As a young man of college age, I thought of myself as a liberal Democrat.  As a young husband and father in the late 1950s I began considering myself a conservative Democrat, but I would vote for whom I considered the best candidate in every election.  I voted for John Kennedy in 1960, and I was a firm supporter of Lyndon Johnson in 1964.  In 1968 and 1972, I voted for Richard Nixon, but Jimmy Carter had my vote in 1976.  I was attracted by Carter’s evangelical Christian roots but was very disappointed by his administration. I was an enthusiastic supporter of Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984, and George H. V. Bush got my vote in 1988 and 1992.  As the Democrat Party began to drift further and further left in the 1990s, I abandoned that party and re-registered as a Republican.  Since that time the Democrats have become more and more radicalized, and I now vote a straight Republican ticket in every election.   I realize that there are some good Democrat leaders at the local and state level, but I cannot vote for them unless they take an open stand against their national party leadership.

Since I live in the very liberal state of Maryland, my vote usually counts for naught.