I am official no longer a republican.

When I was growing up, the Democrats were the party of "welfare". That is what I was told, every time I asked what the difference between the Democrats and Republicans was. Growing up in the East New York section of Brooklyn, I saw my hard-working mother in the morning and at night, Monday through Friday. Of course, I couldn't see her on the weekend because I had to go with my father to that God-forsaken sandbar known as Staten Island. In the 1970's, New York City was not a nice place. Not having your single mother readily accessible made it worse. Seeing other kids with both of their welfare recipient parents made me bitter. On $54 a week ($26 for me, and $26 for my brother), my mother raised us. She worked hard, and with the exception of subjecting us to Catholic schools, she did a damn good job. So I wanted to try to make her life better when I turned 18.

I registered to vote in 1990, as a Republican. At that time, George Bush (the good one) was president, we (the U.S.) won the Cold War (under the previous administration, in which he was the Vice-President of), and things were pretty much going good. In 1992, I voted for Bush, and he lost. I voted for Guilani for mayor in 1993, and he won. I voted for Pataki in 1994, and he won. I didn't vote in 1995. I couldn't vote for Dole in 1996. He was such a douchebag. Guiliani got my vote again in 1997, but that was the last time I voted. Why? Because all of a sudden, strip clubs started being outlawed.

That was the first sign of the christian takeover of the Republican party, which ultimately led to the hijacking of the highest office by George Bush (the incompetent). I didn't vote for him, and in 2004, I was tempted to vote for Kerry, but he seemed as spineless as Bush was stupid.

In 2008, McCain, especially after chooing the dimwit from Wasilla, stood a better chance of seeing God than getting my vote, but I couldn't kin good conscience vote for a Democrat, even if it was Barack Obama.

Well, here we are in 2010, and I didn't vote, but I am planning to move my residence into the Congressional District that has Anthony Weiner as its representative. Maybe it is just a Brooklyn thing, but he is the only Democrat in my lifetime that I can believe in. I would fully endorse his run for a Senate seat or any other public office. Between 'christian values' and subservience to corporations and the rich, the republican party will never get my vote, ever again, unless Joe Scarborough runs for office again.

Of course, the Democratic party needs to follow Anthony Weiner's lead and grow a spine. Stand up and fight. The only way this country stays in the middle is if the left fights the right; otherwise, the middle moves further and further to the right, which is how 'right-wing' Justice Stevens ended up being a liberal.