We’ve been hearing the candidates debate, bicker, accuse, slander and whine for what seems like forever and there are still over six months to go until the presidential election.

Where’s the fast forward button?

There was a time I was in the Republican camp. Heck, I was a registered Republican in my early voting years.  But even as a registered Republican, I strayed one year and voted for Ross Perot for president. (younger readers, he was the Donald Trump of our time) Back then, the idea as I understood it was that Republicans wanted less government in our lives. Provide a strong defense and just let people live.  But somewhere along the line, the party evolved into the moralist party, the “God is on our side and we’ll determine your morals” party and when that happened, the far right fringe took over.

Everyone is allowed their own political opinion. We have a constitution that protects that.  No one is more right than the other, their opinion is just the way they’d like the world to be.  What has happened over the years is that I’ve become less “Republican” and more “Democrat”, but prefer to remain somewhere in the middle.

Topics such as abortion or same-sex marriage–those are choices, not mandates.  No one is going to force you to have anything to do with either.  If you view them as wrong, don’t do them.  If you choose them, well, it’s your choice.  If you start out by saying, “Well, the Bible teaches they’re wrong”, think about it: it also teaches that lying and robbing and coveting are wrong.  Disobeying laws of any kind are wrong. If that’s the case, why don’t you skip the next anti-whatever rally and focus on one of the less trendy sins of the world?  Maybe a petition to stop speeders from owning homes?  Or allowing people to discriminate against gossipers? (actually, I’ll sign that one)  If a sin is a sin is a sin, the Bible says you’ll have to ultimately be accountable in front of God.  I think it’s probably a good idea to take “God’s Law Enforcer” off your resume.

When you start legislating other people’s lives based on your personal religious beliefs, you’re heading down a slippery slope.  Everyone’s religion matters, right?  So the Hindu that is offended you’re eating that burger wants a constitutional amendment to ban beef.  Oh, so it’s only the way YOU believe that should be law.  Then run for king or queen and see how that works out.

I’m now at the place where I’ve gone from a “Young Republican for Nixon” (hey, I admit it) to someone planning to vote for Bernie Sanders whether he gets the nomination or not.

I said at the beginning of the campaign season that the reason there were so many Republicans running is that they had inside knowledge Hillary would get her party’s nomination, then would have to bow out because of the email scandal.  That being said, I’m bracing myself for the possible election of any of the remaining candidates:

Hillary Clinton–You thought Obama had a tough time getting things through with a Republican congress? I’m hoping if she wins, she’ll realize her victory was a “You ended up being the better of two evils” rather than a mandate.

Bernie Sanders–There’s no way that Republican congress will go along with his “Let’s beat up the bankers and give things away” plan, but I believe the guy has good intentions and a conscious. If there’s one candidate who is sincerely concerned about people, it’s Bernie. While he may not realize his vision, he could take the country in a positive direction.

Ted Cruz–He scares me more than Donald Trump.  While not a darling of the party, this Tea Party survivor would do everything in his power to make the U.S. a theocracy.  But again, he hasn’t made a lot of allies in the Senate and his caustic, self-righteous style would probably put us into four years of “Uh, who’s up next?”

Donald Trump–There was a time when I believed that our country needed a leader that’s more CEO than politician. Someone who would run the country like a company, being responsible with the budget and that would make America efficient again.  Trump’s mouth and crass style was attention-getting at first, that “anti-politician” that you think you want. But his outlandish and primitive-thinking comments have eliminated him from any serious consideration.

John Kasich–You know, there actually might be something there. He seems to have a sensible message going, but just can’t get traction over the side-show of the other candidates.

Other observations:

You keep hearing that Bernie Sanders doesn’t have a chance of getting the nomination, yet people keep voting for him. What does that say?

If the Republicans do manage to ‘Dump Trump’, Donald will be pissed and go off and run as an independent. That fractures the Republican and independent vote and gives whoever ends up being the Democratic nominee the election.

Don’t watch political ads on TV and let them influence your opinion. I live in the advertising world. Commercials are designed to sway opinions and political ones are among the worst. The negative half-truths fly everywhere and its up to you to flush out the truth.

I have friends that are dyed-in-the-wool Republicans and others who are life-long Democrats. Both would never consider voting any other way.  I guess my political opinions are too all over the board to be represented by one party.  This may mean it’s time for the Tim Party.

I never wanted to be a single-issue voter, but the increasing gun violence in our country has forced me to make that a priority.  I believe the rights of gun owners should be protected, as stated in the second amendment.  However, I don’t think a mentally disturbed person should have the right to go to a gun shop and get everything he needs to go out and slaughter innocent people.  That is not what our forefathers intended.  A solution is desperately needed.

Basically, I’m looking for a candidate that is genuine, sincere, that will eliminate wasteful spending, promote responsible gun control and lets people live their lives.  Am I asking too much?

Tim Hunter