Its tough being a Republican today

Written by Staff Reports Wednesday, 14 December 2011 00:00

To the editor:

These are confusing times to be a Republican. It reminds me of cable television. So many choices, but nothing good to watch. How did it get this way? The party of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan has become just another reality show, only with consequences that matter.

If we must pick an intelligent debater to beat President Obama we only have two choices: Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney. But think about what that choice means to our party. Integrity was once so important to us that Republicans voted to impeach Richard Nixon. Now, we abandon a man who had an affair on his wife (Herman Cain) for a man who had affairs on two of his wives (Newt Gingrich). He did this while he was condemning Bill Clinton. If you don’t like a philanderer, how do you feel about a philandering hypocrite?

The alternative is to nominate a man (Mitt Romney) who has flipped his position on abortion rights, gay rights, gun rights, immigration and healthcare. I admire a man who is able to change his mind when he is faced with evidence contrary to his belief. But what do you call a woman who tells you just what you want to hear in to order get something from you? Voting for him will only make me feel like a fool.

I have been told I’m throwing my vote away if I write in Chris Christie in the primary. That’s true unless the election is decided by one vote. A vote is something I want to feel good about whether the candidate wins or not. If we are willing to vote for clowns, we can only expect to receive more of them in the future.

Jim Tweed

Ocean City