Why I Should be a Republican, But I’m Not

By Allen Clifton

I’ve dedicated a good portion of my life, and sometimes my own sanity, to fighting against Republican ignorance. And while I’ll describe myself as a liberal, a progressive or even a Democrat deep down, I honestly just use common sense when it comes to determining where I stand on any given issue.

That being said, pretty much everyone who meets me who isn’t aware I’m a liberal always assumes I’m a Republican. And I can kind of see why. I’m:

• A born and bred Texan
• Christian
• Straight
• White
• Male

Outside of being wealthy, the Republican party goes out of its way to try to pander to people just like me. I own cowboy-style work boots, listen to country music (I actually like all kinds of music), own a few pieces of camouflage clothing (though I don’t hunt), own a truck, I pray every night and I prefer the quieter country as opposed to the hectic city. Hell, I even have a more than slight country accent.

But make no mistake about it, I’m sure as hell not a Republican.

As far as I’m concerned:

• I don’t believe the poor and middle class are served best by making rich people richer.
• I don’t think any American should be forced to abide by laws or rules based on a faith that they don’t follow.
• I don’t think homosexuals choose to be gay, I believe they’re born that way.
• I think women should determine what they do with their own bodies.
• I think the poor should be helped, not vilified.
• I feel that greed is far more dangerous than laziness.
• Corporations are the reason why our government is so corrupt in the first place, so it makes no sense to further deregulate them.
• I believe that health care should be a right for every human being.
• Guns, while not the sole problem, are part of the problem with gun violence in this country.
• Education should be just as big of a priority as our national defense.
• Science and faith are not mutually exclusive, it’s possible to believe in both – because I do.
• War should be a measure of last resort, not the first option on the table.
• If a business can’t afford to pay its workers a living wage then they shouldn’t be in business.
• Demand creates jobs, not tax cuts.
• The vast majority of the world’s scientists aren’t wrong when they say humans are causing climate change.
• We should be making it easier for people to vote, not more difficult.
• Patriotism should be about helping Americans, not waving a flag while vilifying millions of the poorest among us.
• Getting an education shouldn’t place students into debt for decades.

I believe in all of that and a lot of other things. So as a straight, white Christian male from Texas I might seem like I would be the prototypical right-wing conservative. Except I have a mind of my own and lack the key ingredient on which being a Republican is built – blind, hateful ignorance.