My Republican Manifesto, Part 1
Category: Red vs. Blue
June 7, 2010 | BY Byron Bradshaw
Hi everyone! Thanks for starting this journey with me – I’m very excited about the possibilities that lay before us, and am extremely grateful that you’ve chosen to come along for the ride. You’ve probably read a bit about me from my bio, and by now you can probably figure out that I’m the “Red” part of our little twosome here. I’ve titled my first set of posts “My Republican Manifesto” because I hope to give you all deeper insight to my cognition and as to why I identify with the Republican Party.
First off, I want to begin with a little syntax clarification. You will hardly ever hear me use the phrases. “I am a Republican” or, “She is a Democrat.” In today’s political landscape, too often are personal ideologies affected by party platforms. Personally I believe that individuals’ personal values should shape the party policies as a whole. Therefore I use the phrase, “I identify with the Republican Party,” because I believe it better portrays the association of political parties and their members. Too often the “independents” in our country (which admittedly is the largest percentage of our population) believe that they cannot vote for or identify with a party because they don’t agree with every single issue on a party’s platform, and that is simply not the case. If I can accomplish anything by writing, it would be to empower individual Americans to step up and let their political opinions be heard, especially by those who are currently heading our political parties.
Now on to a bit about myself: I know most probably have the preconceived notion that since I’m from a small town in rural Texas I was somehow “born a Republican,” as if there’s a small birthmark in the shape of an elephant on my rear end. While it is true and research shows that an upbringing normally has a great effect on people’s political beliefs, I don’t think that was the case with me. In fact, my parents and grandparents were very much “Southern Democrats.” To tell you the truth, I had no idea where I stood on the political spectrum until I got to the University of Texas. There the field of study is called “Government” not “Political Science” and it takes a very theoretical approach to the discipline. Within my first few months of studying, I found that “Republicanism” actually spoke to my personal beliefs. I could go into a very technical discussion of why I began to identify with the Republican Party by quoting Milton, Locke, and other political geniuses, but I think it would be a good idea for my readers to stay awake. So if anyone is actually looking for some “light reading” (ha), feel free to comment or email me and I can point you in the right direction. I was particularly by the ideas of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and the distinctions between rights and privileges.
In my next post I’ll delve a little further into the specifics of what those mean to me and what I enjoy about identifying with the Republican Party. Be sure to come back and read, because I’ll also deal with being a *gasp* gay Republican. In the meantime, be sure to read Tamara’s posts and to comment! We want to hear from you, folks!
“Education begins the gentleman, but reading, good company and reflection must finish him. “ –John Locke
Tags: Gen Y, GOP, Republican
About the Author
Byron Bradshaw: Byron is a recent transplant to New York City. Before his move to the East Coast, he was a Texas boy. He grew up on a small ranch outside a tiny town in Central-Northwest Texas. While a student at The University of Texas at Austin, Byron got his first taste of politics through an internship with a Republican state senator. After graduating from UT in 2008, Byron worked for a large Republican fundraising/consulting firm that provided advice in new media, direct media, event planning, grassroots, speech writing, and television commercial content to clients that ranged from State Representatives, State Supreme Court Justices, and U.S. Congressmen. During the 2009 Texas Legislative session, Byron worked as a clerk in the Committee Coordinator’s office. Byron lives with his partner, Scott, and their dog, Bentley. In his free time he enjoys tennis, choral music, trips to the “bark park,” and supporting gay and lesbian Republican organizations.
