Reconsidering My (Lack of) Political Affiliation, Part I

I really don't like to get into politics. I did in my last post about income taxes and here I am again with another "political" post. As it is, we are in some interesting times right now, brought about by the level of contempt, no, disgust, that both major parties have towards Joe and Jane Sixpack.

Make no mistake, the elites of both the Republican and Democratic parties think of you as a disgusting biological mass that has half the significance of a two inch turd in a Tijuana toilet bowl, a sentiment that they will put aside as they are out gladhanding for votes at county fairs and Oktoberfests during any election year. They are coming soon to a neighborhood near you to smile at you and tell you how important you are, and once the election is over they will forget what they said to you faster than Captain Kirk forgets the name of the red-shirted crewman who beamed down with him so that he could die before the rolling of the opening credits.

Yes, I'm mad as hell about what is going on. I feel a sense of frustration and anger that I haven't felt since 1994. Yesterday I read (and sent out to those on my email list who I thought would be interested) an article that appeared in the British press. The author commented on the level of voter anger here, which he sees since he's based in New York City, but which he doesn't read about in the American press since the American media for the most part isn't reporting this as they instead focus on how they can increase their ratings. Quite frankly, I am in the mood that there isn't a single incumbent that I am aware of who deserves to keep his or her job (with only one exception that I mentioned in an earlier post). I am chomping at the bit to vote out even the incumbent dogcatcher. Yes, it's that bad.

So why am I reconsidering my lack of political affiliation? Why am I considering giving up my status as a registered independent to join a party who I have even more contempt for than that party has for me?

Here's the situation. In Arizona we have an entrenched incumbent Senator who willingly lost a Presidential election since it was more important to suspend a campaign to pass a massive bailout package that the party he was running against wanted as badly as he did. Yes, I'm talking about Senator John McCain, who is one of the most vile traitorous bastards who ever entered the Senate Chamber (although I will grant that Arlen Specter is another vile traitorous bastard who is almost as bad). Senator McCain is up for reelection this year. I have never voted for him as Senator (I wrote my own name in on the ballot when he last ran for Senate in 2004) and I know right now that I will not be voting for him this time either. My initial plan this year was to vote for the Democrat who is on the ballot against them, even though I don't like the Democrats either.

Then J.D. Hayworth entered the race. He followed a few other declared candidates, and his entry into the race was enough of a shockwave to cause at least one of those others to abandon the race to support Hayworth. I haven't taken the time to scrutinize the record of Mr. Hayworth, but what is catching my attention right now is that the same media that is willfully ignorant of voter anger thinks even less of him than I do of Senator McCain. Also, Senator McCain, who in the 2000 South Carolina presidential primary begged Democrats to cross over and vote for him is now trying to amend the rules in Arizona that allow registered independents to vote in partisan primaries (if the parties allow it). The McCain campaign, which had it one way in South Carolina in 2000 is now trying to have it the other way in his home state in 2010!

His campaign is also savagely attacking J.D. Hayworth in the same manner that his campaign refused to attack Barack Obama in 2008. Yes, he played nice guy two years ago, and I can respect that, but I absolutely cannot respect anyone who would then change stripes and use a tactic that he condemned two years ago to a primary challenger who just might take him out.

The thing of it is, is that the Arizona Republican Party is in some ways, a smaller version of that panty-waisted milquetoast impotent Republican National Committee. We had a recall campaign against the Senator back in 2001 that they refused to support (the recall campaign was overcome by the events of 9/11). The Arizona GOP, which has in the past allowed registered independents to vote in their primaries is under some pressure from the McCain camp to suspend this rule since they don't want independents coming into the race to vote for Hayworth.

OK, fine. I happen to agree that you should not be allowed to vote in a primary of a party that you're not registered with. I have no problem with that. I really don't. However, if that party opens its doors to me and asks me to participate, I reserve the right to take them up on that. The issue here isn't whether crossover voting is right or wrong. The issue here is that Senator McCain is suffering from blatant hypocrisy when he asks Democrats for their votes in a state primary in 2000 and then tries to shut out independents when it's his ox that is being gored some ten years later.

Thus, the situation that is the title of this evening's post.

Yes, I am considering registering as a Republican.

No, I don't like to admit that.

The thing of it is, is that I may have to set aside that Bavarian stubbornness that runs deeply in my family just this once. I think that it is a matter of national importance to take out as many incumbents as we can in this election cycle. I can either attempt that in the primary, or wait until November.

Sending Senator McCain into retirement is, I think, very desirable. He has done very well in representing the media interests inside the Beltway but he has not represented Arizona. He bragged in one of the presidential debates about how he crossed the aisle against the wishes of his own party, beaming incessantly, and acting as if he were entitled to a Boy Scout merit badge for his actions. I live in a state that is overrun with illegal aliens, and McCain is more interested in them having the right to vote (and the right to a welfare check) than he is interested in representing my interests.

There is one way in which taking out McCain in the primary might backfire.

He just might decide to run as an independent, and undercut Hayworth, not to mention his own party, in the process. I wouldn't put it past him.

Part II will follow once I've had a chance to do some backup research.