Why I left the Republican Party

Days after the Presidential election in November of 2012, I watched in disbelief as Republican spokesmen, leaders and politicians, thronged the media outlets, giving up on any and all principle they had left. We were to accept amnesty, the government take over of our health system, there were hints at removing the pro-life message from our stance, and many other equivocations. At a time when those of us who know exactly where Obama wishes to take this country were at our lowest, it was like a kick in the chin while already doubled over from the sock in the gut.

I couldn’t take it anymore, feeling like the Republican party stood for nothing anymore, in such a sickening display of not just reaching across the aisle, but handing over our freedom, I announced that I would be breaking from the Republican Party.

As the weeks passed, I wrestled with the thoughts that I think drives most of the grassroots, “If not me, who? If not now, when?�? “Such a hill to climb,�? I thought, and I wasn’t sure I was up to the task.

One day, I received a phone call from Tom Stillings.   Tom and I hadn’t really seen eye to eye during the campaign of 2010, but since have been cordial. He told me he was running for First District Chair, and could he have my endorsement. “Sure,�? I chuckled, “but I just left the party!�? He didn’t sound upset, just concerned, “Please come back, we need people like you now more than ever.�?

I came back with a mission to be a voice for liberty and unity in the grassroots. To me, it is clear that the Federal Leviathan will lead us to collapse unless strong, immovable voices stand in its way.  Those voices come from the regular, ordinary citizen that Alexis de Tocqueville described when he observed our nation almost two hundred years ago.  We are still here.  I reject that it is American values that must change going forward, it is the American citizen who understands freedom, and we must defend it.

I  really take to heart the meaning of the grassroots, the circumstances we find ourselves in, and the many who refuse to see what is at stake.  In order for this republic to survive, the grassroots spine must be implanted in every Republican politician, and that effort comes from the ground up, not DC down.

Standing together, Michigan’s First District can be Michigan’s political anchor, and I think Tom Stillings has demonstrated that he can work to bring people together toward a common goal, not shutting people out, nor imposing his view.  Tom reached out to me when I was giving up, and offered that there is still room in this party for all.

That is a good measure of a district chair, and I formally endorse Tom Stillings for Chair of Michigan’s First District.