Confession: I Have Voted for Republicans

Until fairly recently I would vote for the person, rather than the party. I have voted for Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and Libertarians. After seeing how, with the election of Barack Obama, the Republican Party had turned into a party that prided itself on racism and ignorance, I vowed I'd never again vote for a member of that party. (In reality the change to the Republican Party had been underway at least since the 90's, as Newt Gingrich turned his party into nothing more than an anti-Clinton caucus)

Republican platforms used to emphasize fiscal responsibility, limited government, a strong military (with strong international alliances), and free trade. While taken to extremes, all of these positions could be harmful. Government is not a business where profit is the prime motivator. Government cannot be so limited that we're run by oligarchs. Regulations are necessary to protect those who are not part of the 1%. Free trade cannot be an excuse to abuse workers or eviscerate unions. But they are also, in theory, good policies when balanced by social programs, investment in infrastructure, reasonable regulation and worker's rights. Republicans of the past, while tending to be conservative, were also willing to work with Democrats and come to compromises, balanced approaches to governance. Republicans and Democrats at the state and local level were often indistinguishable from each other. A mayor or a governor was focused more on strictly local concerns and not their fealty to a president or other national figure. 

I still think some conservative principles make for good government. Fiscal concerns need to balance our desire to solve society's problems - you can't just throw money at everything thinking money will solve everything. I believe a strong military is essential, although I also believe we should be more circumspect about when we get involved in other countries' problems. In general I support free trade without a lot of barriers like tariffs, which often accomplish nothing other than raising prices for consumers - protectionist policies should be reserved for circumstances where foreign businesses are truly attacking ours. 

But there's really not a choice any longer. Any possible pros of Republican governance are swamped by the cons of not only their cultish devotion to Losin' Don, but the party's transformation into a vehicle for mindlessly attacking anything progressive or liberal. The flip side of that is that any liberal Democratic positions that I am uncomfortable with are immaterial compared to the horrors of incipient fascism that the Republicans represent.