For years, I have considered leaving the Republican Party. The things that I have seen on a national, state, and local level just frost me. I am going to change my party affiliation ASAP (as soon as I can make it to the courthouse to do so). I tried to give them one more chance, but can't take it any more. Here is a transcript of recent emails.
First email from me to a Johnston County GOP official:
My wife and I will both be changing our party affiliation immediately. We will no longer be registered Republicans, therefore I wish to cease my monthly contribution that is being charged to my Visa card effective immediately. Please ensure that whomever needs to know this information within the Johnston County GOP is aware of this.
After long consideration, a while trying to work with the local GOP, seeing its flaws, and becoming more than frustrated with what I have seen, we will be joining a third party. In the words of Ronald Reagan, "I have not left the [Democratic] Party, the [Democratic] Party has left me." Just insert GOP, instead.
I would rather spend the $12 a month on taking my bride to the movies or something.
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After I received a glib response containing several assumptions, I sent the following:
If that is all that you can get out of my email, then you have really missed my reasons. You really have no idea why someone would be disappointed in the GOP in this county? You assume it is because I lost an election? Dude, if that is what you see or got out of my email, please stop, think, and look at the organization of which you are a part. That is mighty puny and myopic thinking.
The Johnston County GOP is the most leaderless and aimless organization I have been around in years. I have heard stories of similar frustrations from others who have been a part of the party in the past. I saw many of the same problems years ago that I see today. I had hoped that they would have changed.
I have been thinking about changing parties for years. I only held on to the Republican Party since they were the only game in town, as far as I was concerned. I decided to give it one more attempt at developing relationships and getting involved before I even decided to run for office. It has nothing to do with losing the election. It has everything to do with how I saw things being run at the leadership level and the total apathy towards anyone but a clique of people. It has to do with the pathetic attempt at forming a men's group and leaving it to flounder. It has to do with the total lack of support when I did ask for information. It has to do with the total lack of communication or caring that I had heard about years ago and still see today. It also has to do with the shame I feel when looking at the state of the party as a whole on the state, local, and national level. I am absolutely disgusted at the wimpy mass of spineless corruption and compromise that I see at all levels.
For the record, since you brought it up (not me), NO the YR did zippo to help at RR Days. Nor with anything else. You are correct in that the county has typically done little work in municipal elections. For that matter, at the county level. I know men who have run for office at the county level here and gotten absolutely no support from the leadership. I was warned about this lack of desire to see that Republicans actually get elected. I was the ONLY Republican running for office in Selma. I guess that second largest town in the county doesn't matter to the party.
When we have a candidate running for ANY office, I don't care if it is "dog catcher", then our leadership should be on it like flies on manure. [I edited out this sentence just to be more polite, but it sure would have tied the previous sentence to the next. I am really trying to watch myself on what I write here, since it would not have been pleasant.] It is no wonder why I have heard dissent from other party members recently.
Look at the Democrat's web site in this county. Then look at our own. Just those two glances speak volumes as to the degree of care we have in our own camp. If you saw the Dem's booth at RR Days and what they were doing, you would see just a sliver of my frustration with this party. Why would I want to support that? Or be a part of that any more? I figured I would give the Republicans one last shot at winning my loyalty.
Since I would rather be stabbed to death with a plastic fork than become a Democrat, it looks like The Constitution Party is the only organization that stands as I do. I have been contemplating joining them for many years. But, I held on to the GOP with a fading hope and wanted to "give it the old college try". I have already been contacted by two leaders in that party with open arms. I have met several of the party's national figures. Even though they may be a small third party, I would rather be a part of a nothing third party and be able to vote any way I choose when in the voting booth than be ashamed of the group to which I belong.
Troy
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I have gotten no reply to this as yet. I did, however, see a cc sent to me regarding my monthly contribution:
Please find the attached request from Troy LaPlante to resign from the GOP and stop his monthly donation. I do not know the reason for this change of heart. Please fulfill his request immediately, make no further charges, and destroy any card information you have.
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I wasn't going to let that "change of heart" comment go unanswered and allow for room in interpretation or give way to gossip. That is one reason why I am posting all of this here, so there is no question as to where I stand or what I said. Here is my additional commentary:
For the record, since [name withheld] expressed it, I have not had a change of heart. I have had the same heart about this for years. We have been talking about whether to stay with the GOP or move on to another party for years now. I gave it one last try to work within the GOP, but just can't freakin' take it any more. [name withheld], since it was just brought up, I will copy and paste what I just sent to [name withheld]. I want there to be no questions or inaccurate rumors/gossip floating about. And NO, it has nothing to do with having just lost the election in Selma. Win or lose, my wife and I had already planned to change our party affiliation after the election was over. We decided to wait until all was done for the sake of consistency. I was even promoting our county GOP on my web site (now removed) since that is where my membership and loyalty still was. However, with my frustrations with my recent involvement with the local GOP, and the state of affairs with the state and national GOP, we have decided that there is no place for us in the Republican Party. This is a decision that has been literally years in the making.
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I have been thinking about something else that was said in one of the emails from this local GOP officer. Keep in mind that I did not say anything in my email about a lack of GOP help in my email asking to stop charging my Visa card. All I said was that we are leaving the Republican Party, please stop charging my card. He made some assumptions in his reply to me. This morning, I decided to address the one issue that bothered me in another email:
>>>Sorry you feel this way. I thought some folks (primarily YRs sponsored by the county) had tried to help you at Mules Days and RR Days.<<<
[name withheld], also for the record, I offered to help the YR and the party and donate/share my space at RR Days with them. It was never a matter of if they would help me, it was that I had offered to help them get out the GOP message, register voters, whatever. No overture was ever made to help me. It was my idea and offer to try to help the party. There was no plan nor interest in ever having the YR come to RR Days, yet it turned out to be the biggest RR Days ever. It took me two different attempts at contacting YR leadership in the party, since the first offer was never responded to. The second call I made was eventually returned saying that they declined the opportunity. Wow, that is party cohesion at its finest. I certainly had no desire to do anything at Mule Days for a municipal election, since that was in Benson and I am in Selma.
If you want more areas for improvement, I can supply them.
Troy
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OK, now all is in the open except for the glib email that I got from the GOP officer. I can post it all here, but I wanted to spare him and you. Now that it is all in the open and all that was said on my part in the open, I don't want any rumors or gossip from any Republican. It is now public record and your questions should be answered.
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