I Am A RINO
Posted on February 4, 2008
That’s right, you read the title to this piece correctly. I am admitting that I am a RINO. I admit it openly, freely, with relish even.
For those unfamiliar, RINO is not only shorthand for rhinoceros, that great beast of the African plains, but it is also an acronym. It stands for, “Republican In Name Only†— RINO.
Now, I am not going to pull a fast one here and spell RINO out with other words. No, I’m happily sticking right with the words “Republican In Name Only.†So, there it is. I am a RINO.
Some of you reading this may already be feeling your stomach curdle at the very mention of the word RINO. After all, it’s really gotten some bad press. Rush Limbaugh and his brethren have really done a disservice to this fine descriptive word. Heck, even I have hurled it as an epithet when confronted with a politician who hasn’t lived up to my standards.
But, after reflecting on recent events, I realized that I myself am a RINO. At first I bristled at my own thoughts. But, after a time it appeared obvious that I am, indeed, a RINO.
I’m just going to have to accept it. Own it, as our pop psychology spewing friends on the left so earnestly say.
I am a RINO and here’s why…
- I will vote Republican only when the situation is favorable to me.
- I will not go with my party when I don’t like what is going on.
- I will sometimes refuse to agree with my party on certain issues and will do so vocally.
- If I find someone of another party that suits me, I will vote for them even if it is in lieu of voting for my party representative.
So, there you have it. The perfect definition of a RINO. That’s me. But, I am not going to lower my head in shame, no sirree. I am proud of this and am glad that I have finally come to terms with it. A little introspection never hurt anyone, ya know?
Let me explain further why I now feel ready to accept my RINOness. (Or is that RINOcity?)
Yes, I am proud that I won’t vote for a candidate who happens to claim the mantle of Republican if he does not support keeping the Guantanamo Bay terrorist holding facility open.
I am proud to oppose a Republican who thinks our troops are torturers as bad as Saddam Hussein.
I firmly stand against any Republican who is for open borders, opposes a border fence, and refuses to believe that this country faces self-destruction through cultural dilution.
Further, any Republican who works with Democrats to place moderate judges on the bench, or doesn’t want judges that are “too conservative†will not get my vote.
If the GOP candidate is for quashing free political speech, that candidate will find me ready to quash his vote totals.
If a candidate is only picked because the party “says so,†or because he is pals with the “right†people and not because of what he actually stands for, that candidate will find that no vote from me will go his way.
You see I won’t support a Republican just because he somehow was able to affix the appellation Republican to his name. I will not automatically vote for a Republican merely because he claims to be one.
I vote for candidates that happen to be right on the issues, not the ones that happen to just be a Republican. Mere Republicanism is not my way.
I support life. I support the Second Amendment. I support English as the national language. I support religious freedom. I am for school choice. I am high on defense and tough on crime. I am for smaller government, fewer regulations, less government spending and low taxes. I am for untrammeled national sovereignty and would love to see the UN cast into the ocean.
I oppose union thugs, socialist programs, unconstitutional powers, abortion for any reason, the so-called doctrine of a “living Constitution,†open borders, unearned paths to citizenship, anchor babies, high taxes, uncontrolled regulations on businesses and bans on religious expression in schools… any schools.
And, I am really against working with Democrats just to “prove†I am “reasonable†so that the liberal media establishment will love me.
Also, I will not vote for a Republican, merely to stop a Democrat from winning. The reason for that is, that such a practice leads to candidates the feel no compunction to buck the principles that the electorate wanted him to observe when he ran for office. After all, why would a candidate hold himself to such stringent standards if he won’t lose his votes anyway? Why not just do what is easier, or might benefit his wallet — or campaign coffers — more? Since there wouldn’t be any consequences for belying his claimed principles, what stops him from doing so?
If there are any candidates running for president on the GOP ticket that once said they did not want to seem like Ronald Reagan or once supported abortion, even if only tacitly, then he won’t get my vote. If there is a candidate who freed more criminals than any other governor in the country and was very weak on illegal invaders of our country, well that man is not for me. If there happens to be a candidate, say running for president maybe, who said that Samuel Alito was “too conservative†for him, or once supported amnesty, well he is also out for me.
I really don’t care if he claims to be a Republican or not.
I also don’t care if there are so many people just like me that the Democrat wins the White House (nor do I care which Democrat). My non-vote is NOT a vote in favor of someone else. I am a man of principle, not a man of convenience.
