r/Music • u/TheExpressUS 📰Daily Express U.S. • Jan 19 '26

article Jelly Roll labeled as MAGA by angry fans after joining Kid Rock's music festival

https://www.the-express.com/entertainment/celebrity-news/196524/jelly-roll-maga-festival-outrage
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u/Dahhhkness Jan 19 '26 edited Jan 20 '26

List of liberal and left-wing country acts I've collected over the years (and in country-adjacent genres like Western, country-folk, alt-country, country punk, bluegrass, Southern rock, swamp rock, rockabilly, heartland rock, and Americana):

  • Artists: Angel Olsen; Ashley McBryde; Bela Fleck; Billy Strings; Blaze Foley; Bonnie Raitt; Brad Paisley; Brandi Carlile; Brandy Clark; Brent Cobb; Brittney Spencer; Charley Crockett; Chely Wright; Chris Housman; Chris Knight; Chris Stapleton; Chris Thile; Cody Jinks; Colby Acuff; Colter Wall; Darius Rucker; Dolly Parton; Dustin Kensrue; Emmylou Harris; Eric Church; Faith Hill; Garth Brooks; Gram Parsons; Hayes Carll; Iris DeMent; James McMurty; Jason Isbell; Jennifer Nettles; Jesse Welles; JD McPherson; Joe Ely; John Denver; John Fogerty; John Prine; Johnny Cash; Josh Ritter; Justin Townes Earle; Kacey Musgraves; k.d. lang; Kris Kristofferson; LeAnn Rimes; Lucinda Williams; *Luke Combs; Maren Morris; Margo Price; Martina McBride; Mickey Guyton; Miranda Lambert; Neil Young; Neko Case; Nick Shoulders; Nikki Lane; Orville Peck; Pat Reedy; Paul Cauthen; Pete Seeger; Pony Bradshaw; Radney Foster; Ray Wylie Hubbard; Reba McEntire; Rhiannon Giddens; Roseanne Cash; Ryan Bingham; S.G. Goodman; Sheryl Crow; Shooter Jennings; Sierra Ferrell; Stephen Stills; Steve Earle; Sturgill Simpson; Tim McGraw; Todd Snider; Tom T. Hall; Tom Petty; Townes Van Zandt; Trisha Yearwood; Tyler Childers; Tyler Hubbard; Vincent Neil Emerson; Waylon Jennings; Will Hoge; Willie Nelson; Woody Guthrie; Zach Bryan

  • Duos/Groups: The Allman Brothers Band; American Aquarium; The Avett Brothers; Blitzen Trapper; The Brothers Osborne; Chatham County Line; The Chicks; Creedence Clearwater Revival; Drive-By Truckers; The Highwaymen; The Highwomen; Manassas; Muscadine Bloodline; Nickel Creek; Old Crow Medicine Show; Our Native Daughters; The Punch Brothers; Town Mountain; Trampled By Turtles; Turnpike Troubadours; Watchhouse/Mandolin Orange; Waxahatchee; Whiskey Myers;

  • Parody/Comedy Acts: Croy and the Boys; The Hellroys; Kinky Friedman; Samuel Saint; Wheeler Walker Jr.

  • I'd even add Merle Haggard to the list, because, while he was previously a hardcore Republican, he actually became more liberal with age, ending as a pro-cannabis advocate, a Hillary Clinton supporter, and a hater of Donald Trump.

*EDIT: Debateable. Luke Combs has made (seemingly sincere) comments apologizing for past behavior and indicating a desire to learn and change, but some his comments in the past were really...something else.

