Political & Public Service
A Roosevelt Republican in a Trump World
A real Victory Voice Media track from the Political Commentary collection.
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I was raised on old Montana wind, Where Teddy’s ghost still rides the rim. Public lands were sacred ground, Not a thing you sell or tear down. Granddad said, “Protect what’s wild, Stand up straight, speak truth with style.” Now I look around and wonder when The circus took the place of men. ’Cause I’m a Roosevelt Republican in a Trump world, Trying to keep my compass pointing true. Everything’s upside down and sideways, Red feels nothing like the red I knew. I want the land, the people, and the purpose, Not the rage, the chaos, or the scorn. Yeah… I’m a Roosevelt Republican in a Trump world — And damn, it’s not the party where I was born. We believed in country over ego, Service over shouting on a stage. Steady hands and conservation Not a Twitter-fueled crusader’s rage. Where’s the dignity, the backbone, The grown-ups we used to call our own? Now I’m squinting at the headlines Like, “How’d the theater lose the throne?” ’Cause I’m a Roosevelt Republican in a Trump world, Trying to keep my compass pointing true. Everything’s upside down and sideways, Red feels nothing like the red I knew. I want the land, the people, and the purpose, Not the rage, the chaos, or the scorn. Yeah… I’m a Roosevelt Republican in a Trump world — And damn, it’s not the party where I was born. Maybe the old ways aren’t gone, just quiet — Waiting for the dust to drift away. Maybe courage still remembers How to rise and have its say. ’Til then I’ll stand my little ground On the values that I learned back home… And keep speaking like my father taught me — Even if I stand alone. I’m a Roosevelt Republican in a Trump world, Still trying to keep my compass pointing true. Everything’s upside down and sideways, But my roots know what’s real and what’s new. Give me the land, the people, and the purpose — Not the noise, the fury, or the thorns. Yeah… I’m a Roosevelt Republican in a Trump world — And I’m fighting for the party where I was born.
Behind the story
Why this song exists
“Roosevelt Republican in a Trump World” exists because when I say I’m a Republican, Theodore Roosevelt represents much of what I mean. I grew up in Montana with a father who made sure Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks felt like my backyard. Dad loved animals. He was our real-life Dr. Dolittle—the Rex Harrison version, not Eddie Murphy. He taught me to pay attention to animals, mountains, forests and the extraordinary country around us. Those weren’t simply pretty places we visited. They were something we were responsible for protecting. Growing up in Montana, one rule was drilled into me: Leave it better than you found it. That wasn’t a slogan. It was how we lived. You didn’t throw garbage on the ground. You didn’t leave something behind for somebody else to clean up. You respected the land because careless behavior could have real consequences. Even something as small as a cigarette butt mattered. In another place, somebody might toss one onto pavement without thinking twice. In Montana during fire season, that kind of carelessness can become a catastrophe. We were taught to field-strip our cigarettes and carry the remains out with us. Take responsibility for what you brought in. Protect what’s around you. Leave it better than you found it. That principle became part of my value system long before I understood it as conservation or politics. It also became part of something deeper. My faith lives in nature. If I have to put a label on it, I’m a pagan and a naturist. Mother Nature, the land, animals and the natural world are where much of my spiritual understanding lives. So public lands aren’t an abstract policy issue for me. They’re inheritance. And they’re not ours to destroy simply because somebody can make money from them today. That’s why Theodore Roosevelt has always resonated with me. His conservation legacy represents something I recognize as Republican: strength tied to responsibility, public service tied to stewardship, and the understanding that some pieces of this country must be protected for people who haven’t even been born yet. That’s my kind of Republicanism. Protect the land. Protect the wildlife. Protect the country. Do the work. And don’t confuse loyalty to a personality with loyalty to America. That’s where “Roosevelt Republican in a Trump World” comes from. It’s the companion to “I Didn’t Leave the Republican Party.” That song asks: What the hell happened to my party? This one answers: I still know what I believe. I’m a Roosevelt Republican. You don’t fuck with my country. And you don’t fuck with my public lands.
- Collection
- Political Commentary
- Mood
- Civic, pointed, message-driven
- Audience
- Civic audiences, campaigns, advocates, and listeners following public life
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