Certainly, our nation is built on compromise and sometimes the proverbial half a loaf is better than none. It is an undeniable truth and one that we shouldn’t try to destroy with unbending spine. But, here is the thing: compromise implies that both sides get a little something out of the deal. And, let’s face it, there isn’t much gettin’ for a conservative out of the GOP these days.
Oh, they claim to be conservative during the campaign. They say all sorts of comforting things, stand on lots of first principles and pretend that without them in office all sorts of things will go awry.
And then as soon as they take office they begin to forsake nearly every position upon which they ran. Then they start palling around with the Democrats and hobnobbing with denizens of Hollywood and skulkers in the press. And, then it’s all over. They’ve become Washington. Suddenly, being liked by the illiterati of the left becomes more important than principle.
And we, those who were foolish enough to vote for them the first time, are left wondering what happened? Yet but a few years later, we vote for that same apostate politician all over again.
After these last few primaries, I finally came to realize that I just cannot vote Republican just because. It turns out that I have realized that my loyalty lies with my conservative principles, not a political party. If there happens to be a candidate here and there that agrees with me and they happen to be a Republican… well, then that candidate will get my vote.
So, it’s no more for me. I will not blindly vote Republican just because I often canvass with them. I will not be a fool for the party while getting nothing in return. I am not a Republican first. I am a conservative.
And I am a RINO, remember?
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6 Responses to “I Am A RINO”
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All I want to know is if you’re going to vote for Romney.
I see the blogsphere promoting the whole “Fredheads for Romney”, but I’m not entirely convinced.
My conundrum: Should I vote for Romney, who is a shaky candidate, or not vote at all?
I feel like I’m being backed into a corner.
Miles, I was lucky enough to vote in my primary for Fred. If you feel the only choices are to vote for someone you don’t like are staying home, then create a third choice.
If your cadidate is on your primary ballot, vote for him even if he has suspended his campaign.
In the general election, write in who you want to win even if they have no chance at all.
And to those who say you wold be wasting your vote, remember this:
The only wasted vote is one that isn’t cast.
Warner, I couldn’t have said it better myself. Embrace your RINOism. I’m guilty as sin in being a RINO. I’m a registered Republican, but have always considered myself a Libertarian.
I’m for extreamly limited governement. Getting the US out of the UN.Pro-Life, that includes the Death Penalty.Low, to NO Taxes.(I’d rather have no taxes, being that it’s theft, and I do believe there is a commandment that states no stealing). I’m also for Religious freedom, and do not believe public schools are a forum for that.Come on, do you really want some Government employee telling your children about God?I believe we shouldn’t have public schools, and they should all be privatized. I believe in getting rid of Government Departments that are wasteful, as in the Dept. of Ed, Energy, and Homeland Secruity.And I am extreamly against the REAL ID act. I remember a time when the Republican party was the party of “Leave me alone”.But that all changed when people started believing the propaganda that “9/11 changed everything”.
Does this sound like the modern day Republican party? Not one bit. But these were at one time on the Republican platform not to long ago. (This statement goes to everyone who has ADD when it comes to politics).
And here in lies the problem of the Republican party. There aren’t to many people in the party who think like I do anymore.We’ve been pushed aside.You think you Evangelicals have been “used” by the Republican party, think again. My wing of the party dominated the party up untill 1988. But all we got was talk, talk, and more talk.Atleast you Evangelicals got some Big Government programs out of it.We got squat. How many times have you heard a Republican talk about Limited Government in one sentence, and in the next saying how we need to believe in “National Greatness” and talking about some Socialists program that would make us “better Americans”.Sorry but God comes before the State. As a great Priest once said “You are no Disciple of the Lord! You turned your back on God the moment you pledged your allegiance to the state.”
It’s more welfare/warfare. More statism, More taxes, More Government, More, More, More.
Oh well. I just hope this country hasn’t gone to far off the cliff, and not forgotten why our Founding Fathers went to war with the Biggest Military Empire on the planet and won. It was because they wanted to be “Left alone”.
Warner,
I was drawn to your post from a cross-link at Right Voices. I have been raging against the machine both there and at Sister Toldjah’s website.
I love what you said, I love how you say it and I thank you more joining the ranks of the conservative malcontents.
Ted
Sounds like you and John McCain will get along just fine.
Ken,
You Need to actually read the piece before you comment.