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A few weeks ago, I shared that and why I changed my party affiliation from R to D. The reaction from passionate Democrats stunned me.
It wasn't "told you so," "about time," or "fine, but take a seat here." It was, to a person who emailed or commented, "I'm sorry your party let you down. There is a place for you here."
This stands in such stark contrast to literally every experience I've had in and with the Republican party. To this day, I get emails from conservatives telling me I'm not conservatives enough.
I've stopped reading reviews because this is the most persistent comment. The theme from Republicans is almost always "this is our box. You don't fit in it."
I am a white, middle class, Christian mother married to a man. I do not suffer from exclusion anywhere. Reflecting on the way people who identity as conservative react to me, it's so clear why the demographics of the party are becoming increasingly homogenous.
If the acceptable box keeps getting smaller, so will the people who fit in it. And if the contrast is a party that says, "hey, we don't have a checklist. Come in and be part of our sometimes chaos. You can help, too," it is very clear which party is going to grow in the long run.
And for me, this has made the decision even easier. I don't have to share every value with Democrats, but perhaps I share the most fundamental one: people are welcome and needed and appreciated. -b
