Politically Homeless - Definitely Me

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

Politics these days are 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 9:

Even though I have lived in the U.S. for over 30 years now, I didn't become an American citizen until 2008, when I promptly registered as a Republican, mainly because I had such great respect for John McCain (and despite the fact that I had serious misgiving about Sarah Palin). However, as the next few years progressed, I realized that there was no room for someone like me in that party--someone who was fiscally conservative but who at the same time believes that climate change IS a real thing, thinks that same-sex marriage is perfectly fine and is firmly pro-choice. I also hit a rough economic patch and realized that the Republican Party had absolutely nothing to offer me, essentially telling me to go pound sand while at the same time advocating for more tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy. And, the rise of Trump guaranteed that I could not support a party that at times now seems more like a cult.

At the same time, I couldn't become a Democrat. While I now sympathized with many of the party's political priorities, I was dead set against the Iran deal. As well, I am a firm supporter of Israel and its right to exist, and I questioned the direction that an increasingly large part of the party was taking with respect to the Israel-Palestine dispute--and all of this was before the rise of Bernie Sanders and "The Squad", whose members seem to share a hatred of Israel (and only Israel among the other nations in the world) that borders on the pathological. I also shake my head at the seemingly shallow dismissal of anyone who disagrees with something that this wing of the party does as being a racist, or stupid, or both. How can you win elections or bring people to your side by insulting them?

So, where does that leave me? I'm not a Republican and will never be again, and of that I am fairly certain. I am not a Democrat, because it seems as though the most extreme voices get the loudest amplification. All of that being said, most of the time I'm okay being politically homeless, but it does get kind of lonely at times.

Sincerely,

Politically Homeless

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.