At the Chairman’s debate over the weekend, there was some heckling because a candidate for a state party position voted for Obama in 2008. We hear this time and time again. It’s been going on for years. And as much as it rattles my nerves and makes my stomach churn, I know plenty of people who have ‘switched’ parties after an election.
Let’s recall a few ‘well-known’ Republican power players who used to be democrats.
- Ronald Reagan, the precious inspiration to many Republicans today
- Sam Olens
- Governor Deal
- Herman Cain
- Condoleezza Rice
- Sonny Perdue
- Half of the gosh darn Georgia legislature. Before the “turnover” not that long ago, many of them were moderate liberals.
Heck, handfuls of our elected officials who are supposed conservatives do liberal things all the time. Everyone is mad at Rubio, Paul, and just about every other Republican in D.C. right now for some reason or another.
I thought one of the goals of the GOP was to explain to members of the party why conservative principles are so important? Aren’t we in the time of ‘recruiting’ and reaching out? How can someone join our party if we set rules like ‘You need to be a volunteer republican for this long and then we will accept you’? If we ever want to attract anyone, we may possibly have to get over the fact that they may not have always been a bleeding red elephant. If we are looking for new party members, which by default means these people are either in another party or no party at all, and other party people are not acceptable, where are they going to come from? Why are we faulting people for ‘seeing the light’? How long are we going to shun them?
I’ve said time and time again that there is no perfect candidate…for any office. We are going to find faults in everyone. But is it really appropriate to annihilate someone who is dedicated to conservative principles and defending liberty now? In a time when there really are RINO’s, I don’t think we should be crucifying those who are beating the liberty drum. I think the GOP needs to take a long, hard look at how they are coming off to potential transferees. One thing’s for sure: they need to make moves sooner than later.
The Perspicacious Conservative 
At our District 8 convention in Warner Robins, Vivian Childs spoke very eloquently about about unity….that being said not 15 seconds later the daggers where being thrown…. I honestly don’t know if that will ever change.
It is hard to grind it out on the grassroots level and be wounded by friendly fire!!! For me personally I can’t imagine doing anything else. I could bring many people in at our local level, in Lowndes County but the atmosphere is not friendly,especially the newly elected Leadership. I think of many of them as “Moss Covered” as Rand Paul described.
Case and point,,,, Catherine Bernard spoke recently in Valdosta, she is articulate and while she has not been a Republican for years and years she IS a Republican! Sondra Supp our new Chairman would only give Catherine 5 minutes, REally?
It is so demotivating. It’s like weights are being tied to me and each step is harder to take… Best Quote of your post….” In a time when there really are RINO’s, I don’t think we should be crucifying those who are beating the liberty drum.”