A Republican Sees The Light

Gay Republican activist Brian Gaither of Miami, has been intimately involved with Miami-Dade Republican Party since 2008. Recently he decided that the Republican Party no longer represented him but interestingly enough, it's not because he's a gay man.

From the Miami Herald, here's his statement....

The Republican Party claims to support the principles of limited government, individual liberty, fiscal discipline, a strong national defense, and civic virtue. It is a claim many believe, and for most of my life I was a believer.

Since 2008 I have been involved with the Republican Party of Miami-Dade, first as a volunteer then as elected District Committeeman, Chairman of the Voter Registration Committee, and Chairman of the Victory 2012 Committee. During this time I have spent many hours considering the best way to defeat Democrats. I was confident that to do so was in the best interests of Florida and of the country. But now I have to say, “oops!”

Even kind-hearted and public-spirited Republicans seek to radically reduce the size and scope of government. In so doing, they advocate the benefits of private institutions, the free market, and personal charity. They say it’s good for society when everyone pursues his own goals free of government control. They promise the poor and disadvantaged will benefit (in the end, somehow).

However, the public sphere is a dynamic place where the interests of individuals, institutions, and businesses constantly compete. To limit the role of government is to purposefully surrender control to those able to exploit government’s absence. In such a place, the result of Republican policies can only be the consolidation of power among the powerful and of wealth among the wealthy. In such a place, the poor and disadvantaged will always lose.

As our society grows ever more complex, we must have a government which grows in equal measure. It must be powerful enough to arbitrate competing interests. It must be big enough to assert its place in the public sphere. And it must protect the weak from the predations of the strong.

I cannot, in good conscience, support a philosophy of limited government or any organization propagating it. In fact, it is my obligation to oppose them.

With this, I am publicly renouncing any and all affiliation with the Republican Party. I am joining the fight against its politics, its messages, and its candidates. With this, I publicly commit my support to the Democratic Party and its candidates. And I specifically endorse the re-election of President Obama. To do anything less is unconscionable.

Brian Gaither
Miami

Welcome, Brian.

I hope that through your words others will understand one of the most basic and elementary differences between Democrats and Republicans and will consider them when determining what political ideology and candidate is right for them.



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