Joe Stanley

People ask why I’m a Democrat (and I counter that I’m actually more of a progressive, which isn’t just a subset thereof… but I digress), and at the end of the day, it’s stuff like this. We can both use different economic forecasting models, and believe America is on different sides of the Laffer Curve, but at the end of the day, I’m unwilling to budge on the belief that there’s a simple decency we need to extend to each and every person. We need to agree that no matter our circumstances, each of us is worthy of respect and equal treatment.

Now not every Republican or conservative supports the way these folks have voted, but that isn’t the point. From a meta-perspective, one party clearly works to enshrine these protections, while the other fights them outright or pretends the problems don’t exist. And when I need to come down on one side of the fence or the other, those values and priorities outshine all others in my book.