The arrogance that leads to party loyalists’ implicit belief that the party is entitled to the votes of all who call themselves Republican or Democrat is likely part of what turns off so many from identifying with either party. As of June, 39 percent of Americans consider themselves Independent, a fraction 8 percentage points greater than those who consider themselves Democrats (31 percent) and 11 percentage points greater than those who identify as Republican (28 percent).

So I’m in plentiful company when I object to this assumption that I must score for Team GOP, or that Bernie supporters must score for Team Democrat. The party establishment and party loyalists take my vote for granted. It should not be. I became a Republican because I most identify with its party platform compared to that of the Democrats, not so I could score for the team by just checking the (R) boxes down the ballot (although I do vote, and mostly vote Republican). My state has open primaries, so my party affiliation doesn’t grant me any special access. It’s literally just a title.

My past votes for Republicans do not put me under some special obligation to vote for a candidate I see as unfit for office, or any candidate, for that matter. One could argue Trump isn’t even playing for our “team” (let’s call it Team Pseudo-Conservative). He’s playing for his own, or some new version of the team with a bench that’s becoming more and more hostile to folks like me. So why should I score for him?