By Dale Glading
_
“You’re kidding me, right? YOU, of all people, were once a registered Democrat?”
That is the look I get and the line I hear when I share my distant political past with people who only know me as a rock-ribbed Republican who is “conservative to the core”. Hey, we all make mistakes and registering as a Democrat when I turned 18 was a big one. However, in my defense, may I remind you that both Ronald Reagan and Frank Sinatra once supported FDR.
–
Of course, back in 1977, Democrats were far more moderate than their progressive prodigy are today. I guess that’s why I “voted” for Jimmy Carter in a mock election at my school the year before and why I dutifully (and shamefully) cast a ballot for Ted Kennedy in the 1980 presidential primary. When Kennedy failed to capture the nomination, I backed John Anderson, a third-party candidate, in the general election.
Then something dramatic happened: I graduated from college. Leaving the sequestered halls of academia and joining the real world forced me to reevaluate matters. So did my new-found faith in Jesus Christ. And so, by 1984, I was part of the Reagan revolution… and haven’t looked back since.
Winston Churchill allegedly said, “If you’re not a liberal at 20, you have no heart. If you’re not a conservative at 40, you have no brain.” Whether Sir Winston was the first person to boil down political evolution so succinctly is irrelevant. The point is that when you leave the theoretical for the empirical, liberalism goes out the window. It simply cannot survive in a world where hard work is not only rewarded, but also required.
Now that I am 36 years Democrat-free, I can offer help to others who are trapped in the clutches of a liberal addiction. When they realize that getting a good education and working hard at your job offers a higher standard of living than a government “guaranteed annual income”, they have a real eureka moment. The same goes for when the light bulb turns on in a liberal’s head and they finally understand that all of their “free” benefits actually come with a hefty price tag… plus “handling charges” compliments of Uncle Sam.
When an open-minded Democrat comes to terms with the fact that there are no free rides in life, he has no choice but to leave the progressive plantation. In fact, there is very little difference between progressivism and the old sharecropper system. Both systems result in people working hard for next to nothing while someone else enjoys the fruits of their labor.
Yep, it is time to jump ship, my Democrat friends. The party of Harry Truman and JFK is no more. Instead, it is being skippered by Bernie Sanders, AOC, and the rest of The Squad. Even Nancy Pelosi will be made to walk the plank once she out-serves her usefulness. As for Joe Biden, I predict that – should he be elected – he will be tossed overboard before his first term (and possibly his first year) is completed.
Meanwhile, there is plenty of room on the Good Ship Conservatism. After all, it was constructed with quality constitutional materials by skilled craftsman with names like Reagan, Buckley, Gingrich, and Limbaugh. So, flee the dark side and run to the light… and may the force be with you!
_
Dale Glading is an ordained minister and former N.J. Republican candidate for Congress.
