Kurt Badella is the former GOP Rising Star, who writes about his switch to Democrats
Here Is What He Has To Say
In his words, “I became a Democrat a year ago and found my own voice. It changed everything. I wrote my truth, held my breath and waited. I now care about lots more things than I used to, and I’ve finally embraced my Asian-American identity”.

Kurt Badella First Year As A Democrat, Hear Him Speak
My first year as a Democrat has given me an appreciation of the gulf between the world views of Republicans and Democrats. Even how we digest and process information is so different. In the decade I spent working in Republican politics here in Washington, I don’t think I ever heard climate change come up as a serious topic of social conversation.
Shocking as it may be to learn, Republicans do not sit around and talk about the environment. As a Democrat, I feel like this topic is a consistent focal point of social conversations. In fact, I’ve found the same thing to be true about gun-law reform, racial inequality, social injustice and sexism. As a Republican, I just never talked about these things, but as a Democrat, I talk about them all the time.
Conclusion
Finally, he has to add that, I’ll tell you, being a Democrat is a heck of a lot more emotionally exhausting than being a Republican was, because I care about a lot more things than I used to. There must be some wisdom in the old saying that “ignorance is bliss.” It’s funny, because I remember as a Republican, we would often mock “bleeding-heart liberals” who are always “caring” so much. I think to myself now, what the hell is wrong with these Republicans who don’t seem to care about anything at all?