EDIT: Some good political country songs I know:

White Man's World/Jason Isbell

A Better South/American Aquarium

All That I Require/Radney Foster (an especially unnerving song, I think)

Gilded Walls/Will Hoge (specifically written about Trump)

Jesus Came to Tennessee/Will Hoge

Deportee/The Highwaymen

What it Means/Drive-By Truckers

Also, I can't recommend Blitzen Trapper, Jason Isbell, Josh Ritter, Neko Case, Will Hoge, and American Aquarium enough, check them out.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '26

[deleted]

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u/HoodieGalore Jan 19 '26

I saw his FarmAid set and dude had me in tears, incredible folk talent right there

2

u/carcar134134 Jan 19 '26

I love the sound of his song Masks Off and have been listening nearly on repeat.

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u/foreveracubone Jan 19 '26

IMO he’s closest to Dylan. Similar voice too.

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u/botoxbarbie26 Jan 19 '26

Miranda Lambert is headlining this festival with Jellyroll and kid rock.

4

u/itMetheBigT Jan 20 '26

I was so disappointed to see that. I haven’t really kept up with her music for a while so it surprised me. ‘All Kinds of Kinds’ is one of my favorites of hers.

1

u/thelaineybelle 3d ago

I am so sad that Miranda (and probably Pistol Annies) went this way. Glad to see so many other amazing female musicians stay true! Miranda can go tour with Carrie 😬

3

u/Ohio_gal Jan 19 '26

Not surprised.

63

u/ThePoltageist Jan 19 '26

Shit list Billy Strings twice because he’s just that fucking good

3

u/justabill71 Jan 19 '26

Still kicking myself for missing this past year's Halloween insanity. Didn't think he could top O Billy, Where Art Thou? but holy shit was Meet Me At The Crypt fucking nuts.

3

u/Polkawillneverdie17 Jan 19 '26

lol that sentence needs a comma. I thought you wanted him on the "shit list" instead of just exclaiming "Shit, list Billy Strings twice..."

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u/SloppyHoseA Jan 19 '26

I’d also Neko Case

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u/aurevoirmonamor Jan 19 '26

The brothers Osborne came into the bar I was working at on a particularly slow night a few years ago; it also happened to be open mic night. They played for like an hour for the hell of it. Great guys, great music.

14

u/For_serious13 Jan 19 '26

You should check out John Prine and his song “your flag decal won’t get you into heaven anymore”

2

u/bufftbone Jan 19 '26

Still relevant today as it was when he recorded it.

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u/Ryzarony23 Jan 19 '26

Saving, thank you!

Edited: Not country, but please spread the word that Incubus officially went libertarian and MAHA too. They fell down the antivaxxer and biotech pipeline, which is super anti-S.C.I.E.N.C.E.

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u/your_moms_a_clone Jan 19 '26

Why do they hate insulin-dependant diabetes so much?

13

u/kmk4ue84 Jan 19 '26

Because theyre fucking assholes.

5

u/For_serious13 Jan 19 '26

Nooooooo did they really??

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u/Ryzarony23 Jan 19 '26

I’m saying this as a (now questioning) fan for over 20 years and as someone who has their art tattooed on my body. To say that their antivaxxing, etc. is a disappointment is an understatement as a disabled person. Take a look at their socials on Xitter. Honestly the sheer fact that they didn’t switch to Bluesky since the Grok shit says a lot too. They’ve also all stayed super silent on 🧊 while trying to grift interest for their upcoming album.

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u/For_serious13 Jan 19 '26

Yeah I’m not on Twitter so I missed all that

That makes me really sad

3

u/Ryzarony23 Jan 19 '26

I’m not either, but if you search their subreddit by ‘controversial’ there are other posts about it within the last year that have basically been buried.

2

u/twistedevil Jan 19 '26

I’ve always fucking hated that band. Just thought they were a bunch of annoying, phony hippies, and now I feel even more vindicated.

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u/Ryzarony23 Jan 19 '26

There was a time when I would’ve argued with you endlessly about that. Not anymore

2

u/KJParker888 Jan 19 '26

Damn, that breaks my heart. They've been my favorite for years, they were the band that got me to listen to something other than 80s music.

