Why I am not a Republican. By Eric Smith

If the Republican Party was against voter suppression, I'd be a Republican. If the Republican Party was for equal pay for equal work for women, I'd be a Republican. If the Republican Party was for gay rights and by that I mean of course the right of gay people to marry the person of their choice, I'd be a Republican,. If the Republican Party was Pro Choice when it comes to women's reproductive rights I'd be a Republican and of course if the Republican Party was in favor of the social safety net which says that we are all in this together rather its current position which is every person for themselves and community be damned, I'd be a Republican.

Since the Republican Party is for none of these things, to be a Republican would be to act against my own best interests because I firmly believe that we are a much better, stronger, more free, and compassionate country if we are against voter suppression, if we are for equal pay for equal work for women, if we are for gay rights & Pro Choice when it comes to women's reproductive rights, and if we believe in a social safety net where no one who is need of help is denied a helping hand.

I am not a Republican not because I think that the Democratic Party is perfect (it is far from that of course) or because I believe that Liberalism as defined by those on the extreme Left is the instant cure all for all of society's problems (it most certainly is not), but rather because I don't see the Republican Party as it is currently constituted, as being emblematic of anything patriotic according to what I define as being a patriot in these United States. Therefore I am not a Republican but because of principle. I stand opposed to it because it stands in direct opposition to those key principles that I personally hold dear.

Knowing all of this and feeling as I do, I know that if I were to choose to be a Republican today I would be answering to profit for make no mistake being a Republican these days; especially an African American Republican, is a very profitable proposition indeed. I am not and have never been one to answer to profit; I am answerable to my conscience & nothing else. In the end it is my conscience that says that to be a Republican these days is wrong. That in a nutshell is why I am not a Republican.