking back it’s hard to believe that breaking my knee cap turned out to be so beneficial in the long run.

….although I stil have a hard time swallowing the fact that I’m a Republican Party member, but i’m getting used to the idea.

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