Am I a Republican? Not anymore (I think)

People who have known me for a long time know that I have always been a little obsessed with US politics. It all started when I was a little girl. The political atmosphere in all of Central America was very unstable. The sandinistas where already inside Nicaragua. I knew that my parents were worried about Guatemala's future. Carter was the US president and it was an election year. It's funny... I was only 8 years old and I remember it all so clearly. It seems like everybody was talking about the upcoming US elections. My father explained to me that to Americans, who would win (Carter re-elected or Reagan), did not matter nearly as much as it did to us. Carter was not doing anything about the turmoil in our region and my father kept insisting that it was in the best interest of Americans not to let the Central American countries fall to regimes like Cuba's. The Republican candidate Gov. from California- Ronald Reagan got that, and promised to help out if he became the next president.
He won and when the results came in, I remember understanding how big it was becasue you could here fireworks all throughout Guatemala City (or maybe throughout my neighborhood). The ones that normally we hear at midnight on Christmas Eve.
That was the night I became a Republican!
Four years later I was staying with a family in Salt Lake City studying English and I was very happily surprised when I found out that my "dad" was the biggest Republican political junkie ever. They had fundraising dinner parties and I helped bake US shaped cookies. We placed a jelly bean around Washington DC and another one around Utah. The night before the election I volunteered to go house to house to leave door hangers encouraging people to go out and vote. When we celebrated the re-election of Ronald Reagan the following night, I felt as if I truly was part of that victory. What can I say, Iwas hooked for life. From then on, I would take a very profound interest in US politics.

The next 15 years passed and I was one of the proudest Republicans (mind you I was not an US citizen, did not leave in the US and was underage) alive. The university I got my B.A. from has very strong conservative economical views and a political philosophy leanning heavely towards the right. Needless to say, that school fitted me like a glove.

Those were simpler times. I was so sure of who I was (politically speaking) and what I believed in. So what happenned? Many things all at the same time... keep reading.

I was obviously very happy when the first Bush became president. Simply put, a Republican in office could do no wrong. I was disappointed when Clinton became president. To this day, I find some of the things he did reprehensible. Take the "morning after pill" for example. Making it so readily available seems absolutely irresponsible. I don't want to get into the abortion debate...

Anyway... when it was time for a new president I supported George W. Bush and I can honestly say that I am so relieved that I was not allowed to vote becasue I would have voted for him and would not be able to forgive myself for that mistake.
Ah... so this is where things start changing and my world started turning upside down. Yep, I guess. Stay tuned...