Important Enough to NOT Get Buried Elsewhere

I could have titled this post Confessions of a Political Junkie because as the Democrats consider whether to impeach President Donald Trump, I feel like I need to get this out of my head and into a clear and concise post about where I stand in the political arena.


As background, yes, my political philosophy was not always what it is today. A lot has changed for me over the years. As recently as 1992, I considered myself a Democrat. I start with the 1992 election because it is the first time I remember caring about politics. On the eve of the 1992 election, I worked at a telemarketing firm who had two contracts, one for each party, to make phone calls to potential voters. I was given the choice to call on behalf of the Republicans or on behalf of the Democrats. I chose to call on behalf of the Democrats. Until that point in time, I wasn't keenly aware of what each party represented, like I do now, and I fully admit that my perspective has changed since that night. I mainly called on behalf of Bill Clinton because my friend had enlisted in the Army after high school and had been sent to Iraq in 1991. I viewed President Bush as someone who put my friend in danger. I know now that my friend knew what he was signing up for when he joined the Army and I know that he was proud to serve his country. I am also proud that he did what I could never do. I didn't come to that realization overnight. That was what I thought in 1992.

What I think in 2019 is different. Today, I would never choose to call on behalf of the Democratic party. I see the Democratic party as being the "pro-abortion" party.

Today, I see the Republican party as being the "pro-life" party, though some prefer the phrase "anti-choice" which I think is a cop-out.

Abortion has so many facets and angles, but, to me, it comes down to when a mother is pregnant, she is carrying a life, and abortion is the act of killing that life. Now, I know that many people would respond with "What about the idea that men are telling women what to do with their bodies? Do we not live in a free country where you can do what you want?"

Certainly, yes, we do. We can do what we want - I can do what I want.

I don't have an easy answer for a woman who is pregnant with an unplanned pregnancy. I understand the logic of how such a pregnancy can be traumatic and I am sure it is pure devastation. I have read and I truly see their perspective.

On the other hand, though, none of that negates the truth: a pregnant woman has two lives - hers and her unborn child.

And because I view this issue as being the issue upon which all others are based, the idea of removing President Trump from office is terrifying to me. The idea of electing one of the following current 2020 candidates to the highest office in the country terrifies me. These are the 2020 candidates that I can think of off the top of my head:

1. Joe Biden
2. Elizabeth Warren
3. Bernie Sanders
4. Beto O'Rourke
5. Mayor Pete
6. Cory Booker
7. Kamala Harris
8. Andrew Yang

And this is why I don't want any of them to be elected President of the United States of America:

1. I shudder when I think about Biden not being a solid "think on his feet" leader.
2. I shudder when Warren says that she is going to go after big businesses.
3. I shudder when I think about Sanders and his history of declaring that "I" can have too much money and that "he" can decide how much money is too much and that "he" can then take the money above "his" limit and give it to someone else.
4. I shudder when I think about O'Rourke and his "Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15s!" not because I think you should have an AR-15, but because if I owned an AR-15, I wouldn't want the government to take my property, and, frankly, the idea that the government is going to "buy back" guns, using tax payer money, truly rubs me the wrong way.
5. I shudder when I think about Mayor Pete declaring that if I don't agree with his immigration policies, which appear to be welcoming illegal immigrants, which he justifies under the pretense that because Jesus cared for strangers and illegal immigrants and, therefore, if I don't welcome illegal immigrants, I am a bad Christian. His judgment of me means nothing to me, frankly, because I think it's disingenuous to pick certain parts of the Bible that justify your point of view while ignoring other parts of the Bible that go against your point of view.
6. I shudder when I think about Cory Booker and his idea that I should pay ancestors of slaves money for atrocities I didn't do.
7. I shudder when I think about Harris bad-mouthing police officers one day and paying lip service to how she knows that being a police officer is hard work - I listen to her comments and think, "How does she look at herself in the mirror at night?"
8. I shudder when I hear Yang talk about how he can envision a United States in which I don't own a car as a method to curb global warming.

So, that's where I stand. The 2020 election is far off in the future - a whopping 410 days (1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks) away. I don't know what is going to happen.