My local Congressperson (Dem) is more of a moderate/conservative Dem, but went along with the Obama health care plan. Although I admire and respect her for many reasons, today I sent her an e-mail explaining that because of her health care vote, I would be casting my ballot for her opponent in the 2010 election.

Usually one vote does not turn me off a politician, but I feel that for her to jump on this particular vote indicated a larger problem. Perhaps it is difficult to buck the party now that she is in Washington. I don’t know, but I certainly don’t want a representative who just rubber stamps what the president and the house speaker wants. Not much of a check or a balance here.

Here’s where I am now. I am confused, first of all, with where the Republican party is headed. I am a registered Democrat but only because, as you know, living in Escambia County used to mean, you only got to vote in primaries if you were a Democrat. However, I am a conservative and have voted Republican since turning 18 in 1990. I want to change my registration, but I am unsure as to register Republican or Independent. One thing that I do know is that when you see who President Obama surrounds himself with, you have to be concerned and I don’t sense that with you. I am not a Bush apologist, either, but I see Obama doing exactly what he promised during his campaign – fundamentally changing America and I don’t think the change he is bringing will leave us as anything but a social state. I think the Democrats should be worried about 2010, but I think the Republicans should, too. If they (the GOP) don’t pull together, we are going to be seeing third and fourth party candidates collecting votes like baseball cards and effectively keeping the Democratic party in power to run things into the ground.