Commentary: Why this lifelong Republican is voting Democratic in the 48th District

I am a Republican. I have voted for most Republican candidates since Dwight D. Eisenhower. There have been a few exceptions. One was Richard Nixon’s run for a second term. Another was the second term for George W. Bush.

My Republican Party is one of fiscal stability and balanced budgets. It is a party that knew when to negotiate with other parties and to find common ground. It is a party whose elected representatives could find solutions without demeaning or insulting members of other parties. That’s not to say that campaigns were not lively. The failures and missteps of opponents were made dramatically clear during election time.

Today, my Republican Party no longer exists. It has been overcome by a mob of antagonists, which has resulted in both principal parties of left and right resorting to insult and defamation. Truth and fact have disappeared. Today, all news that does not support a particular point of view is labeled “fake.” Narcissism appears to be the rule. Self-promotion and self-enrichment by elected representatives is the primary goal.

Concentrating immigrants into camps and segregating children from parents contrary to law has become the new way. Demeaning and threatening imprisonment of people who disagree with the state and isolating national and racial groups reeks of experiences in Europe in the early 1930s. It is a sorry mess we are in.

Here in the 48th Congressional District, we have a congressman who has been in office 30 years, almost as long as I have lived in Laguna Beach. I have never heard him support a cause that was important to Laguna Beach citizens. He favors new oil drilling off California’s coast.

In an article in the Los Angeles Times (“Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, facing a tough reelection fight, ridicules sex assault accusation against Kavanaugh,” Sept. 20), he insulted women and showed his utter disregard for those who have suffered from sexual misconduct.

He supports the current administration’s tariff policy, which raises prices for us and reduces jobs in local plants and factories.

According to a leading conservative magazine, no bill introduced by our congressman in the last 14 years has been passed by the House. It would be difficult to find a sitting Congressman who has done less.

Challenging our incumbent is a new face, Harley Rouda. He is a former Republican (my kind), which is good news. He supports Planned Parenthood and women’s right to choose.

He supports common sense solutions to stop gun violence. He supports fair taxation that closes loopholes favoring the wealthiest and reduces the growth of the national debt. He supports Medicare for all as a solution for our health care mess.

He supports getting rid of the Citizens’ United Supreme Court decision permitting unlimited campaign contributions by corporations. He supports getting back to developing clean energy.

I support this candidate. I am a Republican for Rouda.

James S. McBride lives in Laguna Beach.