To be tattooed and Republican.

2009-11-12T22:44:00.000-05:00

So I often feel like an outcast in my own party do too one fact. I have tattoos. Not just one, but many. I had until the age of 27 considered myself a Democrat. I even ran for city council as a democrat and lost. You see I had always grown up idolizing folks like JFK and FDR and had considered the Democratic Party the party of freedom. Until I started doing my own research.

I have always been a fan of individual freedoms and lets face it the modern Republican Party has not always embraced this ideology. To me as a child of the 80's the Republicans seemed to be the party of excess. Fast cars, stockbrokers, and the like. Things that I was never apart off.

The local Republicans I knew, which were few at the time, never seemed to inviting be of young people. This all changed when started to work at a local country club. Soon many local Republican higher ups started chumming me up and seemed to take an interest in what I thought about politics since I have always been forthcoming with my ideals. This kind of got me thinking about becoming a Republican but I felt it was a betrayal of all my beliefs.

Then one day the local Republican Chairman asked me how I'd like to attend the State Republican Convention as a delegate. I said sure but there was one catch. I would have to register as a Republican. I thought sure I will switch but I can still vote for who I want in the General Election. ;).

I soon went to the convention and felt a since of belonging. Except for one thing. I didn't look like the other delegates. I had tattoos. It was a few months later when I received a call from the same said Chairman and was asked a surprising question. How would I like to run for State Representative. I replied I was not sure that I was the person for the job. It wasn't a matter of ability once elected. It was a matter of would I be elected. I was told that he would find me a campaign manager and that the local party would lend monetary support. I was told that their would be fundraisers and heck even the state Republican Party would lend support. I took the bait.

I soon found out that this was BS and that the state had forced the chairman to put up a candidate and many suitable people had refused the offer. I was left out to dry. I received a little support from outside of family but not very much. I Debated my opponent who was a respectable foe. I was bitter at first towards my local party but realized it was one man and set out to quietly let local party members know what went down. They were sympathetic and know what kind of man the chairman is and I believe he will not be re elected.

I soon decide to get over my bitterness and now see the past as a learning event. I learned a lot about politics and learned that no one person controls the Republican Party.

For along time I was worried what other Republicans would think if they knew I was heavily tattooed. Would they think I was some thug ? Would they think I was immoral ?
I felt like I didn't belong. Then one day something changed. I realized that the Republican Party was the party of Lincoln. The party that freed the slaves and the party that says it believes in small government. I started to say hey THIS IS MY PARTY TOO.

Yes thier are those in the Republican Party who would force their moral beliefs down others throats. They don't believe in personal freedom. They believe in making other do what they consider morally right. I have something to tell them. Listen up. My generation of Republicans is tired of you Hi Jacking the Party ! We believe in a form of small government that says a government should STAY OUT OF OUR BEDROOMS. We believe in a strong national defense and that we should defend The USA and not be in other countries Oil Fields while America is vulnerable. We believe that Lincoln is turning over in his grave due to the Bush Admins assault on individual freedom.

Yes I have tattoos and yes I am a Republican. My personall fondness of skin art does not make me less of a republican than you. I will no longer be ashamed to look different than my party mates and I will do all I can to return my party to the principles it was founded on.

The Tattooed Blogger

To be tattooed and Republican.