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How do I join in on Clubhouse tonight? Or future Thursdays?

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A flabby word like "moderate" will of course get misused. I've voted Republican most of my life. In college I was sidetracked by the Conservative Movement, and I have shelves of books to prove it, so I insisted on that moniker. In the 1990s, Pat Buchanan sparked an interest in third parties, which we all know are doomed to fail. I was a Reformer but not a libertarian, having little interest in drinking, drugs, or prostitution. Now I listen to Steve Bannon's podcast every day, though I don't consider myself especially populist. I still think most dogs are better than most people. You can cure your love of long-shots by spending one day at Churchill Downs. When pressed, I call myself a Republican, but I prefer independent or moderate. I want to take one subject at a time, and I want to do it with a clean slate, if possible. I want to make my own judgments. They may not be original, but at least they are mine, not hand me downs. I've never been a good joiner or cheerleader. This is exacerbated by a natural skepticism, a mental habit of digging like a terrier, and a liberal arts education that has led to being called all kinds of things, like troll, intellectual, and Devil's advocate. Many of my literal questions are mistakenly read as rhetorical questions. Americans have always had a flair for exaggerating and mythologizing, from Paul Bunyan to the Great Gatsby. But you know, you get older, and you want to see things clearly, without all the gloss and hype, while your eyes and ears are still functioning. If only people could see how beautiful the world really is, they might not read another book, watch another TV show, or click on another web site.

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