Why I Registered Republican

 by Roland Hulme

I'm a registered Republican. Here's why.

A few months ago, I finally became a United States citizen. As part of that process, I became eligible to vote for the first time - and register as a member of a political party, if I so chose.

And chose I did. I registered as a Republican.

It's a decision that might surprise many people who know me, but not surprise many others. After all, I am officially a "conservative." Back home in Britain, I was a member of the Conservative Party at university, and actively campaigned for them during the '96 election (the last one I was home to take part in.)

Of course, when I arrived in America, my position on the right wing of Britain's politics landed me firmly as slightly left of center in most people's estimation - but I could see that American politics was slightly more complex than that.

Here in the states, there are two parties - the Democrats and the Republicans. Both have histories that date back practically the revolution; and have very pure philosophies at heart that have become increasingly diluted over time.

The Democrats started life as the Federalist Party; founded by founding fathers Alexander Hamilton and John Adams. Theirs was the party that believed in strength through unity. They believed that the 13 colonies that made up the United States would be stronger if they had a single governing body that controlled the majority of their decisions - from road building to taxation.

The Republicans started out as the Democratic Republican Party, with Thomas Jefferson as their figurehead. He believed that the United States was an association of separate states; and each should have the right to govern themselves, with only essential decisions of national importance - like war and foreign treaties - being handled by the federal government.

As time progressed, these philosophies diversified into two distinctly different schools of thought.

Today's Democratic Party have extended that federalist mandate to embrace a philosophy of "the greater good." They believe that what's good for the majority of people, or for the good of a disadvantaged minority, should be policy. This is why Democratic policy resembles that of European nations; with an emphasis on government-run programs, welfare, perceived equality through legislation and other ideas that the less enlightened among us accuse of being "socialist."

Republicans, on the other hand, have evolved into something of a contradiction. At the heart of the party, they're supposed to support a philosophy which sees government having a minimal role in the economy of the country, with an emphasis on personal responsibility, rather than welfare, and legislation that is actually "equal" in its application, rather than just giving the perception of being so.

In fact, though, the Republicans are a party which supports just as many government-funded programs as the Democrats - as long as they're related to the military, pharmaceutical industry or local pork belly projects - and give generous "welfare" programs (tax breaks) to corporations and millionaires who donate to their candidates. Instead of supporting equality through legislation, most Republican lawmakers try to control morality through legislation; pandering to the religious right which makes up a huge majority of their electoral core.

In essence, the Republicans have become whores in order to win seats. What the Republican party is sickens me; but what it is supposed to be ignites me in a way British politics never did.

Which is why I decided to register as a Republican - because as a member of the party, I can vote in their primaries, have my say in their debates and at least attempt to reconcile the modern party as it exists today with the noble aspirations of those brilliant men who founded it.

You see, if I had to vote tomorrow I'd always be tempted to vote Democrat - because they support the social freedoms I believe in (equality for gay people, for example) and "Clintonomics" which is a viable system of running an economy, as opposed to the lunacy of "Reaganomics".

But in my heart - at the core of my being - I believe in everything that the Republican party is supposed to stand for. One of the reasons I couldn't stand Europe is because the people who earn money, who make stuff, who drive the economy forward, are punished for their success  - while a huge, undeserving tranche of society are given "benefits" paid for by this punished class for the simple achievement of existing.

European society has essentially become a pool of quicksand; with each class clinging to the other for leverage, seemingly unaware that the pyramid stops at a certain sinking point; because just like in American society, the wealthy who control the political system neatly divorce themselves from having to pay for it.

No, screw all that. I believe in the philosophies of Thomas Jefferson; and have discovered that life without a safety net is possible in America. She's a tough country, but a fertile one. In Europe, there are so many welfare programs in place because the economic harvests are so lean. The beautiful thing about America is that there is always - always and without fail - money to be made if you're willing to go out there and work for it.

In fact, when it comes to my motivation for being a Republican, a fellow European-turned-American explains it far better than I could. My idol since childhood - and arguably one of the greatest Americans of our modern age - Arnold Schwarzenegger:

I arrived in America in 1968. What a special day it was. I remember I arrived here with empty pockets but full of dreams, full of determination, full of desire.

The presidential campaign was in full swing. I remember watching the Nixon-Humphrey presidential race on TV. A friend of mine who spoke German and English translated for me. I heard Humphrey saying things that sounded like socialism, which I had just left.

But then I heard Nixon speak. Then I heard Nixon speak. He was talking about free enterprise, getting the government off your back, lowering the taxes and strengthening the military.

Listening to Nixon speak sounded more like a breath of fresh air.

I said to my friend, I said, "What party is he?"

My friend said, "He's a Republican."

I said, "Then I am a Republican."

That's why I'm a Republican. That's the America I believe in, and want to be a part of.

Although I'll admit there's one more reason...

We're on the brink of a presidential election, and the leading Republican candidates are patsies, stooges, shills or batshit crazy religious nutters.

In addition to all the other reasons I want to declare myself a Republican, an important on is simply the fact that finally, desperately, I will have a vote to hopefully prevent some lunatic representing the party - and, by proxy, me - in the next election.