As a Republican, here are three common misconceptions about the Right

By Madi Oglesby | Opinions Editor

I’m a Republican.

Now, if my assumptions are correct, you probably just cringed. Maybe felt a twist in your

stomach, a ping of disgust, or maybe you just decided you were done reading and clicked off all together.

Though, I truly hope that isn’t the case for most of you, as I have much more to say on the topic.

This last election was the first that I was eligible to vote. I took this responsibility very seriously.

Especially considering the volume of the election and the fact that politics has seemed to take over every single form of media in the past couple of years.

I was raised in a very Christian and conservative household, something that I am truly grateful for. However, as I have gotten older, I have begun to find my own personal views separate from my parents. Which is something that is very important to me because I, now, have my own reasons to believe as I do.

As I have grown into my beliefs, voted for the first time and began college, I have seen that there are some really common misconceptions about Republicans as a whole. Within the past few months, there are three that I have heard most of all.

Every single one is controversial in its own right, so I would like to put out a disclaimer before I begin. All of this is my opinion. I welcome other beliefs, and I don’t think my stance is any better than the next. I just would love to put these misconceptions to rest.

The first most common one is that all conservatives are die-hard followers of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) Movement. While I am not saying that no one is a hardcore Trump supporter, I will say that – from my perspective – a lot of us do find him to be fairly problematic. Obviously, I voted for Trump and, most of the time, I don’t regret my vote. I believe that there are things he has done that were for the greater good of the United States. However, I also believe that he is very power hungry and cares more about being popular and coming out on top than being the true leader of our Great Nation.

I do not believe that the sun rises and sets on his timeline, and I do not believe that he is the best choice for president. Sadly, he was just the only viable option in this past election, in my opinion.

I have very strong beliefs about who should be able to serve as president and that there should be some serious reformation in the factors that go into deeming one eligible for the presidency. Though, that is a whole other topic.

At least for me, I am not a Republican that finds him to be perfection. Particularly the way he has carried out a lot of his orders and laws. Which guides us to our second point. It seems that most people hear the word “Republican” and assume that we all support everything that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has done in recent months.

It seems that not a week has gone by recently in which a violent act by ICE has not been top headlines in the news. People have died, aggressively been taken to prisons, and treated completely unfairly.

I support the idea that illegal immigrants are illegal. Meaning, they should not have come to the United States under the radar. We have ways that someone can enter this country legally, and I believe that is always the way someone should go in order to come here.Not all illegal immigrants are violent. Not all of them deserve to be treated as murderers. ICE has been the reason why too many people have died, and I do not support the murder of anyone.

I think that these immigrants, unless proven to have committed crimes, should be given the opportunity to come here the right way– civilly.

The final misconception I’ve heard the most is that we are all radicals and are completely close-minded. I’m sure the same assumption is had for Democrats as well. Sadly, in this overly politicized society that we live in, you are either a radical or you know nothing at all. At least, that’s what we think.

Something I think is important to point out, though, is that not all of us are like that. On either side.

Being a college student in particular, this age group is the loudest politically, from what I’ve seen.

Both sides are constantly at each other’s throats. I’ve even seen friendships end because of the differences in political beliefs. But, not all of us are like that.

I am friends with Republicans and I am friends with Democrats. It doesn’t matter all that much to me. We may have some moral and belief differences, but I do not believe that my side is perfect and that it should cause me to lose a friendship.

Though I am not very vocal about my political stance and I try not to immerse myself completely into politics as I once did, I felt it would be a good idea to share these misconceptions. If not to change someone’s mind about the Right, then to inform on my personal beliefs.

This is a topic that I have become passionate about because of the division I’ve seen sown so deeply in this country. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me and I’d love to talk with you.

Contact Madi Oglesby at auoglesby@augusta.edu