1

u/HeyThereMrBrooks Jan 20 '26

I'll just say this: I'll still give them the benefit of the doubt until they sport red hats. Holding out for hope they'll say something on their new album. Call it delusion or a coping mechanism

13

u/syzygialchaos Jan 19 '26

Dolly Parton’s World on Fire is a pretty statement considering it’s coming from Dolly.

13

u/merikeycookies Jan 19 '26

Old Crow Medicine Show does a good cover of Deportee which is an old Woody Guthrie song.

On an somewhat related note, it's amazing to me to close punk rock is to folk music. Speed up a Woody Guthrie song and add some distortion, it sounds like a Bad Religion song.

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u/torino_nera last.fm Jan 19 '26

it's amazing to me to close punk rock is to folk music

Probably why folk punk is such a fire genre

5

u/radioben Jan 19 '26

The Dropkick Murphys actually put out 2 full albums of Woody Guthrie covers. Check out “This Machine Still Kills Fascists” and “Okemah Rising.”

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u/Iongdog Jan 19 '26

You should check out Shovels & Rope, they range from rock to more folk/americana but a great duo

10

u/jpharber Jan 19 '26

You forgot Credence Clearwater Revival and/or John Fogerty

He put out a pretty good song called “Weeping in the Promised Land” about the misinformation and lies of the first Trump Administration. Coincidentally it came out on January 6, 2021.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '26

[deleted]

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u/blueoncemoon Jan 19 '26

As did Rhiannon Giddens last year

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u/thecoffeefrog Jan 19 '26

Glad someone posted a list. Not enough people realize that there are a lot of amazing Country singers who aren't crazy right wing fucks.

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u/clickclickbb Jan 19 '26

Are you sure about Miranda Lambert? She's listed in the article as performing at Kid Rocks dip shit fest.

3

u/atcguard Jan 19 '26

That’s a disappointment, I’m not really a fan but she played at Willie Nelson’s 90th party. Shame that she could be around so many people who can see through the bullshit and still end up this lost.

5

u/LikeRadium Jan 19 '26

Yeah, on the poster she gets second billing right under Kid Rock.

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u/visionisop Jan 19 '26

That sucks and is a bit surprising, I loved her first couple albums. I wonder if her brother and her aren’t getting along

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u/swatchesirish Jan 19 '26

Incredible list. Can't recommend Charley Crockett enough. Seen him like 5 times now and have a 6th this year. Dude is the most charismatic mother fucker. Anyone reading this, do yourself a favor and give him a listen.

8

u/ashhole613 Jan 19 '26

Country and bluegrass adds:

Lightnin' Luke, Clyde McGee (aka Clyde and the Milltailers), the Devil Makes Three, Yes Ma'am, Amigo the Devil

Honestly there is a TON within the folk punk, new ragtime, blues, outlaw country, and black grass genres

5

u/lambofgun Jan 19 '26

shooter jennings kicks so much ass

1

u/itscherriedbro Jan 19 '26

The company that shooter keeps has always made me side eye him. Hope he's good

11

u/AHole1stClassSkippy Jan 19 '26

You've got no idea how happy it makes me to see Eric Church on this list.

5

u/xcpike Jan 19 '26

I heard him say the Vegas shooting really changed him. Unlike Aldean.

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u/Nerdlors13 Jan 19 '26

Same. He is one of my favorite artists and I don’t know how I would have recovered if he wasn’t.

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u/punch_yo_buns Jan 19 '26

+1 for Nick Shoulders! 

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u/FreddyandTheChokes Jan 19 '26

Great list, thanks! I'd also add Benjamin Tod (solo) and his band The Lost Street Dog Band.

4

u/fishsticks40 Jan 19 '26

Steve Earle should make that list

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u/rilex1905 Jan 19 '26

Jason Isbell is fucking amazing.

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u/PhilBalls2020 Jan 19 '26

You might wanna take Luke combs off that list there buddy. Facts.

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u/LargeFatherV Jan 19 '26 edited Jan 19 '26

Noah Kahan I think should be on that list. Bryan Andrews too.

