Since I turned 18, I've avoided declaring myself as a member of a Party because I didn't believe in the two-party system. I've never missed a general election, I simply chose not to identify solely with one Party or the other. I've always known that at heart I'm not a Republican, but there have been a lot of Democrats that I wasn't comfortable supporting over the years. So I registered, and remained, Independent.

Although I've always been on the liberal side of moderate, for the past 20 years, I've deliberately tried to find a Republican to vote for in each election, whether it be at the Local, County, State or Federal level. I've voted for Arlen Specter many times, and I voted for Tom Ridge as my Congressman and as my Governor. I NEVER voted for any hard-right Santorum types, but PA has always had moderate Republicans that I could grit my teeth and vote for. Hell, most of the time I would throw a vote at some Republican judge who was running for retention unopposed, in order to fulfill the goofy rules I had set myself - to keep myself "pure" as an independent in my own mind.

No more.

There is no longer a single member of the Republican Party for whom I could, in good conscience, vote. No republican has the guts to stand up to the criminalization of their own party, so they are all utterly worthless in my eyes. Furthermore, I am now aware of the damage that has been caused by the Lieberman-esque DLC DINOs and their "Vichy" style collaboration with the Republicans in power. I have therefore decided that the only way I can effect change is to participate in shaping the Democratic party into an actual, living, breathing opposition party, and helping to ensure that when we DO regain control, that it will not be corporatist Republican-lite dems we hand the reins to.

I would urge any other Independents, Greens, or even Moderate Republicans to do likewise. Once the country is out of immediate peril, we can go back to trying to build viable third-party campaigns, or whatever else we want to do. But for right now, the Democratic Party, with all its warts and flaws and shortcomings and limitations and conflicts and squabbles and imperfections is the only vehicle that is able to save our country. The Greens and the Libertarians, and whatever other parties might try and get traction are just too small. There is no way they can stop the Republican-Corporatist machinery. It's the Democrats, or nothing, folks. But the Dems will only do it if WE FORCE THEM TO DO SO.

So I apologize to all the long-time Dems for being so late to the party. Instead of distancing myself from your party as it Liebermanized itself, I should have joined and added my efforts to those of you trying to prevent that. I am so sorry that I didn't sooner. But I'm here now - and ready to fight. Let's do this.