Why I'm Not A Democrat Anymore

We warned them. They didn't listen. They kept telling us what we were supposed to care about rather than listening to us tell them what we actually care about.

I’ve spent my entire adult life voting for Democrats. The only times I didn’t vote, reflexively, for the Democratic candidate in my state or city is when I voted further Left, for a Green Party candidate or some such person seeking public office.

And now, there are a whole host of reasons why I’ve joined ~40% of the electorate in Colorado as a registered “Unaffiliated” voter. So I guess that I’m one of those white lady voters (except I’m urban, not suburban) that is just “confused” and I “don’t really understand” (according to Hilary Clinton) what is at stake. Color me confused then.

Here’s my top ten reasons for fleeing to unaffiliated pastures:

Lockdowns: It was Democrats who locked us down and closed schools – in some cases, like in California, for a year and a half – during 2020-2021. I can’t think of anything more un-democratic than locking us in our homes under emergency decree for more than a year. It drove small business owners out of business, caused catastrophic learning loss and a mental health crisis amongst young people. The old and infirm suffered and died alone. It was cruel and indecent and people who went along felt like they had the moral high ground because Democratic leaders told them they did.

Now, the Democrats are trying to distance themselves from these failed policies, not admitting that shutting down the economy and disrupting supply chains has anything to do with the inflationary shit show we’re in right now. And in some instances, they are calling for a truce, yet never apologizing or admitting THEY DID THIS. No. No amnesty. No truce. Not without apologies and accountability.

Endless States of Emergency: In some states, like, California, the governor STILL retains emergency powers. And he can wreak all this havoc again, any time he pleases. It’s so much easier to govern by executive decree than by, you know, legislating with laws and stuff.

Disagree with covid policy? You don’t just disagree, you’re evil: In doing this incredibly authoritarian unprecedented thing, the Democratic leaders (and a complicit media) ousted anyone who challenged these cruel policies. They were vilified as bigoted, evil, “wrong-thinkers.” We were vilified and deemed unworthy of employment and accused of being everything from fascists to racists to teacher-killers and more.

No debate or dissent on any issue: The Democratic Party leaders and loyal voting acolytes tolerate no dissent or even questions on the official party line. If you step out of line, you’re accused of being a far-right conspiracy theorist (again) with a white hood in your closet. No engaging of the argument. Just ad hominem attacks. I can think of nothing less democratic than total intolerance for free speech and dissenting viewpoints.

• Question long term public school closures - racist, misogynist, all-around horrible person

• Question whether pre-teens should be on puberty blockers - transphobe.

• You’re pro-choice not “pro-abortion” and believe in “choice” with restrictions - you hate women.

• You don’t want to be called a “birthing person” – transphobe.

• You don’t want to vote for [insert female candidate here] – you hate women.

• You want to vote for [insert Republican woman candidate] - no not that woman! She’s not pro-woman! She’s a tool of the patriarchy!

• You are scratching your head about a transgender weightlifter being named sportswoman of the year - transphobe.

(Yes it’s confusing and it all gets kind of circular, don’t even try to follow it.)

It’s a cult, Scientology-style “disconnection” required: Democratic voters, of the ilk I encountered in my former hometown of San Francisco, taking their lead from Party leaders, will not even engage with a person who rejects any official Democratic Party policy. No you can’t be friends with people who might think differently. You are evil and undermining all good things in the world therefore you must be shunned and taken down. Do not ask questions. Just vote like we tell you to. And if you don’t, well, it’s because you’re a racist (again) not because you have genuine policy concerns. I now put most of the “mainstream media” in this category. But the Party faithful buy this line of reasoning, even when they know you and the arc of your life, and that’s on them.

They’re hypocrites. They tell us all to buy electric cars – which, by the way, most people can’t afford – while shutting our electricity off. They tell us we should buy less, travel less, eat bugs, stay home, recycle, BE GREEN, have fewer children, all while they fly around in private planes telling us to stay home (not too big of a home though! Bad for the environment!), watching screens and if we don’t want to, we’re selfish planet-destroyers. Then they tell us their work is so important – saving the world and all – that they need to fly private. Seriously? I can’t believe anyone buys this shit.

They deny reality.

• There’s no such thing as learning loss! Our kids learned resilience!

• Obesity – Don’t say that word! You’re a fat-phobe! There are no adverse health impacts! Healthy at any size!

• Biology isn’t real! Men aren’t stronger than women, it’s invented by the Patriarchy!

• Crime? What crime?

• John Fetterman isn’t impaired. He’s got auditory processing issues (or something). You’re ableist! How dare you!

• Inflation? What inflation? It’s a figment of your imagination and a made up thing by Republicans; oh ok, it’s real but it’s going down now because WE raised interest rates; well maybe not down but it’s not going up anymore, so stop complaining, democracy is ending and you’re worried about the price of milk?! How selfish!

Sorry we have no chance at survival if we distort truth for the sake of ideology.

They’re snobs: They don’t care about regular people. They are the elite pretending to be real. They aren’t. And they have utter disdain for everyday folks. They look down at anyone who:

• Doesn’t eat grass fed beef or that gross fake meat that’s “good” for the environment but bad for your health

• Likes The Olive Garden or Las Vegas

• Goes on cruises or to all-inclusive resorts instead of on vacations on private islands with empty beaches

• Doesn’t read The New Yorker and/or The Atlantic

• Shops at Walmart (Target is acceptable though)

They don’t believe in free speech. Elected government leaders and appointed officials in the Department of Homeland Security have been pressuring private companies to curb speech, a clear violation of the First Amendment. They’ve been working behind the scenes - and sometimes in plain view - to unduly influence social media companies in order to mold public opinion and manufacture consensus through the silencing of dissenters. Even the ACLU agrees, at this point (are they back?), that this is kind of a problem.

They hate kids. They shut schools and opened bars. They took down basketball hoops and kept playgrounds closed while opening golf courses. They masked toddlers while adults went to strip clubs and night clubs unmasked. They kept youth sports closed while 60,000 people attended the Super Bowl. They flout their own rules while insisting children adhere, because, you know, kids are filthy disease vectors. Never forget.

In sum, they are liars. They lied about covid and the risk to kids in order to keep schools closed; now they lie and say schools weren’t closed and they had nothing to do with it anyway even if they were closed! And yet, they still are so certain they’re the good ones, that the “noble lies” they tell are necessary, that they are well-meaning and so any degree of corruption and cheating and law-breaking and authoritarianism is ok. Because they mean well.

Which is just another lie. Because they don’t. They just want power like the rest of ‘em and they think they are above the rules because they are somehow benevolent rulers. Yeah right. Only the Democrats have locked me in my home and closed playgrounds and beaches and outlawed family holidays and religious services and funerals and locked children out of school – disadvantaged children who need school more than anything because they eat there, have kind adults who look out for them, and it’s their only path to a better life.

I’ll never believe these people are the good guys again.

All of this is not to say I’m a Republican. I have plenty of disgust for the other side too. I’ll save that for another day. In the meantime, I’d just as soon not tether myself to any party or any orthodoxy and vote according to the issues most concerning to me. Today.

The Democrats have sorely underestimated how many people like me there are, out there in the ether, right now. They continue to tell us what we’re supposed to care about and ignore or yell at us about what we are telling them we do care about.

But we’re here. And we told them.

We tried. They didn’t listen.

Vote.