What Being A Modern Republican Means To Me

Even writing the title of this article makes me anxious of the hateful comments I will get just for labeling myself as a Republican. Is that what our political conversations should look like? Can’t we disagree without threatening or belittling each other?

We have to stop looking at political beliefs as black and white, left or right, and think about it on a spectrum.

I consider myself a Republican overall, but socially I’m fairly liberal. I believe that what a woman does with her body is solely her business. I personally don’t think I could get an abortion, but do I we should have the choice to get one? Absolutely. I believe that people should be able to marry whomever they choose, so long as they are not hurting anybody else. (And believe me, if two men get married, or two women get married, they are not hurting you, or your beliefs.) I don’t care what word you use to describe their marriage, for me, love is love. And if you are lucky enough to find someone you want to spend forever with, why should anyone be allowed to stop you?

I believe that our welfare systems were created with good intentions, but unfortunately are being abused and should be revamped to reflect our current society. I believe that Affirmative Action needs to be changed as well and shifted to a socioeconomic focus, rather than skin color. Poverty affects people of color disproportionately than white people so you’re still helping those who are systematically discriminated against, but not leaving behind the poor white boy who grew up in the hood just because of his skin color. Do you really think that I have had equal opportunities as Malia Obama?

I believe the Republican party as a whole needs to stay out of people’s bedrooms and bodies.

I believe that the Constitution is a living, breathing document that needs to be tailored to modern society. Interpretation of that document is where the disagreements come in.
I believe in separation of church and state. This country was founded by people escaping religious persecution, (among other things). I believe in freedom of speech, which does mean that I have a right to not be offended. I can take words for what they are and I can choose how I react to it. If you give a word power, that word will soon have power over you.

I do not believe the Obamas are terrible people. I didn’t vote for him but he’s still my president. Because our government should be by the people, of the people, and I am a part of that group.

I believe that our government should be limited. Do you have any idea how many government departments and agencies we have? And 15 different cabinets? Why do we give that control back to the states? I agree there should be some federal regulation, but the people who live in their states, know what is needed more than a bunch of people in Washington.

I believe our justice system needs some serious improvements. I believe that Supreme Court Justices should be politically independent or unaffiliated.

I believe that we have to keep a strong military and protect the veterans that we have at home. We need to welcome those who are being persecuted in their own lands, but still protect our own people.

I believe that the American people need to have more of their paycheck stay with them. I can barely afford to live and yet I’m supposed to give much of my money away?
I don’t believe that my education should have been handed to me. There is no such thing as a free lunch. The degree has my name on it, why should someone else foot the bill? And mind you, I have an enormous amount of student loan debt.

I understand why women are marching in protest, but I will not be one of them. I don’t believe that feminism is telling other women what to believe in or what to stand for. I don’t believe in voting for a woman, just because she’s a woman. I don’t believe that a woman should feel ashamed for wanting to stay home and raise a family, rather than go to work. It’s her choice to make, and other women shouldn’t belittle her for that.

I am glad that Trump has reignited a fire in people. Rather than “protesting” by changing a profile picture or making a catchy hashtag trend, people are actually getting up and moving, calling their elected officials, and protesting the way that gets stuff done.

I minored in political science, so I have a very good grasp on how the government works. I know that just because some extremist on either side introduces a bill, it does not mean it will become law. I know that the president does not have the power to overturn decisions on the Supreme Court. And I truly believe a lot of the fear and confusion surrounding the political news is due to the lack of basic understanding of our government and constitution. I understand that the popular vote is in place so that New York and California can’t hijack every single election.

I am a Republican, but from the start of the campaign season I didn’t support Trump. I didn’t support Hillary. I believed in the system, and then both sides had issues with their candidates and their campaigns.

Lastly, I believe that the extremists on both sides are who get the attention. Then people disagree and start to get fired up and they focus on the differences and the negatives rather than the similarities and the positives.

If we all sat down at one giant table and talked about our hopes and dreams, our desires and passions, I really think that we could find more common ground than we see today.

We can agree to disagree. We can respect that our best friend voted differently than we did, and still be best friends. We can see the pros and cons of both sides, if we’re willing to listen. But that’s the problem. We seem so unwilling to listen to someone who has a different belief than us. We can talk without thinking we’re going to change someone else’s mind.

We are called the United States for a reason. So let’s start acting like it.