Confessions of a Former Republican Voter

"Never ascribe to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." - Robert Hanlon

Okay, so the title might be a little deceiving...I've been a card carrying member of lots of things in my life: the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the U.S. Air Force, REI, etc., but never a political party. I have, however, generally voted for Republicans.

Some people might find it odd that a person who majored in philosophy in college could be a conservative, Republican voter. My main area of philosophical studies was moral and ethical systems as they are applied in governments, and I was actually quite successful in defending conservative arguments. This, I felt, gave me a strong reason to believe that the political party which publicly prides itself on conservatism would be the party for me.

Mind you, I was never enamored with the the social aspect of the GOP. I in principle would classify myself as a libertarian. My social beliefs tend to be more liberal. I am, and have been for quite some time, against the whole concept of the 'moral majority'...a contradiction if there ever was one. Sadly, libertarians never gained enough traction to be considered a serious contender on a large scale. So, I would end up voting for a Republican. The fiscal issues would win my support every time; something just seems right about the small government philosophy.

My philosophy hasn't changed, but my view of who can better deliver on that philosophy has.

Something happened. That something was the Bush administration.