From Republican To Democrat: What Made Me Change My Mind

This is an editorial piece and does not reflect the views or opinions of the Sumner County Democratic Party.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to SCDP Executive Committeewoman Kathy Ebbert for her willingness to share her story. This is an important topic and one that must be addressed, especially here in Sumner County.

The first time I uttered the words out loud, with witnesses, was only a little more than three years ago. “I don’t believe in anything the Republican party stands for anymore. And they no longer value integrity. I guess I’m a Democrat.” I said that to my husband of 35 years…a lifelong Democrat, with whom we agreed years ago to simply not discuss politics between us; and two friends who considered themselves to be independents but had also begun to lean more toward the Democratic party.

What made me change my mind? I mean… I was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1951. At that time, Tennessee was primarily a state that elected Democrats. My parents were Democrats. They weren’t “activists” …both of them worked too hard to have time for that. They were born and raised in Smith County, Tennessee, to large tobacco-farming families with little money. Their education was in a one-room schoolhouse, and neither of them was able to attend more than 6 years of formal education. But they always voted, and when they did, it was for a Democrat.

But somehow in the early 1960s, like many Tennesseans, their identification began to change. I can’t speak to all the factors that instigated that change, but I can tie my parents’ change of party identification to the climate around the sit-ins that occurred between February and May of 1960. My mother worked downtown every day at a Nashville department store where she made custom draperies and slipcovers. She was in the thick of it. Woolworths was on 5th Avenue and Harvey’s, my mother’s employer, occupied the entire block between 5th and 6th Avenues on Church Street. “The doings” were close, and it frightened her.

Then later in the summer, John Kennedy became the Democratic nominee for President—a Catholic! It was a bridge too far. Now my parents weren’t bigots and they were not loud or vocal about their beliefs. They were good, honest people who never mistreated anybody. They were simply raised thinking their world was small, while being taught that “colored people”* were to be pitied because they were not as capable of learning as white people. And, they were Southern Baptists, and were horrified at the thought of having a Catholic President! Of course, I was only nine years old, so I didn’t question any of their beliefs at the time. That’s just the way it was.

So, all the life I remember I identified as a Republican politically. I repeated all the tropes—small government, low taxes, mind our own business in international matters, and everybody needs to work hard for what they have, no matter what. No “handouts.” Nobody ever handed out anything to us. My brother, sister, cousins, aunts, uncles, classmates and friends… we all were Republicans. There was never a question or even any discussion about it.

I was fortunate enough to get an education (the first female in my family on both sides to get a bachelor’s degree). And I was even more fortunate to have elected to major in Computer Science and become a software programmer. I was able to parlay the subject matter and critical thinking I learned into a darned successful career. I traveled all over the U.S. working with educated people, lived in Europe and traveled and worked throughout Europe, Scandinavia, Africa and Japan, met a lot of people and was exposed to many cultures and ideas. I engaged in discussions and debates where I exercised great freedom in expressing my strong opinions…but I staunchly held on to my identification as being a Republican.

But I must admit that more than a handful of times…when I got into the voting booth, I pulled the lever for Democratic Presidential candidates. I always held that I was fiscally conservative, but I voted for the person, not the party. Integrity, intelligence, “doing the right thing, for the right reasons” …those were attributes that were the most important to me. So what happened? Why did the political identity I held on to for sixty years suddenly change with such passion and no regrets?

It was a long, and somewhat circuitous journey…one I will write about over the next few months. I want to imagine my story isn’t very different from the story of many people that consider themselves to be “good, patriotic Tennesseans”, except that in my case, my journey has resulted in a sudden and total change that was like flipping a light switch.

In accordance with the BLUF principle (“bottom line up front” for those that might not be familiar with that acronym), for me that switch flipped because of Donald Trump and Trumpism. I was totally baffled that “my” party had nominated such an abjectly amoral, crude, mannerless, incompetent, power-hungry and self-interested person to be President of the United States.

Now… that’s off my chest. And I promise that future articles here won’t be all about Trump-bashing. I’ll share key steps in my journey of life experiences and critical thinking that “softened me” for the flipping of that switch. Maybe there are others that are on the edge and can identify with some of the key inflection points I’ll share. I honestly hope so. Because I love this state and I love this country. And I am still baffled that the Republican party is still supporting the kind of character and politics that Trump and his supporters practice.

Perhaps others might join me in recognizing that the party left people like us…and might feel liberated to by giving yourself permission to admit to your family that you no longer think like a Republican. That you really care about character, integrity, and living in a land of opportunity where all people can enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Written by Kathy Ebbert

*The SCDP unequivocally stands against the use of racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise derogatory terms or phrases. This phrase has been used in the historical context of the story and is in no way considered appropriate for modern use.