Why I Vote Republican

(or “Birth of a Republican”)

Pro. 30:7-8

“Two things I request from you (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehoods and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches-“

Pro. 30:11-14

“There is a generation that curses its father, And does not bless its mother. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation – oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and whose fangs are like knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, And the need from among men.”

Pro. 30:15

“The leech has two daughters – Give and Give!

30SEP20

Yesterday, a friend of mine and I were talking. He mentioned that a mutual friend of ours had told him that people who supported President Donald Trump were ‘Truly horrible people’. I quipped, “Well, it’s nice to know what he thinks of us!”

My friend said, “He actually asked how someone in my situation, could vote republican.”

I chuckled at this, for two reasons. First, my friend, until the last 3 years leaned more…Liberal? More to the Democrat side of things? Maybe center left, but still to the left. Oh, on some issues he leaned toward conservatism. This year, however, he had registered to vote. That he hadn’t registered to vote previously had been a source of contention between us in the past.

The other reason I chuckled was because I had been asked this same question by another ‘progressive’ friend of mine a few years ago. It was a question borne out of hubris and ignorance.

I told my friend, yesterday, “Funny how they seem to think they own the ‘poor’ vote, but the truth is…I’ve always been better off under a Republican administration that under a Democrat one.”

I then launched into the same tirade and story I had with my other friend back in 2014. I have decided, at this time; to share it with you, the readers. This is so I can explain many of my tweets and posts, and much of the hostility I have toward the politicians on the left.

Back in 1987, Oregon entered the beginning of our downward economic spiral. Environmental groups had begun trying to tie up and prevent timber sales over the Northern Spotted Owl. Also, during this time, was a controversial timber sale that included salvage from the Silver Complex Fire near Grants Pass, OR.

At the time, Timber workers, Farmers, Commercial Fisherman, like many other blue-collar professions tended to be a pretty solid Democratic voting bloc. My Parents were among them.

The Timber Industry pushed back against the preservationists, who seemingly, wanted to turn Oregon into a national park. As a result, the Yellow Ribbon Coalition was formed as a grass roots political group who sought to educate the public about forest practices and to lobby in favor of the Timber Industry.

Silver Fire Round-Up — A convoy, 32 miles long, drove to Grants Pass, Oregon to demonstrate in favor of the Silver Fire timber sale.

This group had written a lot of letters to a lot of politicians, urging them to support the Timber Industry in the Northwest.

Many of these politicians pledged support for our cause, including people like Oregon Senators Bob Packwood, Mark Hatfield and Democratic Representative Peter DeFazio. While Bob Packwood and Mark Hatfield largely kept their promises to Timber Families, Peter DeFazio did not. Instead, he stabbed them in the back the first chance he got.

I remember that he met with my parents and many other Timber workers and their families, promising his support for the Timber Industry and to protect their jobs and livelihoods. I remember him shaking my dad’s hand and promising to vote against a proposal that would harm the Timber Industry and the economy of our state.

Demonstrators outside the Federal Courthouse in Eugene, Oregon

Yet, when the time came, he proceeded to vote in favor of every pro-environmental, Anti-Timber bill that came to the house floor for a vote. As a result, nearly every bit of public land in Oregon, was closed to timber harvesting from 1990 until 1992 or 1993. Even then, only a small fraction of what had been open before was ever reopened.

Because of this, unless you worked for Weyerhaeuser, Georgia Pacific or some other large timber company; or you were contracted to work for one…Unless you drove for one of those companies or a brokerage, you didn’t work. At least not here in Oregon.

As a result, in the Spring of 1990, my father had to relocate to Idaho to work. This was a very tough time for our family. At this time, my brother and sister had already graduated High School and I was 16. My mom had to remain in Oregon in part because I was still in school and in part because I was having some issues at this time in my life.

Dad spent over a year working in Idaho while maintaining two households. In addition to the mortgage on the house in Eugene, and the utilities, phone, business expenses, my education expenses, fuel, insurance etc. He also had to pay rent and Utilities on his home in Idaho.