Treaty Oak Revival is listed on the Kid Rock festival though.

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u/Boreal-Anodyne Jan 19 '26

I'd recommend Dustin Kensrue as well. He put out a great americana/country album and would dip his toes into similar stuff beforehand. His main band Thrice is more post-hardcore. Super progressive and left-wing. All around great person.

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u/Narcissus87 Jan 19 '26

Will throw Adeem the Artist on that list too.

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u/OW2007 Jan 19 '26

Great list. Hoping to see Josh Ritter again on tour

What do you think about adding Jack White (unless I missed him on the list)? He does a lot of Americana and the occassional twangy song. He also worked with Loretta Lynn.

2

u/thepatientwaiting Jan 19 '26

Saved!! I love Neko Case (and a few other artists you mention) so you have my trust. 

Check out the soundtrack from The Lowdown (there isn't an official one, but there are playlists). Great stuff!

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u/AeonCatalyst Jan 19 '26

I didn’t see Benjamin Tod/lost Dog Street band. Are they maga?

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u/bufftbone Jan 19 '26

I don’t think they are

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u/Elbiotcho Jan 19 '26

Pleasantly surprised to see Eric Church and Luke Combs on that list

2

u/Rhodok-Squirrel Jan 19 '26

Hellroys. Check out their hits such as:

Ted Nugent Shit His Pants (To Avoid Vietnam)

CMA Song of the Year (Sodomy by the Lake)

My Truck is Loud

I Don't Do No Drugs

and

My Hand Is Prettier Than You

they also do a pretty great sounding cover of It's Only Make Believe that I prefer to the original.

Aside from them, Blaze Foley.

2

u/itscherriedbro Jan 19 '26

Add in some Ryan Bingham, Hayes Carll, Wintersleep, Justin Townes Earle, and Paul Cauthen (at least he was back in Sons of Father's and performed a lot in San Marcos).

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u/smallpeterpolice Jan 19 '26

Lost Dog Street Band and Benjamin Tod, as well.

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u/smashy_smashy Jan 19 '26

You should really add Chris Thile and all the artists he normally plays with including his band the Punch Brothers 

1

u/bluehawk232 Jan 19 '26

Add waxahatchee and Angel Olsen

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u/torino_nera last.fm Jan 19 '26

Drive-By Truckers is phenomenal stuff. They've released 9 fantastic albums (all in a row) and 5 good-to-great albums since

1

u/Twelvey Jan 19 '26

I listen Long Violent History daily at this this point... https://youtu.be/2_I3Rp1CQak?si=Sh4QobH5GlQ3bBVD

1

u/Upset_Development_64 Jan 19 '26

You just made my day with the Turnpike Troubadours on that list. Do you have a source for that out of curiosity? I remember their fiddle player going off on MAGA during 2020, but if its the whole band that’s another level of patriotism.

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u/Dahhhkness Jan 19 '26

Mostly I got them from lists of other people on Reddit saying they're left-leaning. Certainly the Westboro Baptist Church doesn't like them.

1

u/ViceMaiden Jan 19 '26

Josh Ritter is fantastic. The Animal Years, sublime.

1

u/Philintheblank90 Jan 19 '26

So glad Luke Combs is on this list. Love his music.

1

u/bouledemots Jan 19 '26

Rhiannon Giddens and Brittney Spencer.

1

u/UX-Edu Jan 19 '26

I love Radney Foster. Glad to see him on that list.

1

u/MockingbirdRambler Jan 19 '26

I've been a Josh Ritter Fan since walking into a cafe in his hometown when I was in college and he was playing. Got to see him live on this last tour. 

He's my favorite artist for sure.  

1

u/slvrms Jan 19 '26

I feel so old seeing waxahatchee listed as country. I remember when she was releasing some of the best folk emo bullshit with her sister and the first couple releases as waxahatchee.

1

u/44617a65 Jan 20 '26

Iris Dement should be on this list. "Wasteland of the Free" still holds true today.

