The girl without a party

Am I a card-carrying member?

Last night, I attended a lovely fundraiser at the home of a former local legislator.  Leaders from the Montana house and senate were in attendance as well as numerous other elected officials and former politicians, it was a fantastic turnout.  The lively crowd, great food and friendly hosts should have left me feeling optimistic about our future… unfortunately I did not.

I noticed several things last night I’ve been pondering since.  First of all, the number of those in attendance under forty could likely fit on one hand and each of us arrived together.  Is this because there were no young people invited, the young people just didn’t show up,  young people can’t afford contributions to political fundraisers,  or what?  How are we failing so miserably at making the Republican Party attractive to young people?  After all, we are the party that wants to give them jobs, we want them to be successful and decent people.  We want to improve education- not by adding to its cost, but by adding to its quality and value.  We want everyone to be able to keep more of what they make. We want more government to be smaller, more localized, less intrusive.  We believe in equality of opportunity as opposed to equality of results.  Who can really argue with those principles?

I also noticed that the vast majority of people believe almost anything that a politician tells them, regardless of whether or not it sounds plausible.  Naivety seems to override logic and basic common sense.  The National Enquirer wing of the party was in full force on the medical marijuana issue- claiming it is now a MULTI-billion dollar industry (up from initial exaggerated claims just a couple of weeks ago of one billion) and reiterating the outrageous claims of Montana being known as a “source nation” like Columbia.  Nobody mentioned the countless patients who rely on medical cannabis to control symptoms of debilitating disease, clearly nobody in attendance cared about those people.  Nobody mentioned the number of people who would be out of work if this law is repealed.  Nobody in attendance cared about those people.

I also noticed that I don’t fit anywhere within the party anymore, or maybe I never really did.  Sure, mainstream GOP candidates will accept my assistance come campaign time, and they generally tolerate me otherwise,  but most of them do not like me. The ones who are aware of my occupation, a state-licensed medical cannabis provider, generally either pretend they don’t know or are certain to steer clear of the offending subject.  I’m not accepted in the TEA wing of our party  either…. but who is? They claim to hate republicans yet one leader serves  as an officer on our county central committee  and the other relishes any opportunity to speak publicly on behalf of Denny Rehberg or Steve Daines. They claim to concern themselves solely with fiscal responsibility, yet they actively censor those with differing opinions on social issues.  One of their leaders referred to my industry as a cartel.  A cartel.  I wondered how many people at the event were afraid of me.

Is this how the tea party works with Republicans?

I am relieved to hear from the Republican legislature leadership that the GOP is indeed working on legislation that will likely create some jobs,  rather than only the silly and often frivolous bills the media has focused on.  A viable worker’s compensation reform bill is a key component in making our state’s business climate more friendly, microbial coal sounds interesting (something even liberals SHOULD love, but probably won’t), and zero-based budgeting will definitely promote more responsible spending.

On the other hand, a disturbing number of the GOP still believes being gay should be a CRIME and repealing our medical cannabis bill is the only solution to save our children’s futures.  Here’s a newsflash.  We may be young, but that doesn’t  mean we are stupid.  We have gay friends.  Maybe some of us ARE gay.  Maybe some of YOU are gay.  We can be morally opposed to an alternative sexual lifestyle, but the easiest way of dealing with that is to just not be gay then.  If you don’t believe cannabis has medical benefits, don’t use it.  It is as simple as that.  Small government Republicans are advocating government intrusion in your bedroom as well as your physician-patient relationship.  How hypocritical is that?  If you don’t like store fronts and dispensaries, don’t visit them.  The world is filled with things I don’t like.  I don’t expect (nor do I desire for) the government to solve my problems.  Since when is the government a substitute for good parenting?  Teach your kids to stand up for themselves!

I’m not becoming a liberal, no worries there…. but I am feeling like a girl without a party.