Why I am not a Democrat

I’ve been a registered voter for almost 20 years. When I registered to vote for the first time I was a senior in high school and registered as a Democrat because, well, in Massachusetts everybody seemed to be a Democrat. That’s not to imply that I was forced or coerced into doing so, but there was a certain wink and nudge from my high school teachers and the people from town hall who came to the school to register all of us turning 18 for the first time. So, it was with relatively little thought that I checked the box and joined the party of our then governor Michael Dukakis. Little did I know my time as a registered Democrat wouldn’t last very long.

I voted in local and state elections over the next few years. If I was aware of the issues and candidates, I voted for who appealed to me personally and not just those with a (D) next to their names. Although I have to admit, I would usually consult my parents about the races and issues I was unfamiliar with and often followed their advice. They were much more in touch with home town and state issues as I was attending university in Vermont. It was there that my political opinions started to really develop.

Norwich University is private military college nearly 200 years old. Needless to say, it attracts traditionally conservative people. In addition, it attracts some very smart people. Conversations at traditional colleges (I imagine) were much different. At Norwich, I found myself very often in barracks discussions about military history and political philosophy – two subjects for which I was not well prepared. As a result, I did a lot of reading and studying on the side just to keep up (often blowing off my class work to do so). So, a 24 hour military environment combined with traditionally conservative and very passionate classmates tilted my views more toward the right. My experience is not unique, the military votes overwhelmingly republican, to explain why would be beyond the scope of this post.

To put it bluntly, the military does not feel much love from the Democratic Party; at least this very strong perception exists and it is not entirely without merit. Many service members (and I do not claim to speak for all) feel that the Democratic Party looks down on them. Again, there is no need to argue the accuracy of the perception, it exists and there is no denying it. I can honestly tell you I felt the same way, especially during the 1992 election when Bill Clinton, a perceived draft-dodger whose own letters during the Viet Nam era denoted a strong dislike for the military, became Commander in Chief. This, among other things, helped solidify my decision to become a Republican.

Tomorrow’s post will be an overview of my time spent in the Republican Party and what ultimately drove me away from them. Ironically, Bill Clinton had something to do with it.

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