Whole Food Republicans

While catching up on my newspaper reading this morning, I read an editorial in the WSJ that used a new term, to me anyway, that I find appealing...a Whole Food Republican. I generally use the term crunchy conservative to describe my political/lifestyle views but I like this one a lot too even though I don't consider myself a Republican (more of a Libertarian really). However, this term is an ode to the fact that you can be a cloth diping, organic food eating, raw milk drinking, homebirthing, herb swallowing, alternative medicine using, extended breastfeeding, skipping vaxes kind of gal and still be a down with being a conservative and follower of Christ. I think most people equate shopping at Whole Foods, veggie co-ops, leading an environmentally responsible lifestyle, homebirth and herbs as things that line up with being a liberal politically speaking and perhaps leaning New Age religiously speaking. Tree hugging in general definitely seems to be the province of the Left. However, to me, conservatism and these choices go hand and hand. It is all about personal liberty. The less rules the government makes, the more each person can make choices that best suit their family. Big government gets in the way of that process more often than not.

I know others like me exist, I meet them on line all the time. I just don't see them very often in everyday life though and I never see them in the pews next to me at church. I see conservatives for sure, and I see those who are "crunchy" but rarely the combo of the two.(Don't get me wrong, there are lots of very nice folks in my life and church and being crunchy or conservative is NOT *the* thing that makes great friends or great people in general. In fact in the grand scheme of things it is a minor detail.) That being said, it was fantastic to see an article about people like me in the Wall Street Journal. I feel very cool and loved after getting some press!