Dear Republican Party,
We need to talk. I love you, but I don't like your friends.
From the moment I started dating paying attention to politics, I knew you were the one for me.
You stood for many of the things I believe in: personal responsibility, fiscal responsibility, strong foreign policy and being pro business. You had leaders like Ronald Reagan who wanted to eliminate waste, but were still willing to help the truly needy. I was hooked immediately.
But as our time together progressed, I started to get a little disappointed. Sometimes I felt ignored. You seemed more interested in your extreme right-wing friends than you were in me.
Despite my disappointment, I still remained true to you. I defended you even when I didn't agree with you on same-sex marriage. I defended you when I didn't agree with you on abortion rights. I even tried to defend you when some of your extreme constituents turned a blind eye to racism. This needs to stop.
No relationship is perfect, but you really have to give me more of what I need. I'm just not satisfied.
And I don't think I'm the only one who feels this way. It seems that many college students like myself are disappointed with Republican policies. Less than one-fourth of young voters (defined as ages 18-29) are registered Republicans. This is especially alarming when you realize that almost 40% of college students identify themselves as Democrats. You need to try harder to win our support. Don't forget that young voters make up one-fifth of the electorate.
I really want our relationship to work. I'm not sure you do. If not, I guess we'll have to break up. The ball is in your court. Let's see if you're really the one for me.
Signed,
Disappointed