Am I Really a Democrat?

“What are you doing, Joe? You’re not a Democrat.”

I had a long conversation a week or so ago with a very close friend. And that long conversation hit me hard and got me thinking: Did I make a mistake becoming a Democrat? Am I really a Democrat?

This close friend is a Trump supporter—a firm, committed Trump supporter. When I turned against Donald Trump seven-and-a-half years ago, I lost damn near every friend I had. I lost all my supporters, all my former voters and campaign volunteers, you name it. But a couple close friends have remained close even though they are still Trump supporters, and I am not. This guy is one of them.

When I became a Democrat four-and-a-half months ago, this close friend of mine good-naturedly gave me a hard time, and he has pestered me, sent me stuff, and continued to question me ever since. “I get that you don’t like Trump, but you’re a Democrat now?” he asks with amused bewilderment. This has gone on for the last few months, always respectfully. Our call last week was the first opportunity we had to have a good, long conversation about it. And it was difficult.

He basically said: “Joe, you know I love and respect you, and I know you always do what you do because you believe it’s the right thing to do. I’ve never questioned why you’ve done anything. Supporting Trump at the beginning then turning against him—I get it. And I don’t question that you believe becoming a Democrat was the right thing to do. But, Joe, you’re no Democrat. I get that you don’t like Trump. I understand why you don’t like Trump. I understand why you’re not a Republican. But you’re not a Democrat.”

And I have to tell you, he proceeded to make some pretty compelling arguments that I found difficult to rebut. To make his case, he said, “Look, Joe, this is what Democrats believe.” Then he went down the line, policy by policy—boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. It was hard for me to listen to him, and it was equally hard for me to disagree with him. By the time he was finished, I was starting to believe he was right.

“Joe, you’re not a Democrat.”

His words keep echoing in my mind, and if I’m being honest, I’ve been quietly wrestling with this for four-and-a-half months. Am I really a Democrat? Did I make a mistake becoming a Democrat? I am posing the question to you, dear reader. I make the case for both sides below. Read them, then let me know what you think.

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Five Reasons Why I’m Not a Democrat

Could I be just a “Democrat In Name Only,” as a Substacker recently called me? If so, I may be the only American in history who’s been accused of being a DINO and a RINO. That’s a badge of honor in my humble opinion, because it means I can think for myself instead of toeing a party line—any party. We could’ve used a few more people like that in the Republican Party over the past 10 years. But still, that phone call has left me thinking that my friend and the Substacker might have a point.

• I support Israel. This is the single most galvanizing issue on the left since Oct. 7, 2023, and I’m on the other side of it—loudly and proudly. I’m extremely pro-Israel. I’m more pro-Israel than darn near anybody I know in this country. Forget about the Democratic Party for a moment. I’m more pro-Israel than damn near every Republican. I’m not where most Democrats are right now on Israel. At all.

• I love guns. I’m an off-the-charts gun rights guy. I believe in the Second Amendment every bit as much as I believe in the First Amendment. I wouldn’t ban any kind of semiautomatic long or short gun—not the AR15, not anything. I’m not at all where the Democratic Party’s base is on guns.

• I’m a free-market capitalist. I’m against corporate welfare for billionaires, and I’m against an unelected oligarchy of billionaires with unfettered access to power. But I’ve got nothing against billionaires. I’d love to be a billionaire. I don’t believe in large amounts of taxation for any American. I generally believe that most Americans should keep most of the money they make, no matter where they are on the income scale. If you create a product or service that becomes wildly successful, fills a consumer need, and allows you to provide dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of Americans with a job, why shouldn’t you reap the rewards?

• I still believe in limited government. Remember that? It used to be our calling card on the right. It still is for me. I’m not a big-government guy. I respect the Democratic Party, but they believe in a bigger, activist-style government to deal with the problems in our society. That’s not my instinct. My instinct is always to have a more limited, lean, efficient government. That means all the other aspects of society need to step up—our charities, our churches, nonprofits. Everything and everyone else has to step up and do their part. That’s my philosophy. I’m not where most Democrats are on the size of government.

• I’m not 100% pro-choice. I’m both pro-life and pro-choice. There’s a point in a pregnancy where a baby can survive outside the womb. After that point, unless there is a dire situation threatening the mother’s health, I believe the state must protect that life. That puts me on the same side as most Americans, but I’m not sure whether it passes the Democratic smell test.

