“…if any” — Yes, Mr. President, we’re still here

In an interview with the New York Times, President Trump comments on the low number of Republicans in Baltimore City. President Trump’s observations are correct; there aren’t many Republicans in Baltimore. The ones that remain need to continue to speak out.

On 19 July 2017, the New York Times released an interview with President Trump. During the interview, President Trump reportedly expressed his “discontent” with the Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein upon learning that Rosenstein was from Baltimore. According to the New York Times, President Trump said, “there are very few Republicans in Baltimore, if any.”

Why Baltimore?

I moved to Baltimore in 2014. Over the past three years or so, I’ve often asked myself: Why am I here? Why, as a Republican, am I in Baltimore?

Do I like hearing gunshots at all hours? Do I enjoy finding used hypodermic needles on the sidewalk? Am I thankful that I get to remove dirty diapers, empty bottles of cheap vodka, and carry out food boxes from my street’s gutters each day? Do I like the high taxes (property taxes makes up more than 55% of my monthly mortgage payment)? Navigating my car over potholes at every turn? Obviously not.

My heart breaks each day as I bear witness to the despair of drug addicted prostitutes on my block. Daily life here eats away at a person bit by bit. It takes a tough spirit to remain here, and sometimes I truly wonder if my spirit has the nerve.

As impossible as it may seem, Republicans do live their lives in Baltimore. They suffer along with everyone else while bureaucracy and corruption squeeze the remaining life out of this city. As a Republican, I’m not satisfied with the horrors I see. But, as only one of approximately 30,000 Republicans in a city of 609,000, what can I do? I express my disagreements with elected representatives in Baltimore, but they don’t care if they have my vote or not. They don’t need my Republican vote to win again.

Where is our voice?

Republicans have not held a seat on the Baltimore City Council in over 70 years. Baltimore has no conservative voice. Every day, I read in the Baltimore Sun about some policy issue or some liberal agenda item City Council is “debating” [read as: unanimously passing and then patting each other on the back]. With each increasingly obvious failure of Democrat politicians in the city, I wonder if they are purposely trying to destroy our city. I feel physically ill when I hear the disparaging comments about philanthropists and Baltimore police from that sick joke of a Councilman, Ryan Dorsey. I used to get angry. Lately, I’ve been sad.

Recently, a group of a few hundred conservatives in southeast Baltimore banded together to form a private Facebook group. Members of the group post commentary about various issues in Baltimore; citywide issues as well as issues specific to their neighborhoods. It’s a very active group with many new posts each day. As insignificant as this relatively small group may seem, I can’t express how personally valuable it has become for me. While I don’t live in southeast Baltimore any longer, it is so good to know that there are others who think and feel the same way about city atrocities as I do. They are just as vexed with liberal idiocracy as I am. In a sense, we’ve created our own “safe space.” I no longer feel as if I’m going crazy. The daily discourse of that page gives me strength and hope. I appreciate everyone who contributes to that Facebook group. It’s a refreshing fountain of wit I can scroll through any time I need a good pick-me-up.

Be the change you want to see; be the champion we need

There may never be a Republican majority in Baltimore. Despite that, we need to continue to fight the good fight. We can still work on injecting conservative solutions into the public forums of Baltimore City. We should boldly share our opinions. We shouldn’t shy away from publicly discussing our views out of fear of being shouted down or shamed by liberal blowhards. Let’s not resign ourselves to private social media pages. Others who have previously remained silent may be inspired by our courage to speak publicly.  Others who, like children, have blindly followed their preferred Democrat Pied Piper, may finally see how they’ve been conned.  Maybe our words will serve as the “red pill” others need to realize that liberal extremists and Democrat crooks will never save Baltimore. 

It’s not easy being a conservative or Republican in this city. I’ve been physically threatened. I’ve been verbally assaulted. I’ve been discriminated against. Honestly, I do get discouraged, but I hold firm to the belief that the adoption of conservative solutions is Baltimore’s only hope. Giving up is not an option for me. There is too much at stake here; too many people that need help.

We need a vibrant Republican who is willing to speak truth to power, break down walls protecting inefficient career bureaucrats, and deliver the cool glass of pragmatism that our fellow citizens are thirsting for. I have no doubt that Republican exists. Now is his or her time to step up. Would you support or assist someone who is willing to fight for our seat at the table? Is that someone you?

Although we are few…

Baltimore is not nationally recognized as having a large conservative or Republican population, a fact recently evidenced by President Trump. Yet, I’ve witnessed the enthusiasm that an online group of a few hundred Baltimore conservatives manifests. I must say that although we are few (“if any”), we are mighty.