When it comes to living and breathing politics, it becomes extremely hard to keep yourself from screaming at the top of your lungs. The web that our political system weaves in this country is complex and really starts to drag you down.

Lately, when getting involved with the Republican Party in my lovely state of Illinois, I realized why the party is failing in our state. It’s the ridiculous amounts of Republican ideologies that have started to fight  each other for a “power grab”. The Republican party has basically lost its identity and footing in understanding how to truly grab hold of voters. Before I ran for Precinct Committeeman, one of my college professors gave me something to think about; he told me to get involved, experience the system, change things, but always stay true to myself. I promised him I would stay true to myself and realized that it’s the hardest way to enter politics. Everything I do has to be logically thought out and reflected on myself before I create any sort of play in the game. The problem is when you start meeting and working with other people. Everyone is battling against each other for some kind of recognition, some kind of advancement that will benefit themselves and what they believe. They don’t play fair, like they teach you to do in Kindergarten ,and they want to accomplish what they need to by saying or being whatever will make it happen. I think my problem is that I’m not looking for recognition, advancement for myself, or to make people believe in words that come out of my mouth. I want to teach people to formulate their own opinions, while looking at the bigger picture. I want to put my blood into what I work towards because that’s one thing I can state is true to who I am. When you start working with people who selfishly care for the advancement of themselves and their followers, you see the holes in their work. Usually it’s half-assed and covered with a trail of money that will be disputed among the enemies they created by not understanding the terminology of true teamwork.

The Republican Party in my state likes to create sheep and destroy those that question what is currently going on. This is where members of grassroots small-government ideologies, like the Liberty and Tea Party movements, get annihilated by the establishment Republicans in the room. The GOP needs to realize the power in coming together on true issues that affect the citizens. Does the party ever realize that the sole reason they are in power is because of the voters? Usually they only recognize citizens when the votes to get elected matter, and schmooze them like a used car salesmen. The rest of the time, everyone fights back and forth to advance their opinion and themselves. Then you wonder why people have become fed up with our political system. The selfishness  that has engulfed the Republican Party has completely destroyed the identity that was originally created. The only way they can start to make a difference is recognizing how to truly sell a stance, get a community involved, and connect with the voters in a way that will make them want to understand what is happening to their country. The right change starts with incorporating technology and education within our county parties. Becoming a tactful group of people, speaking softly while carrying a big stick, and using true teamwork with proper leadership qualities will strengthen us.

The frustration I have is that achieving that “utopia” will probably not happen in my lifetime. Trying to clean up that complex web of stubbornness almost seems impossible. Then I realized that I can’t clean it all up at once, or by myself for that matter. The great leaders throughout history realized the inefficiency of working alone. They created these little groups in one big tent, but only the select few realize the value of the working as a united group. This is the opportunity of the Liberty movement to bring back the founding principles to the Republican Party. Not with fighting or taking over the GOP, but by uniting the party’s core beliefs in our Constitution.  It all starts with getting involved in your community and local government, educating, and spreading the word right in your neighborhood. Then the trees planted will start to grow.