Yes, ashamedly I was a devoted, sign-toting, hornswaggling, carpetbagging, hoot-snooted Republican from 2001-2007. 

Why?  Don't ask me; I actually voted for Gore.

But in the midst of the terrorist attacks on September 11th, I somehow mistook my patriotic support for my country for what I term as "Bushlove." 

Bushlove then became a fuzzy area people call being a republican.  I use a small r for my affiliation at that point.

Then, as often happens, small r's become big R's, as if some fast growing chia-pet, or STD.  As a result of spending time around other R's, you find yourself embarrased and perplexed--like the guy who almost marries the pretty woman at the bar, only to find out that your friends were right--she is a whore.

Many of life's wondrous mysteries enticed me to leave the "pretty whore"--IE-Republican Party-- near the end of a long, monotonous, sickening experience, sort of like spending an afternoon in the Department of Revenue.  (Please note the repetitious metaphors.) The chief reason for leaving is simple; it is of course known that Barack Obama is NOT a Republican, thus, he made me switch teams.  So did the legacy of RFK, and JFK, (even though he seems to have been a pretty bad womanizer.)  But anyway, anyway--I discovered as I pondered leaving, that there were some lingering side effects that bothered me as well.

It all started back in 19??  I can almost see the time when:

1.  OK.  The first clue I was going to leave is rather lame, but may be a crude metaphor; 2004--they sent RNC calls to my home repeatedly asking for money.  I informed them that, at the time, I supported Bush in defeating Terrorism and that I had no money to give since I was out of work.  Then they attempted to ask for slightly less, and I again explained that though I supported the President, I had children that needed every penny I had.  This did not deterr them from asking again for another amount, $25 dollars.  I told him to go to hell for not caring enough to "get it."  I then received approx. 6 more calls until the election.  How lame.

2.  I, as an informed citizen, watched almost every Bush press briefing/press conference.  They were kind of interchangeable; the words, the vagueness, the "I look forward to working with..." answers to questions on what are you doing about BLANK questions.  Very obvious that they were losing any argument.

3.  When people are caught in lies, or in making mistakes, it is usually helpful and honorable to A) admit it, B) try to explain how it happened, C) understand how people have probably lost faith in them and try to make it right, D) correct it.  This memo evidently never got past the guard shack at 1600 Penn Ave. during 2001-08.

4.  I don't care how patriotic you say you are, how much you salute, how many flags you have behind you, how many catchphrases such as "Victory" "resolve" "Prevail" "Freedom" "Peace" and of course "God Bless America"--those words have to actually mean something beyond rhetoric.  In America there is a Constitution that a President and his administration is bound by.  If not, then it's all just televangelist hogwash.

5.  Katrina.  The response, the indifference, the lack of leadership, the failure to recognize poor planning and poor oversight, implementation, etc. etc. etc.

6.  People like El Rushbo, who keeps stupid racist propaganda in skits like "Barack the Magic Negro" alive and well.  Who basically asks his supporters to vote for Hillary Clinton in caucases/primaries so that Obama will be defeated.  Though he himself clings to being a conservative rather than republican, the fact is that he has more influence over mindset and argument than anyone else.  Go to a lodge meeting, a bar, a hockey game, or work--they repeat Rush.  I didn't feel like it anymore.

7.  Living in the past, rather than the future.  That's a biggie.

8.  Lack of ideas of how to solve real domestic problems.

9.  Thinking that they can steal away women voters from the Democrats by simply putting Palin on the ticket, and thinking they can steal away African-American voters from the Democrats by giving Michael Steele a high profile position.  This demonstrates their density.

10.  Letting people like Karl Rove and Dick Cheney inform, influence, or decide the most important matters in our lives.  See where it got us?

11.  Using 9/11.  Abusing 9/11.  Somehow, realizing the size of the country's heartstrings, and taking advantage by inserting or connecting 9/11 or terrorism into every agenda they pushed forth.  Shame on you for exploiting almost 3,000 deaths, not all American either.

12.  Making the world not trust us. 

13.  Taking advantage of honest, caring, compassionate, and patriotic people like me who believed in something until the makeup melted off, the dress dropped, the other shoe dropped, and the canary sang.  As The Who once said, "We wont get fooled again."

Yes, this was enough, wasn't it.  I haven't even listed the details of the numerous devious anti-american blankety-blanks who did blankety-blank on such and such a date.  I could go on and on, but then again--why bother. 

People like me stay informed, and live ordinary hardworking lives, and meet diverse kinds of people.  We can't reconcile that with what the GOP stands for.  Plus, we learn from our mistakes.  If you are a Republican reading this, and any of the above seems to resonate with you, just think, you could become part of the change you want to see.  If you found this personally offensive, then perhaps you should take a shower and a haircut, and get rid of the "dirty whore" before something sticks.  Literally.