Still Politically Homeless

Real people, real letters, real problems, no solutions.

Politics these days have become so divided and divisive that it’s become the norm to view the other side of the aisle as “the enemy”. People are being told to “pick a side” and that there’s no room for middle ground. We here at Phetasy believe that there are a lot more people in the middle than politicians and the media would have us believe.

We’re collecting stories from the ever growing number of people who are finding themselves Politically Homeless and posting them here on Substack. If you have moved from conservative to liberal, or liberal to conservative, if you feel you’ve stayed in the same place and your party has swerved drastically away from you, if you had a moment that awakened you to the insanity and hypocrisy on both sides, if you keep your mouth shut anytime a political topic comes up because you’re afraid your opinion will cause you to lose friends or your job, you’re not as alone as you might think.

Our goal is to shine a light on people’s earnest, individual experiences and show them they’re not alone.

Some letters have been edited for clarity and brevity. If you’re politically homeless and would like to share your story, please email us at iampoliticallyhomeless@gmail.com. All submissions will remain anonymous.

Letter 38:

11/23/22

I am an adult life-long conservative. When I was about 19, I started listening to Rush due to a coworker, and I really identified with the personal responsibility and the small-government philosophies of the Republican Party. I've always believed in a helping hand, not a hand out. That things that are given for free are not valued and therefore wasted. I've had ups and downs with the GOP, but I haven't voted for a Democrat since my first vote at 18 for Bill Clinton. (Sorry, I was young and dumb and an Arsenio Hall fan.)

When Trump came on the scene, I was already aware of how he ran his business. He was not an honest dealer and he regularly took advantage of small businesses. I also found him unintelligent and unable to speak knowledgeably on any important issue. After he won the nomination, I changed my party affiliation to Independent to ensure I had no association with this man. To this day, I still cannot understand why GOP politicians have not distanced themselves further and faster from this man. His vitriol has certainly made political speech more aggressive and divisive and stopped "our side" from having any high ground.  

During the Kavanaugh hearings, I came back into the fold a bit due to Democrats' unbelievable actions to destroy him. However, President Trump's entire reelection campaign and subsequent lies about the election have once again left me homeless. The ugliness on January 6th provided the GOP leaders with everything they needed to excommunicate him, but very few did. I still can't believe how weak Republicans are when talking about how bad of a liar and manager that Donald Trump is.

Now I find myself not excited about anything for next year's presidential election. I like Ron Desantis, but fear the GOP machine and how Trump impacts the primary as well as people like Mike Pence seeking the nomination. I like the idea of someone like Tulsi Gabbard, but feel like that just leads to another Democrat president. I feel like the chances of the GOP nominating a true leader is either Desantis or nobody.

As a result, I have no hope for many issues I care about:

• The border and illegal immigration discussion is unserious and non-factual.

• "Transgender rights" should truly be a conversation about mental health and the disease of gender dysphoria, not something my kids learn in school.

• Congress should pass an actual budget for the country and spending bills, not giant omnibus bills that nobody reads

• The idea that a perfectly healthy 62 year old can retire and be on government "welfare" for 20 years disgusts me, yet somehow this generation feels they are entitled to do nothing for 25% of their life.

• The fact that it's okay to bash my demographic as evil, but not a single word about any others (White, Male, Christian, Conservative)

• A logical conversation on energy policy or "climate change"

In the past, I would get hope from politics. Desire for change from someone like Paul Ryan or Marco Rubio or even Newt. But now when I look forward, I see nothing but 50/50, lies, and bad political news coverage.

Still homeless. Still never Trump.

Independent Voter

Some letters have been edited for clarity and brevity. If you'd like to share your story, email us at iampoliticallyhomeless@gmail.com. All submissions will remain anonymous.