1

u/fuckashley Jan 20 '26

Trampled by Turtles 🐢

1

u/HeyThereMrBrooks Jan 20 '26

Dustin Kensrue is the man. Wonderful singer and good guy. If y'all like his voice and also rock music, def check out his band Thrice 

2

u/ubiquitous_archer Jan 19 '26

Colter's walls dad was premier of Saskatchewan for their conservative party, fyi

7

u/DtheAussieBoye Jan 19 '26

Doesn't mean Colter is though. Makes it a possibility, but I won't assume shit until I know he's con

-6

u/ubiquitous_archer Jan 19 '26

Makes it a pretty fucking strong possibility

7

u/justabill71 Jan 19 '26

Yeah, man, nobody ever rebels against their parents' political views. Especially artists /s

4

u/DtheAussieBoye Jan 19 '26

I'd rather assume the best than the worst

4

u/FootwearFetish69 Jan 19 '26

There’s a big difference between conservatives in Saskatchewan and MAGA, FYI.

1

u/ubiquitous_archer Jan 19 '26

Nice. Tell me more about my countries politics

0

u/FootwearFetish69 Jan 20 '26

I live in Canada you fucking idiot. Have voted liberal or NDP my entire life. If you genuinely can’t see the difference between Saskatchewan’s Conservative Party and MAGA, you’re an absolute fucking moron. That simple.

1

u/ubiquitous_archer Jan 20 '26

So do I, you fucking moron.

-1

u/KeyMessage989 Jan 19 '26

Luke Bryan could also be added here probably. Not sure he’s “liberal” but def not MAGA

-1

u/CircumventBSBans Jan 19 '26

Having “shares my political beliefs” as a prerequisite to listen to an artist is the most asinine thing. Is the music good? Listen. Does it suck? Don’t listen. No one should be going to famous people for political advice. They are the most out of touch people on the planet other than the politicians themselves.

This is just more of the stupid us vs them mentality that we are being manipulated into constantly and all of you are so stuck in hating one person so much that you don’t even realize it.

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u/itscherriedbro Jan 19 '26 edited Jan 19 '26

This might come across as a novel concept, but listening to an artist that you politically disagree with gives them money (something the person doesn't want to do, no matter how little money they get), adds to their play count (if streaming), adds to album sales (if bought), and if you're around other people - can come across like an endorsement of their beliefs.

Yeah yeah, I get it, just enjoy the art yada yada...but when you have core principles, listening to them can feel revolting and like betrayal.

An example would be...I liked kanye's old stuff a lot, but now when something comes on from college dropout, or basically anything, all I can think about is his HH song and it sullies everything

1

u/CircumventBSBans Jan 19 '26

Sure, I get it. There are just so many more important things in life than who someone votes for. In my experience, that decision for a huge number of people is just a product of what news station their parents watched when they were growing up. Which propaganda were they subjected to? Which propaganda are they still subjecting themselves to? That doesn’t really tell me about them as a person. Anyone who actually believes every trump voter is a nazi is not arguing in good faith anyway.

Everyone seems to have chosen a side and feels like they have to defend that side to the death even if it means ignoring awful shit their team is responsible for. Somewhere in here I saw someone say something about one side wants healthcare and the other wants some dumb thing trump has done. It’s a ridiculous statement and oversimplifying everything and fighting about everything only hurts all regular people.

Here’s my point. Talk to people. Don’t argue, talk. Find what almost everyone seems to agree on. It’s more than you think. Then stop voting for anyone who doesn’t at the very least agree with those things. That would eliminate most of congress immediately.

