Rave This if You Agree. Why This Life Long Republican Will Be Voting for Obama.

From guest writer, Phillip Geurtz

Some people can change.

For the first 15 plus years of adulthood I was a staunch Republican
supporter. Even as far back as the ’92 election, when I wasn’t old
enough to vote, I voted for Bush 41 in my high school mock elections. I
voted for Dole in ’96, Bush 43 twice in ’00 & ’04, and McCain in
’08. I’ve typically voted Republican in most off-year elections. I am
the son of a retired army Colonel. I was baptised by my Catholic uncle
priest and raised going to church every Sunday. I am a 36-year-old
hard-working white father of 3 from the south. I was the heart of the
GOP base for the last 15 years.

I will be voting for Barack Obama this coming November.

Not long after the Occupy Wall Street protests began, and 15 months
into my unemployment, I started to really pay attention to politics. I
did my own research, checked out sources when I had questions, and paid
attention to the news. I even went to my local Occupy demonstration,
brought my wife & kids, and listened to what they had to say. I
realized something in those early days of questioning my political
leanings. I realized that the ‘Trickle Down’ financial model our country
has used is fundamentally flawed and has been for nearly my entire
life. I’m not an economics major so I can’t tell you how its flawed, but
it is flawed. I look at most everyone I know and I see how hard they
are struggling just to live week to week, like me. I see friends
remaining unemployed for months trying to find something that pays
better than their unemployment benefits. My last two vacations were in
2007 & 2008 to take the kids to see the grandparents.

I was more of a fiscal conservative. I never subscribed to the social
conservative aspects of the GOP. I referred to them as those right-wing
nut jobs, even while I was pulling the same lever in the voting booth.
Now that I have renounced the party I’ve identified with for 15 years, I
find those same right-wing nut jobs horribly offensive to anything
Christian or even just decent in the world.

I used to say civil unions were good enough for the LGBT community.
All of the advantages of marriage without calling it ‘marriage.’ I had
no reason why I felt this way. I never considered myself a
discriminatory person, but I couldn’t bring myself to share the word
‘marriage’ with them. Then my wife and I made close friends with one of
her childhood friends, and his boyfriend. Over the last two years, this
couple has become our best friends. I see them make each other dinner,
go out together, and watch a horror movie together (not my cup of tea). I
see them hold hands, hug each other, and say “I love you, boo” more
than I tell my wife. I realized being gay isn’t a choice, it’s how my
friends just are. I also see how they pretty much love anyone they meet,
and whatever life issues you bring with you are perfectly acceptable.
If they can accept a middle-aged catholic republican army brat, I can
certainly accept them.

I see the Republicans blocking any move to improve the economy and
doing everything possible to rescind the rights of everyone other than
me. Abortion bill this, birth control bill that, voter
disenfranchisement, and the absolute destruction of LGBT rights. THIS IS
NOT WHY I VOTED FOR YOU!

After losing one job to some guy in Mumbai, India, losing another to
the Great Recession, I’ve come to realize that the Republican vision for
the country is geared toward one group of Americans, the 1% that has
all the money. The time of them feeding lies, discontent, and
of vilifying many of the freedoms this country should guarantee ALL of
its citizens is over. I DON’T BELIEVE YOU ANYMORE, REPUBLICANS and if I
have my way, no one I know will believe you either.

Now who can show me how to change my voter registration?