Goodbye, old party

It is hard for me to pinpoint exactly when my love affair with the Republican Party began. I always flirted with the forbidden during my childhood. While for many children that may have meant of smoking or tagging the sides of buildings with graffiti, in actuality, nothing was more taboo for a black Philadelphian than joining the Grand Old Party.

Yet one of the things that I prided myself on was my willingness to go against the grain — though, at times, my motivations were purely antagonistic. In essence, I was not conforming in order to be a nonconformist, which in the end still placed me in an easily identifiable group of people.

In my years of early development, however, this was better than what I saw as the blind allegiance of many of my brethren to the local and national branches of the Democratic Party. This is why I rejoiced when the Republican National Convention visited Philadelphia in the summer of 2000 and took even greater joy in the looks of defeat on the faces of classmates, teachers and family following the Bush v. Gore decision.

It took me until the 2004 presidential election to discover what it was about the Republican Party that attracted me. My loyalty was primarily to my God, and growing up in the Christian church, its Biblical doctrine did and still does dictate most of my decisions. So when President Bush began to employ much of that rhetoric in his stump speeches and in his promises to the Christian segment of America, I jumped right on board. In all of my naivete, I began to see the world of politics in black and white: the Democrats being the former, and the Republicans the latter. In retrospect, the irony in that opinion is perfect, given the view that many of my peers had of me as a "race-traitor," Uncle Tom and overseer. To this day, I wonder which people were enslaved in 2004 and what role I played in their enslavement.

As I grew more politically aware, I came to understand where I went wrong in my quest for individuality in the world of politics. One of the first claims that I began to reconsider was the notion of America as a Christian nation, and its success being inherently tied to this specific characteristic. While I am not refuting the power that faith may have for many individuals, myself included, what became clearer about this so-called Christian nation is its identity as a white Christian America, which many conservative politicians idealized.

More importantly, what was important for this segment of the population? Well, for one, as long as taxes are kept low, all is well in the world, because who really needs government assistance? More often than not, it won't be members of this group. This same group of voters supports a party that rejects proposals to raise taxes that will fund a war that does not pay for itself. This party once took pride in its call for fiscal responsibility, yet feels as though it can spend more than it takes in and all will still be well in the world. This stateside financial security definitely does not echo the sentiments of those who witness firsthand the steady decline of the dollar's worth compared to the Euro. Yet it is that very narrow worldview that renders the nation's public image irrelevant in the eyes of many Americans.

As long as government minds its own business, in their eyes, people eventually will find success, thanks in part to their Protestant work ethic. While this approach may promote a sense of personal responsibility and shun the ways of self-pity, it still leaves unsolved one of the largest issues with the other side of this belief system: the "everyman-for-himself" selfishness that places the blame of the unfortunate on the individuals. While this may seem like a broad claim that places the blame of the poor's plight on those who are well off, it is pretty accurate considering the voters the Republican Party tends to court.

The fact that most of the leading candidates for the Republican nomination view a debate on the campus of a historically black college or one about black issues on public broadcasting not worthy of their time indicates the importance they give potential voters like me. If 10 percent of the black electorate is not worth their time, neither are the issues that matter most to this group. Besides, in this Christian nation, God helps those who help themselves. How is that for a campaign promise?

The party to which I pledged my allegiance ultimately did not remain loyal to me. For me, this is not an issue of my defection to the Democratic Party, or any idealization of Democrats as the party for black people. Today's Republican seems very willing to appeal directly to the desires of a slim majority at the expense of dealing with issues like poverty or immigration. Republicans have proven that they work best in increasingly polarized polity that prevents any form of social progress or national unity.

Then again, this is not the goal of this party. Rather, they say that they stand for a return to the roots of America and a return to the Christian nation that they think this country should always have been. For them, the opinions of those outside of that nation did not matter then, and they continue to be irrelevant in today's campaigns. These are all of the reasons why I must submit my letter of resignation. Walter Griffin is a sophomore from Philadelphia, Pa. He can be reached at wkgriffi@princeton.edu.