Primary Day

So, as a registered Republican, I get to vote in Florida's primary today.  Romney, Newt, Paul or Santorum.

Those are my choices.

I will probably wind up voting for Romney, not because I love him as a candidate, but because I dislike him the least....or at least consider his flaws less repugnant than the flaws of the other candidates.

I told my husband that I think this will be my last election as a registered Republican.  Throughout the long run-up to today, I spent time looking over the candidates and the positions they hold on various issues.  What I discovered was that there wasn't a single one with whom I agreed on more than one issue.  I like Ron Paul's bluntness about the war and his desire to avoid it.....but he has a lot of other ideas that are a bit crazy and the racist newsletters from his past make it impossible for me to vote for him.

Santorum has so much of his religious belief tied into his politics that I don't consider him an option.  Going to his site and reading through his "issues" articles is like listening to the Family Research Council. Lots of bluff and bluster and ranting against the evil powers in the universe, but not many practical ideas about running the country.

Newt....well let's just say that I wouldn't trust Newt in any position. Besides his personal scandals, which could be argued to be irrelevant, the transparency with which he manipulates and speaks is off-putting.  The constant reliance on invoking Reagan, calling the opposition "elites", and his downright outrageous claims about moon bases in 8 years is so over the top....I don't understand how anyone could really take him seriously.

"I declare that by the end of my second term that we will have light-speed space-ships and they'll be made in America!

I declare that by the end of my second term that there will be a chicken in every pot and a personal jet pack for every American!

I declare that by the end of my second term that we will be able to download our consciousness into biologically-based robots and live forever! 

I will accomplish all of this because I am a man of BIG ideas!"

Well...you get the idea.

sigh.

I think this will be my last year as a registered Republican. While I can't see myself registering as a Democrat, I simply can no longer find a reason to remain Republican. I haven't seen a candidate in the last several years that I could get behind without holding my nose. It's time to face facts. As the Republican party now stands, it's clear that I am not a Republican any longer.

The truest representation of my voting preferences would be to register as an Independent, which, in Florida, means no longer being able to vote in primary elections. The upside is that maybe it will mean that we will receive fewer robo-calls during the week before primaries and general elections.