Stafford: Why I gave up on being a Republican

Jersey Journal NJ.com ^ | June 13, 2012 | Michael Stafford

[SMGFan]

I'm a life-long Republican. My political affiliation has been woven intrinsically into the very fabric of my being. My first political act was passionately lobbying my fourth-grade classmates to vote for Reagan over Walter Mondale in a mock election in 1984. As an adult, I continued to be a rock-solid Republican- I helped run my law school's chapter of the Federalist Society and its Republican club. And after the election of President Obama in 2008, I served as an officer in my state Republican Party. For the next two years, I devoted substantial amounts of my time, my talent, and my treasure to supporting local candidates running for office and to building the Party organization. Today, however, I am a registered Republican no longer.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

Republican economic policies are also indefensible. The GOP constantly claims its opponents are engaged in "class warfare," but this is an exercise in projection. In Republican proposals, the wealthy win, and the rest of us lose- one only has to look at Rep. Paul Ryan's budget to see that.

Government spending is up to 24% of GDP. The "rich" pay 70% + of all taxes. The GOP wants to bring spending back to its post WWII level of 18% and not cause the "rich" to pay 100% of all taxes, as they would under Obama's skewed tax plans. Ryan's budget doesn't even back out all of Obama's spending for 10 years. If this moron thinks that Ryan's budget is "extreme," he's too stupid to vote.

[driftless2]

"pretty shallow"

ditto. It makes one want to ask Stafford why he was a Republican in the first place. So the first time he saw the Tea Party on the horizon he wanted to leave. So he opposed a grassroots conservative group trying to uphold the constitution and hold government accountable. Unbelievable. Good riddance.

[Old Sarge]

[ScottinVA]

Yo, Stafford... here's one back atcha!

[Gay State Conservative]

Stafford’s obviously found a way to scam the system.My money’s on SSDI!

[Doe Eyes]

The "rich" pay 70% + of all taxes.

I think you mean 70% of Federal income taxes.

[stockpirate]

So in other words this guy is a big time RINO, well good bye and glad to see you leave.

[Nickname]

Sounds to me like he’s a progressive who’s been looking to change the GOP from the inside and he doesn’t like that he’s run into resistance.

Oh well.

[LibLieSlayer]

Absolutely perfect!

LLS

[ThePatriotsFlag]

Question to FReepers criticizing this post. Do you support Lindsey Graham if you live in SC... Donating to the RNC and indirectly to him just because you are a solid Republican? I wouldn’t vote for a lib Dem, but neither will I spend money and time promoting a group that supports a lib like Lindsey Graham. I left our Republican Club when I was told I would have to actively campaign for him. And I left the GOPe at the same time. No regrets, sent a contribution to Scott Walker. I’m a conservative, not a Republican. I can see this person’s point of view.

[longtermmemmory]

IOW he worked hard to be a party insider and now realizes that voters can see through the veil and reveal his inner RINO.

This is to cover up the national democrat defections.

[MosesKnows]

I am a registered Republican no longer.

I am not a member of any political party; I am a political conservative.

As a Conservative and a Tea Party Patriot I support candidates whom I feel will best honor their oath to the Constitution.

There is no sure way to know the extent Romney will honor his oath to the Constitution. However, Obama has demonstrated in words and deeds that he does not honor his oath to the Constitution. Obama treats the Constitution as an obstacle to his socialist agenda for America.

The people who voted for Obama to prove they were not racist will vote for Romney to prove they are not stupid.

[Erasmus]

The people who voted for Obama to prove they were not racist will vote for Romney to prove they are not stupid.

Are we allowed to point out to them that, with all due respect, it's too late for that?

[JimRed]

His usefulness as an infil-traitor over, he reverts to his true leanings.

[ansel12]

The Reagan campaign drove Mitt Romney to leave the GOP and eventually come to support, fund raise for, and vote for democrats.

Today Romney is running for Reagan’s job, to run Reagan’s party.

[Paleo Conservative]

Good riddence! I also don’t give a damn if the door hits you in the butt on the way out!

[x]

He's a Delaware lawyer who does a lot of education work. I'd guess most of the people he works with are Democrats, many with NEA or AFT connections.

The firm also does a lot of environmental, zoning, and asbestos cases. So this is also a typical trial lawyer thing.

Lately he seems to have become a professional ex-Republican. Renegades can always pick up a little extra money here and there, but it's a long time before anybody trusts them again.