Looking over the political landscape of our county, where Republicans outnumber Democrats by a 2-to-1 margin, I find some of the antics that take place by a few individuals very concerning.
I have used this term before and continue to use it: Closet Democrat. What exactly is a Closet Democrat. It is a person who calls themselves a Republican, often even going so far as to say they are a “lifelong Republican” – but in reality, their actions reveal something very different.
You will never see these Closet Democrats helping to elect or support conservative candidates, nor will you see them backing conservative policies. What you will see is their involvement in the recalls of our local Republicans. You won’t see these Closet Democrats standing against Democrats or their destructive policies that have brought turmoil to our county.
You won’t find these Closet Democrats fighting the policies coming from the state that have led Oregon to become:
#4 in homelessness nationwide,
#3 in drug addiction,
#47 one of the most unfriendly states for business,
#45 in education systems in the nation.
You won’t see these Closet Democrats working alongside fellow Republicans to help save our county and state from the cesspool of policies created by the Democratic supermajority. But you will see them at our local outlets, organizing recalls against fellow Republicans.
There are even a couple of Republican PCPs who fall right in line with these Closet Democrats. They do nothing to help fellow Republicans but are more than willing to assist Democrats in recalling local Republicans from office. You know who you are and what you have done. You are the worst of all—hiding behind the Republican label while doing the bidding of Democrats.
I don’t know what others might call these people, but I call them Closet Democrats. They are used as window dressing by Democrats, who point to them and claim their efforts are “bipartisan.”
Since the calls for recalling the commissioners began the very day they were sworn in, it’s clear this is nothing more than sour grapes from those who lost, joined by Democrats and so-called “Closet Democrats” trying to turn our county blue. Recalls should not be used as a substitute for re-elections.
This article really highlights the internal conflict within the Republican party in Josephine County. Its interesting to see how some Closet Democrats are using recalls as a tool to push their own agenda, blurring the lines of actual bipartisan cooperation.
You make an excellent point I hadn’t thought of – we are losing the ability to have true bipartisanship by these very people who are using it as a tool to push their own agenda. Very good point, thank you.