Hope in the Hullabaloo

I realized a long time ago that American political conservatism, as we know it now, is just not something that fits my worldview (a Teddy Roosevelt progressive and a FDR liberal).  And there are many instances where I simply cannot understand the logic behind some of the positions.  With that said, I also long accepted that there are black and gay folks who almost fully support American conservative ideas, and I think it is a good thing (honestly).  Monolithic thinking for any demographic group will eventually bite that group in the ass.

I bring this up because I find this hullabaloo with the group GOProud and the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) both disturbing and hopeful.  It is disturbing to me that groups are abandoning CPAC simply because an openly gay conservative group is participating.  I find the situation hopeful, because CPAC is standing behind its decision to allow GOProud to participate.  And I think GOProud was right to stand its ground to participate.

I am sure that for some people who read this blog regularly (thanks, by the way), my position might seem out of the blue, but I think it is important for people to be able to be who they are, even when it seems totally confusing (as I would hope a gay or black conservative would say about me for being liberal).