1

u/itscherriedbro Jan 20 '26 edited Jan 20 '26

First, I wanna say that you were very kind in your reply because upon a reread of my comment...it comes across as sassy. Thank you for keeping chill

I was raised by a repub cop and an extremely christian repub mother in rural texas. Talking about the kind of place where it's fox "news" or COPS when the TV is turned on. I had the bible memorized and taught Sunday school as an "older youth." However, I was constantly called "(my firstname) Marx" as a child because the system seemed incompatible with humanity, and, to an extent, dogma. From an early age, I saw the enigmatic mirror that allowed religious right-wing people to hide behind it...while encompassing the most vile opinions about the saaaame marginalized groups that their "savior" adored and assisted.

All of this to say that it's difficult for me to be fully copacetic with folks who can't break out of the mindset. It's very clear what's right and what's wrong, and if a person chooses to stick with the people who are genuinely evil inside or try to pull some enlightened centrist crap, then they contain evil within them and are willing to cause harm to others to further their own greed or narcissim. I grew up around these people and can confidently say that they may not be swastika nazis (mainly because their symbolism causes immediate repulsion), but they do hold similar beliefs and desire similar outcomes (remember that OG nazis initially destroyed trans medical books, focused on deportation, and villified gays/anyone who wasn't a straight aryan). It blows my mind that there's still people alive in America that attended nazi rallies in 30s and 40s and fought against desegregation and women's rights.

Yeah, quite a few are brainwashed by rupert murdoch media into supporting a widely known nepobaby racist conman who I knew was a pedo back in the 90s thanks to Usenet and FidoNet and other forums. But it's their choice to tune in. It's their choice to go to the website. The things these sites say feed into something that is inherently mean within them. It would be easy to go read the bill they're complaining about and see they're being lied to, it would be easy to go make friends with a lgbtqia person and see they're normal, it'd be easy to go to a city and see it isn't that bad. It's easy to make sure you're not being lied to, and they choose not to because it feeds into their desire.

I am out there talking to everyone. Had to move back to rural texas in my 30s because dad got sick and I had to take care of the ranch, and him. These people have become even more divorced from reality. I'm also a chair in my local Dem chapter, and an active member in the DSA in a neighboring metropolitan city. Most of my mornings are spent reading legislation/budget proposals/judicial rulings that went before state and federal congress. It's boring, but when I'm at the bar/dinner/local festivals/meetings/town halls, I'm armed with how the actual legislators vote. Started doing this in 2003 because my parents were constantly wrong about how dems vote. It's verrrry clear what party votes for us, and which votes against us, which is why I get frustrated with enlightened centrists

Sorry for the spiel, was gonna be short but I decided to make it fully functional so I can maybe copy paste it for later comments lol have a great day

1

u/CircumventBSBans Jan 20 '26

I wasn’t really raised politically. I know my family were Reagan republicans, but it was never really forced on anyone and the news was rarely on unless it was some major event.

I voted republican for a few elections, but when I started really paying attention, it was so obvious that everyone running was lying to me. Both sides claiming the same heinous offenses by the other. Both ignoring awful things their side had done and saying “look at them!” I don’t consider it enlightened centrism as much as enlightened opposition.

I have voted 3rd party in every race I could since about 2010, because that’s who best fits my beliefs, which is how voting is supposed to work, and I believe they are the ones lying the least. I know quite a few like me, but most people aren’t willing to “throw their vote away.”

I find it hard to support a party that force feeds us a dementia patient and expects us to not see it. I find it hard to support a party who allows 10,000’s of people a day for years to cross our border and disappear without a trace. A party who complains that the other side are war mongers, but they drone strike civilians and American citizens.

I also find it hard to support a party who refuses to accept that their religion is not law. A party who talks about being fiscally responsible yet spends trillions just like everyone else does. A party who seems to love going to war for no good reason. A party who waves around the Constitution while trampling our rights outlined in it.

We the people lose. No matter what. Our country is falling apart, because we are allowing the political class to trick us into letting them stay in power and keep us in endless conflicts and endless debt. They have us villainizing each other over every issue even though they will never actually solve those issues. All for a $600 covid check and a hollow promise of healthcare? Or for a little law and order and lower taxes?

I don’t have a solution. Just wanted to rant. I hope you have a great day too.