The term RINO, which stands for Republican In Name Only, is a term that was widely used and accepted by the right when describing self-proclaimed Republicans who voted against the party or supported a Democrat or Democratic legislation. Several prominent Republicans over the years have been labeled as such: former Arizona Senator John McCain, former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, or in the most recent years, former Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. With Ryan, Cheney, and Kinzinger all being vocal "never-Trumpers," I heartily agree that they are all RINOs of the highest order. However, where I go one step further is when people like Kinzinger, for example, still call themselves "conservatives." 

I identify as a Constitutional Conservative first, Republican second. I do so because I understand that sometimes Republicans vote alongside their Democrat colleagues on a piece of legislation that furthers Democrat policies for whatever reason. Sometimes, though it is extremely rare, a Democrat will vote alongside their Republican colleagues to further Republican policies. There is such a thing as conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans, though these people are slowly being weeded out of their respective parties. I criticize the Republican Party at times when they forget about that pesky document called the Constitution, but primarily this criticism falls on the Democrat Party because they don't just forget about the Constitution; they flat-out ignore it, and quite often they walk all over it. 

What disappoints and angers me the most is when people claim they are proud and strong conservatives and in the next breath announce their intention to vote for a Harris/Walz ticket, all in the name of "Get Trump." Just so I am clear on this issue, you cannot claim to be a conservative and then consciously and proudly vote for a woman who had the record as the most liberal U.S. Senator and a man who embellished his service record and abandoned his troops when he found out he was going to Iraq. 

You are not, and cannot call yourself, a conservative when you advocate for and vote for a pair of radical leftists. You have lost all credibility that you may have had before that catastrophic decision to abandon not only your values but your country as a whole. I view people like that as we viewed Benedict Arnold when he betrayed General George Washington and defected to the British in 1780. You are a traitor, a turncoat, but more importantly, you have proven to the country, the Republican Party, and the conservative movement that you sold your soul. And like the British with Benedict Arnold, the left welcomes your betrayal with open arms, but they don't trust you and never will. You are merely a puppet they can parade around to show you off as a proud traitor to your party. You sold out your values because you hated a man like Donald Trump so much that you wanted to support the destruction of our Republic. 

I currently serve as the Executive Director for the Los Angeles County Republican Party. We are the biggest county Republican party in the country, with just over one million registered Republicans. We are the tiny pocket of Republicans in a county packed with over double the number of registered Democrats, and we are openly and proudly standing by Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance. I am a firm believer in standing up for and by your values, and while I believe that Trump is far from perfect, a Trump/Vance administration will do right by the Constitution and the Nation as a whole. I wasn't a fan of Trump in 2016; I supported Senators Ted Cruz and Rand Paul in the primary. When Trump became the nominee, though, there was no question I was voting for him over Clinton. When Trump decided to run for the 2024 nomination, I again did not support him in the primary; instead, I got behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. But again, when Trump became the presumptive nominee, I got behind him. 

I fully understand and agree that political values and ideologies can and do change over time; mine have. While I still have strong conservative ideals, I have some libertarian views as well, which is why I view myself as a Constitutional Conservative. I believe that the Constitution should be the guiding light to the use of government in our lives. Taking all that into account, I would be betraying myself and my soul if I came out today and said, "Trump's terrible, I'm voting for Harris." An appropriate thing for someone who really feels that they cannot vote for Trump to do is to abstain from voting on the presidential ticket, as elected officials sometimes abstain from voting on particular legislation. Voting your conscience is absolutely acceptable, but if your "conscience" is telling you to abandon your principles, you cannot then claim you're voting your principles. 

For all those "Benedict Arnolds" out there who are shouting from the rooftops that they are proud conservatives voting for Harris, you can never be welcomed back to the Republican Party. You have thrown your values in the trash, and the trash can is where they belong.