Trust But Verify

Over dinner tonight my gf asked if I have ever thought about leaving the Republican Party. After looking stunned at such a question I admitted that yes I have thought about it but that you don't run for the hills when things go bump in the night. After all, I'm battling cancer here, which is worse - staying in the Republican Party or keeping up with chemo? Ok, some may opt for staying with chemo, I get it. But this is what I said to her after my comment above, "My Republican values trumps most everything and while I'm a lesbian and care a hell of a lot about gay issues I still care about other issues such as immigration. Besides, you don't quit as soon as the tough gets going. If that were the case I would have given up on fighting cancer.

In any event, she does have a point and it is something I have considered. I have also considered quitting chemo sessions because I'm sick of them but that's another story for another time. Lets face it the Republican Party is, at a minimum, in a slow spiral and at a maximum bleeding from several orifices. I probably shouldn't use the word orifice hence I get called out as gay. Hey, wait a minute, I am gay. Ok, I digress. The bottom line here is that the Republican Party is probably in need of some Lexapro which is an antidepressant drug. They cannot be feeling great about themselves right now and they cannot have a lot of comeback when they are told that there is hypocrisy in the party.

Now, I realize that I'm breaking a golden rule by publicly criticizing the party - my party. Ronald Reagan was the first to suggest that we shouldn't criticize each other in public. But we really need to talk about this problem and it is a problem that will affect the party in 2008. So we need to talk about it now rather than hide and only discuss it behind closed doors. So besides me, Robert Novak is discussing it here in his article. Ok, I'm no Bob Novak but great minds think alike. I'm not sure he offers the silver bullet but he does make good points such as: 1) How many examples of scandalous behavior are known but hidden?; 2) Warner's announcement of retirement potentially gives the Democrats a real majority; 3) No Republican candidate for president has inspired the party faithful; and 4) You could always count on the other party when it came to corruption but the potential Republican leader has a more complicated problem.

So, what do we do? First, we stop using gays as a wedge issue. Second, we ease people out of office who have broken the rules before it's too late. Third, we recognize that gay and lesbian Americans are part and parcel of the Republican Party and are probably more committed to Republican values than some at the base. Fourth, the important issues, i.e. immigration, the war, the economy, a limited government, a strong national defense and personal responsibility, impact the lives of real people all across the nation. It's time to get back to work on what matters to the citizens of the United States of America.