Political Free Agent:

During the summer of 1974, after the resignation of Richard Nixon but just before my 18th birthday, I registered to vote for the first time. At that time, I was proud to register as a Democrat (the fact that it pissed off my Republican father was an extra benefit). During that time, through the screw-ups of Jimmy Carter, going through the Reagan-Bush I drought, and 8 years of Clinton peace and prosperity, I never gave my choice of political parties a second thought. I was pro-choice, pro-environment, and for the working man.

Over time, I did grow more conservative but so did the country and the Democratic Party. I think it is safe to say that Bill Clinton never once considered imposing wage and price controls like the Republican Richard Nixon did. I was happy to see the budget balanced for once in my lifetime and efforts underway to make welfare not a free lifetime check from the government.

That said, if the two major parties would have remained static these 30 some odd years, there is a very good chance that today I would have identified with the party of Barry Goldwater, Gerald Ford and Nelson Rockefeller, rather than the party of George McGovern, Jerry Brown, and Teddy Kennedy. However, there is no chance in hell I would ever identify with the Republicans current motley coalition of Neocon imperialists, supply side spendthrifts, and the whacked out Jesus freaks that have their own Taliban like agenda. The country is currently going to hell in a handbasket. W couldn't hold Dick Nixon's jock strap!

So what are my Democrats doing about this? They are behaving like spineless wimps, doing their typical weather vane style of politics. I think that they have to have a focus group and extensive polling before they figure out what there stand is on any issue. There are a few who lay it out on the line like Howard Dean, John Mutha, and Russ Feingold but they are few and far between. What they are is a collection of chameleons that the main thing they have going for them currently is that they are not Republicans. Here is a letter I sent to California Senator Diane Feinstein that sums up my feelings:

I have been a lifetime Democrat and have voted for you every time your name has appeared on the ballot here in California. That said, I am absolutely sickened by the lack of support that your Senate colleague, Russ Feingold has received from his fellow Democrats for his censure resolution. This lack of backbone seems to be a characteristic of Democrats that allowed the worst President in US history win re-election and allowed the most corrupt congress expand their majorities in the last election. Right now, I am ashamed to be a Democrat and, if you want my vote this November, you better grow a spine and stand up for what is right. Come on Diane, do the right thing! You will feel better and maybe Democrats will get respect in Republican areas that are needed to win back Congress because they are willing to take a stand for what is right. Continued reliance on focus group style politics, which doomed the Kerry election, will cause the Democrats to fall short again this fall!

Of course, I received a form letter back that wasn't worth a warm bucket of spit. With that said, I have grown tired of defending their stupidity, making excuses for their incompetence and won't even try to spin that they are less corrupt than the Republicans (money follows power, if the Democrats had the power, they would be taking the bribes). Last week, I changed my party affiliation from Democrat to the ever present "declined to state" party. I wish a meaningful 3rd or 4th party would arrive on the scene but anytime that happens, it generally is a group that follows one person and when that person leaves the party falls apart. The classic examples are the Reform Party and Ross Perot and the American Independent Party and George Wallace. I'm not sure if I'm going to go Liberterian or Green this election (probably alternate between the two) but I will not vote for a candidate of either major party this fall.