Okay.

Disclaimer: Rant not aimed at anyone in particular.

Yes, I have my political beliefs. Yes, in many of my circles (read: anywhere but my father's car or my grandfather's house), my political beliefs are unpopular. No, I don't like Barack Obama. Yes, I would have voted for George Bush if I had been a year older in 2004. I supported him then, and while he wasn't my favorite president ever, I wouldn't change that. Yes, I know that not everyone is going to agree with me, and I'm fine with that. I mean, my best friend is a hippie, I listen to Bruce Springsteen, watch SNL, and hang with the theater-y/indie music types. I'm obviously tolerant of other people's views.

So why the hell can't you be tolerant of mine? First of all, I'm not in your face about anything. I will intelligently debate if necessary, but it's not like I walk around going "HEY GUYS. I'M A REPUBLICAN. LET'S BUILD A WALL ON THE BORDER!" I actually keep kind of quiet (although, not anymore). But that doesn't mean I don't feel strongly about my politics. Actually, I feel VERY strongly about my politics. Politics to me is what religion is to some. My views come from a place deep inside of me, and I have held them for a long, long time. I didn't wake up one morning and say "maybe today I'll be a Republican." This is not a phase. I'm not going to grow out of it, and I'm not going to, as one person said, "move to New York City and forget you're a Republican." Sure, I've gone through questioning and reevaluation phases, but who hasn't? At the end of the day, while I may stray from my party on 2-3 issues that aren't even really of high consequence to me, I am a strong Republican, and I'm proud of that. My views are extremely personal, strong, and important. I am, after all, a political science major and not only active in, but the PRESIDENT of College Republicans, which should lead everyone to believe that I'm not just joking around when I say I love politics or that I have strong beliefs.

I have never, ever presented my views in an offensive way, except for maybe in private conversations with select family members, Emily, and Lauren. Why do I deserve to hear shit like "gatherings of the Republican party look like Ku Klux Klan conventions." FROM A PROFESSOR. The answer is that I don't.

Yes, I went to CPAC this weekend. Some of you would probably think that CPAC is a hate-mongering cult meeting, although no one ever says anything about Democratic conventions and conferences. I see the double standard is alive and kicking. And you know what? I HAD A BLAST. I will blog about it later. It was nice not having to deal with people constantly putting down my views, a welcome change after almost four years of a small liberal arts school in the Northeast, preceeded by four years of public high school in New Hampshire. I met a lot of people who I really respect and admire. I've been reading Ann Coulter's column for how long? (Yes, I read Ann Coulter. Deal with it. It doesn't mean I agree with every word, aka 9/11 widows as "harpies", but I love her). And to physically stand in front of her and talk to her was an amazing experience. Joe the Plumber was probably the nicest man ever (and don't give me the "since when is he a political authority?" bullshit. Since when is Oprah the authority on politics?). Rush Limbaugh's speech literally changed my life. And I was actually in the room for it, unlike about 6,000 of the 8,500 attendees that had to watch streaming video. I had a really exciting weekend. Please don't taint it with your comments, and please be respectful of my views. I don't think that's too much to ask. I just wish that I got the same respect that I gave out. For example, telling me you're happy that I had a good weekend "despite the fact that you saw people I can't stand." How about "I'm glad you had a good weekend. Period." Is the follow-up necessary? And what's even worse is that you admitted that you had no idea who most of them were. So you're judging me why? And then the other thing...we won't even go down that road.

In conclusion, I respect you. Respect me. It's not too much to ask.

Romney 2012.