What's In A Name?

“I know not how to tell thee who I am: My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself”

Can we stop calling progressive Republicans “RINO”?

RINO, or “Republican In Name Only” is a popular term used to describe a Republican politician who does not behave as a conservative, as if that is somehow a requirement.

But I don’t really believe that term is useful or descriptive anymore, because “Republican” is no longer synonymous with “conservative,” and hasn't been for probably at least 30 years. It's way past time to stop pretending that the Republican Party and its members (save a few) are dedicated in any way to preserving conservative values.

It turns out that these days you can be a member of the Republican Party without being conservative at all. In fact, as the Overton Window continues to move left, you can actually be quite progressive and remain not just a Republican, but a leader of Republicans. (Mitch McConnell, I'm looking at you.) Conservative voters need to understand that they should not automatically associate an “R” behind a politician’s name with conservative values, and treat them as only a slightly less progressive option until proven otherwise.

In 2022 the name Republican means very little other than just another progressive politician, making the term RINO just as meaningless. Perhaps we’d be better served if we tagged actual conservative republicans as unicorns…but then again, what's in a name?

Unicorns aren’t real…