As this continued, my mom would make the drive every other weekend, to Idaho to spend time with my dad and to help him in Idaho. If we were lucky, we’d see dad once a month when he’d come ‘Home’.

At this time in my life, I was really struggling. Without going into a lot of detail, this was a dark time for me. This was a time when I really needed my dad. Mom tried, but there are just sometimes when a teenage boy just needs his dad. While this was a rough time for all of us in our family, for me it was a nightmare.

Dad unloading his truck near Council, Idaho

Thankfully, this all came to an end when dad was lucky enough to secure work here in Western Oregon shortly after I graduated High School.

Now, I want to clarify a couple of things. I believe my brother registered to vote as a Republican when he turned 18 in 1987. My sister, I believe, may have registered as a Democrat in 1988 but had changed to Republican by 1990. In 1989, my mom had changed her voter affiliation to Republican. My mom had been a registered Democrat until then.

On 14OCT1991, I turned 18. On that day, my dad took me to the post office to do ‘The most important things a man should do’ on his 18^th birthday. Register for the Selective Service and Register to vote. Dad was really big on making sure us boys did our civic duty.

I remember that dad waited in the car as I filled out my Selective Service card and my Voter Registration card.

When I returned to my car, I remember dad saying, “Son, you don’t have to tell me, but do you mind if I ask which party you registered with?”

Now, I know that despite mom changing her registration, my dad had not. He remained stubbornly loyal to the Democratic party.

I looked over at him as I started the car and said, “Yeah, but dad…You’re not going to like my answer.”

Dad shook his head and replied, “You went with your mom.”

I said, “Dad, I just don’t get it. After everything they did to you, after all that they’ve put us through, how can you remain loyal to a party that has stabbed you and every other timber worker in the back? I can’t forget, I’ll never forget, and I can’t in good conscience support a party that has done so much harm to us!”

Dad nodded and said something about being proud of my standing on my principles but feeling I was mistaken.

Dad and his friend Dave working on the trailer of Dad’s truck

My dad and I had a good relationship until he passed away in 2009. We had many political discussions that only served to further my confusion on the matter. You see, since 1990, I do not remember my dad supporting ANY democratic candidate for Governor, President, Senator or any other office…Except for Pete DeFazio.

He just didn’t. Dad was one of the most conservative men I’ve ever known. We’ve had our disagreements about party affiliation, but I’ve always known that for the general elections, we were almost entirely in alignment.

My dad during a ‘Wrapper Throwing Contest’ at the Oregon Logging Conference in 1987

Since 1991, I have watched as the Democrat Party has continued to betray it’s working class base. Whether through crippling environmental regulations, to openly calling for a ban on Coal, to limiting Fisheries and shortening their harvest seasons. Environmental Regulations that cause fires to be more catastrophic and to restrictions on land use that harm farmers and ranchers; these betrayals continue.

A party that claims to be the party of the little guy, the party that claims to be trying to lift people out of poverty, has done more to put people into poverty than it has ever done to lift them out of poverty.

This is the same party that pushes to incentivize the very poverty it claims to fight. This is a party that regularly lies to the American People about who they are and what they stand for.

The same party that claims to empower women and stand for women’s rights, will stoop to new lows to shame, ridicule and tear down principled, strong, conservative women who dare to disagree with their beliefs.

The same party that excoriates Republicans with false accusations of Racism and Fascism regularly ignores or flat out lies about their own past ties to Slavery, the KKK and opposition to the Civil Rights amendments in 1964 and 1968. They also conveniently forget that their Hero, FDR praised Fascism, Hitler and Mussolini.

Because of their betrayal, because of their lies and because of their history; I have come to see the Democratic Party for what it truly is. A nihilistic cult, hell bent on the destruction of traditional values and desirous of a Marxist state. One that is antithetical to the Constitutional Republic left to us by our nation’s founders.

It is because of this that I will never support or vote in favor of the Democratic Party.

~Finis