Must Read

This post from a few days ago at David Frum's site:

I am an old Republican. I am religious, yet not a fanatic. I am a free-marketer; yet, I believe in the role of the government as a fair evenhanded referee. I am socially conservative; yet, I believe that my lesbian niece and my gay grandchild should have the full protection of the law and live as free Americans enjoying every aspect of our society with no prejudices and/or restrictions. Nowadays, my political and socio-economic profile would make me a Marxist, not a Republican.

Currey lays it out very sensibly and -- dare I say it? -- rationally, which is not something I see in the Republican party as it's presently constituted.

I almost never voted a straight ticket before Bush II -- now I can't bring myself to vote for a Republican, even on the local or state level, for the simple reason that, as sensible as they may be, they are still tied to a party that has left reason far behind. That's the only reason I didn't vote for Judy Baar Topinka in the last gubernatorial election -- I like her, she's got a head on her shoulders, she's a realist, and she would have been a hell of a lot better governor than Blagojevich. But the Republican party in Illinois, like the rest of the state parties, is run by rich, old, white, straight guys -- the kind of people who put Alan Keyes up for the Senate because none of the moderates in the party wanted anything to do with them.

Of course, the Democrats have become a big disappointment -- the party of lip service. I may continue to vote straight tickets, but I think it's going to be Green.