I’ve been a faithful Republican since I was old enough to vote. In fact, as some may know, my brother permitted me to pull the lever for Senator Barry Goldwater in 1964, so I’ve been a conservative Republican for a very long time.

But no longer.

My lifelong political party has been seeking to divorce me for many months now, and, tonight, I’ve granted the party’s request. I’m now unaffiliated.

This saddens me. I never thought it would happen. I didn’t see it coming last year. And I hope that, perhaps someday, the Republican Party will return to its senses.

In the meantime, though, I see no real choice. Moreover, it’s one way that I know to make a statement.

A nice illustration from Matthew Continetti that encapsulates some of the problem: Mr. Donald J. Trump can allege, over and over and over again, that Senator Ted Cruz isn’t really an American. Mr. Trump can repeatedly call Senator Cruz a liar. Mr. Trump can mock Senator Cruz’s wife, Heidi, as ugly, and repeatedly suggest that Senator Cruz’s father, Rafael, was a conspirator in the Kennedy assassination. But, by dang, if Senator Cruz fails to bow the knee to Our Leader, and — instead — even goes so far as to suggest that Republicans should vote according to their consciences, that’s simply unacceptable.

Incidentally — in Utah, at least — changing one’s voter registration seems to be quite easy. You just go to this site and follow the instructions there:

https://secure.utah.gov/voterreg/index.html

There is, fortunately, some comfort in the fact that my wife has joined me in accepting the Republican Party’s request for a divorce.