I could go on and on. Immigration, healthcare, crime, LGBTQ issues, student loan debt, you name it. I’m a libertarian centrist. I’m a moderate. I’m, at best, a very conservative Democrat. I’m somewhere in the common-sense, get-shit-done middle. Nobody would ever call me a progressive. I’m not where most Democrats are on policy. So when my friend said, “I love you, Joe, but you’re not a Democrat,” he’s not wrong. If the criteria is strictly policy, I’m not a Democrat, and I don’t know if I’ll ever truly fit into the Democratic Party.

Five Reasons Why I Am a Democrat

On the flip side, I’m not where the Republican Party is on policy either. Being a Republican now means being MAGA and everything that entails. I don’t think the old Republican Party is coming back for at least a generation, if ever. GOP = MAGA now. That’s not me. Plus, I still believe in free markets, free trade, free speech, and defending Ukraine. Republicans don’t care about those things anymore. So I’m not a Republican. I’m independently homeless.

But—and this is a big ‘but’—I abhor authoritarianism above all. And we’re living in a two-party system where my former party has embraced it. So I must oppose it. It’s the only choice, and I told my friend that. While every day is a struggle, because I am so often at odds with the progressive base on policy, this is why I became a Democrat.

• I campaign for Democrats. After my campaign against Trump in the 2020 election was done (Republicans refused to hold a primary), I decided then and there to endorse and campaign for the Democratic candidate. So when Joe Biden clinched the nomination, that’s what I did. And in 2024, I traveled far and wide campaigning for Kamala Harris. I’m batting .500. I’ll gladly do it again, because Republicans must be defeated.

• I vote for Democrats. Unless and until there’s another political party strong enough to defeat Republicans—and that’s not happening in time for 2026—I will vote for Democrats. Easy choice.

• I endorse Democratic candidates others won’t. When Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic mayoral primary, I said immediately that I support him—even though we probably agree on very little policy-wise. Why? Because he is the Democratic candidate, and I support fellow Democrats and the choice of the voters. Meanwhile, a host of lifelong Democrats in New York and in national politics have refused to endorse him. I don’t get it.

• I am trying to expand the Democratic coalition. When I became a Democrat back in June, I emphasized that the party needs a tent big enough to hold Mamdani and me in order to defeat Trump and MAGA. At this unique, unprecedented moment in time, I’ve focused on two things: recruiting other disillusioned Republicans and right-leaning independents to follow me, get off the fence, and make the move to the Democratic Party, and kicking Democrats in the ass to stand up and meet this moment. It’s the only way voters will stop seeing them as weak and become enthusiastic about supporting them again.

• I believe in defending democracy, defeating fascism, and restoring the rule of law. As long as this is the America we live in right now, where our democracy and the rule of law are teetering and we have the very thing our Founders feared in the White House, I am a Democrat. If the Democratic Party is the only institution standing up for pluralism, our founding principles, and basic human decency, I am a Democrat.

Look, I’m smart enough to know that both bases and both extremes tend to be the loudest. You don’t have a lot of loud, moderate, centrist Democrats out there yelling and screaming. But I went to bed that night, after my long conversation with my friend, thinking, “I couldn’t win a Democratic primary anywhere.”

To be clear, running for office is not why I became a Democrat. I did it because the Republican Party, my former party, is an existential threat to democracy, the rule of law, the Constitution, pluralism, and basic human decency. That’s what the fight is about now. And I made that clear to my friend.

But I have thought about running for office again at some point. And just on policy alone—my God, how could I ever win a Democratic primary anywhere? I’d get attacked on abortion. I’d get attacked on guns. I’d get attacked on Israel. I’d get attacked on healthcare and student loan debt. I’d get attacked on all of that. And that’s not even counting all the unwoke shit the old Joe Walsh said. Forget about that stuff.

So if I’m not where most Democrats are on policy, and there’s no way I could win a Democratic primary, am I really a Democrat? Did I make a mistake becoming a Democrat? I don’t know right now, four-and-a-half months in. I have no regrets about becoming a Democrat, and I would do it again. I still believe I did the right thing. But the questions remain.

I don’t know how long I’ll remain a Democrat, but for now, I’m comfortable being one and calling myself a Democrat proudly and loudly. As long as my former party remains the threat it is, I’m going to support, campaign, and vote for Democrats. I’ll compromise and find my way with Democrats on policy. Maybe I can even help nudge them more to the sensible, common-sense middle. And who knows? If I do run for office someday, and I have to address this policy stuff more, I’ll get my answer directly from voters.

It was a hard conversation, but I’m glad I had it. It made me think and reevaluate, and those are never bad things. So what say you, my friends? Am I really a Democrat? Answer the poll below and please send me your feedback too.

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