I am rather amazed at all the things, politically, I get accused of being.  I have been accused of being a Republican, a Democrat, a neo-con, and a liberal.  These wildly divergent accusations cause me political identity crises all the time—but more significantly, I wonder what it means that an outspoken independent advocate can be so contradictingly accused in such short periods of time.  What does that tell us about our political environment in Cincinnati?

For example, when my father saw Michael Earl Patton’s lead story in The Cincinnati Beacon Print Edition, he figured Patton for a liberal.  Patton, however, is a registered Republican.  Perhaps my father, a lifelong Republican, still hasn’t forgiven me for endorsing Democrat David Pepper and opposing Republican Phil Heimlich.  My dad is upset that Democrats have taken control of the County.

Or maybe opposing putting more people in jail is a liberal stance.  At the same time, it costs money to jail people—so putting less people in jail is a conservative stance.  But Republicans are largely viewed as ones who want to build a new jail to put more people in it.

I’m getting lost…

I opposed Phil Heimlich’s plan to build a jail on a regressive sales tax.  I also oppose Portune and Pepper’s outline of a plan to build a jail with a regressive sales tax.  Because I oppose the outline of a plan put forth by Democrats, I am called a tool of the Republican Party, or a neo-con.  I am told I’ve been duped by people like Tom Brinkman.

I have been called a neo-con and an ally of Tom Brinkman on The Buzz by Curtis Wells.  However, I have made fun of Tom Brinkman’s list of sexual perversions, and this cartoon about Brinkman is still one of the funniest things I’ve ever had the good pleasure to publish.  All at the expense of Brinkman.

However, when Brinkman decided to jump on board with the NAACP, who voted to oppose the sales tax imposition before COAST ever made a public buzz, I was accused of being tricked by Republicans.  Why aren’t the Republicans being tricked by the NAACP?

I’ve heard that COAST and the political right are using the NAACP for nefarious purposes.  Why isn’t the NAACP using COAST and the political right for its own purpose?

Is Christopher Smitherman a conservative?  A neo-con?  A liberal?  A Democrat?

Call the Board of Elections, and I am a registered Democrat.  (Don’t worry—they told me I’m allowed to change my mind as often as I want.  I change my mind frequently about whether it’s better to be registered a Republican or a Democrat.)

For some reason, I feel like my natural inclinations are to support Democrats—but my reasoning tells me that they are all full of shit.  That’s why I consider myself a moderate somewhere between Green and Libertarian.  Usually people laugh at that designation.  It’s a type of moderation off the bi-partisan spectrum dictated to us.

I have heard that the people behind sock-puppet sites like The Daily Kos believe that people need to support the Democratic Party first, and worry about their issues later.  I call bullshit on such a notion.  Support issues, and make the parties follow suit to what the people really want.

I think an imposed sales tax for a jail is not something the people want.  If that makes me a neo-conservative liberal Republicrat, I guess I can live with that.

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