I'm an agnostic secular humanist Republican. Wish there were more like me in the GOP. Might be time to switch sides soon...
There used to be more like you in the GOP, at least the secular humanist liberal/(and moderate) kind. They have been marginalized and pushed aside by the extremists who have been running the GOP for the last several years. My inclination would be to suggest fighting the good fight within the GOP... the tide will turn sooner or later, but as a realist, I think you're more apt, in the short to mid-term, to get more done in the Democratic Party. Those like you are more than welcome. Despite what some might say, the Democratic Party has a big tent, which others might say (ardent liberal Democrats, which describes me on most issues, although I'm a practical conservative on defense. I want the strongest military on the planet, but I don't want money tossed away on meaningless pork) is the problem. That we have misplaced our soul as a party. That many have tried to appeal to conservative Republicans too much, and compromised too much, in an attempt to win elections, and in the process muddied the message of the Party. Hell, I agree with that, basically, but I don't want us to make the same mistake the Republicans have made, and turn away from the center that is the majority of the country... the center that is far more moderate than the Republican Leadership would have anyone believe, and has yet to see a leader of the Democratic Party, and a platform that can be strongly expressed by that leader, that they can relate to and understand. The current Republican Leadership boils everything down to the meanest understanding. Attack, attack, attack... and if the opposition attacks back, spend millions whining and complaining about it, and "telling the world" that those mean, terrible, unfair Democrats are just, well, being mean and unfair. They try to muddy the waters so much, bludgeoning the general public with their twisted message of fear, lies and hate, that they vote for what "seems" to be the "safer choice." Reality has no meaning to the Republican Leadership. All that matters is winning the next election, and advancing their extremist positions, while rewarding their big business contributors with more largess then they ever dreamed would be coming their way. Argh. I could go on, but I need to eat lunch! Keep D&D Civil!!
