I'm a RINO?
Three times in the past month or so I have been told by bloggers with whom I've disagreed that I don't belong in the Republican Party. One of them told me that I'm a RINO (Republican in Name Only) and two others told me that I should get out of the GOP and join the Libertarian Party. All of these bloggers have one thing in common: they are conservative Christians.
Two of these bloggers told me that "secular conservatives" such as me do not belong in the GOP because I am not a Christian. Okay, I am not a Christian by religion but I am a Christian culturally and philosophically. Maybe that makes me a CINO (Christian in Name Only) but I'm not a RINO.
Yes, I call myself a "libertarian Republican." So did Goldwater and Reagan. In fact most Republicans in the West are libertarian with a small "l" but we are still loyal Republicans and would not dream of joining the Libertarian Party because it is just a wee bit too kooky for us. Many Libertarians are unpatriotic peaceniks and are often anti-American. What makes us small "l" libertarians different from big "L" Libertarians is that we are patriotic and believe in a strong and unapologetic foreign policy including using our military might against the enemies of freedom when necessary.
Okay, so I don't agree with the War on Drugs but lots of conservatives don't. And I don't agree with amending the Constitution to ban gay marriage. Actually I don't agree with amending the Constitution at all. Look what the Prohibition amendment did for us - we had to reverse that amendment with another amendment. The Constitution is there to enumerate our rights not to limit our freedom. States can deal (and have) with the gay marriage problem quite well on their own. In fact, to me being a true conservative means keeping the Federal government from interfering with States as much as possible.
I sometimes wonder how much practical experience some conservative bloggers have had in actual politicking. I've been actively involved in party politics since I was 18 and first able to vote - canvassing for candidates, resolving party civil wars and reaching compromises without compromising one's integrity. That's politics. It's about creating a winning team of individuals not forcing everyone to toe the party line. Leave that to the Democrats. They do it so much better.
I'll get into this in more detail later but I'll end right now by saying that I am willing to compromise and work with conservative Christians because I share with them what I regard as the most important values: patriotism, fiscal responsibility, a healthy distrust of big government, a dislike of socialism and a belief in self-reliance and capitalism as the basis of individual freedom.
Two of these bloggers told me that "secular conservatives" such as me do not belong in the GOP because I am not a Christian. Okay, I am not a Christian by religion but I am a Christian culturally and philosophically. Maybe that makes me a CINO (Christian in Name Only) but I'm not a RINO.
Yes, I call myself a "libertarian Republican." So did Goldwater and Reagan. In fact most Republicans in the West are libertarian with a small "l" but we are still loyal Republicans and would not dream of joining the Libertarian Party because it is just a wee bit too kooky for us. Many Libertarians are unpatriotic peaceniks and are often anti-American. What makes us small "l" libertarians different from big "L" Libertarians is that we are patriotic and believe in a strong and unapologetic foreign policy including using our military might against the enemies of freedom when necessary.
Okay, so I don't agree with the War on Drugs but lots of conservatives don't. And I don't agree with amending the Constitution to ban gay marriage. Actually I don't agree with amending the Constitution at all. Look what the Prohibition amendment did for us - we had to reverse that amendment with another amendment. The Constitution is there to enumerate our rights not to limit our freedom. States can deal (and have) with the gay marriage problem quite well on their own. In fact, to me being a true conservative means keeping the Federal government from interfering with States as much as possible.
I sometimes wonder how much practical experience some conservative bloggers have had in actual politicking. I've been actively involved in party politics since I was 18 and first able to vote - canvassing for candidates, resolving party civil wars and reaching compromises without compromising one's integrity. That's politics. It's about creating a winning team of individuals not forcing everyone to toe the party line. Leave that to the Democrats. They do it so much better.
I'll get into this in more detail later but I'll end right now by saying that I am willing to compromise and work with conservative Christians because I share with them what I regard as the most important values: patriotism, fiscal responsibility, a healthy distrust of big government, a dislike of socialism and a belief in self-reliance and capitalism as the basis of individual freedom.
posted by Joubert at 8:16 AM
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