I was President of the College Republicans. A veteran of 12 GOP campaigns, including a state party. I went to the Leadership Institute. Smoked a cigar with Tom Delay. Then I met the alt-right. I recently had someone tell me it wasn't around back then. BS. It was. #WhyILeftTheGOP
When a GOP "friend" in '06 no less, told me, "maybe Hitler had a point" at a bar in Clarendon (Arlington, VA), I knew that no matter where I thought we aligned, I couldn't be in this party. I cried in '08 having voted for @BarackObama as my first Dem ever. I knew what it meant.
So I left the GOP. And slowly, I came to see the authoritarian undertones of every policy. Compulsory ultrasounds, reflexive patriotism, criticizing methods over message. Then I could see the racism... and what shocked me was that it was everywhere. Every policy has a ...
disproportionate impact on POCs. From education, to immigration, to healthcare. And it's easy to dismiss on the surface, but not actually something that can be ignored. Once you see it, you can't unsee it. It's pervasive. And that's #WhyILeftTheGOP
Here’s what I came to realize. If anyone gave the GOP the chance to prove they were right and good, I did. I went to CPAC, worked campaigns, and went through “candidate training.” I still walked away. Because of all the things I know, we deserve better than this GOP.
I'm just going to take advantage of this amazing response and tell you what I'm passionate about. This PAC is incredible and I think a tremendous way to change national conversations around policies that help working parents. Check out @ROF_PAC.
