Philly Democrats are not the party I signed on to in 1973. So I’m leaving.

I’ve been a card-carrying member of the Democratic Party since I became old enough to vote in 1973.

Fifty years later, that’s about to change.

I’ve been a free thinker even going back to age 18; someone who wasn’t willing to go along with prevailing political and social reasoning just because the majority thought something was right. I learned to vote for candidates based on their records, and whether some of their thinking and statements lined up with what I think. Sometimes that candidate might be a Democrat, and sometimes a Republican.

Living (and voting) in Philadelphia, it made the most sense to stay a registered Democrat, as that let me vote in primaries, when — let’s face it — much of our politics gets decided, given that whoever wins the Democratic primary will likely win the general.

But in recent years, I’ve questioned that decision.

My biggest doubts about the Democratic Party began to emerge in the years when Barack Obama ran for president. Truthfully, I got caught up in the idea that finally, the nation was ready to elect a Black man as president. That realization was enough to silence the concerns that were circling around in my head: Just because he’s Black doesn’t mean he’s going to help his people. I wasn’t asking for preferential treatment, but it would have been grand to see more economic investments in poor communities because that’s good for everyone.

That was the last time I allowed myself to be overwhelmed by race rather than reason when it comes to politics.

It stings me to say it, but the political party I signed on to in 1973 is not the Democratic Party of 2023. In my opinion, the Democratic Party has been taken over by a far-left progressive ideology that does not align with my more conservative perspectives. I’m now seriously considering committing what progressive Democrats might see as a moral and social sin — perhaps a grievous sin in their eyes.

I’m thinking of switching over to the Republican Party.

I can hear progressives screaming their response: “Why would you want to do that? Republicans are racist!” My response is: “Are all progressives antifa extremists?”

My reasons for seriously considering this switch are many, including the economy (specifically, inflation). Then there’s President Joe Biden, who in his inaugural address stated: “Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this. Bringing America together. Uniting our people. And uniting our nation.”

Watching and reading the news, I haven’t seen much of that. In fact, I’ve seen much of the opposite — our country doesn’t seem united at all.

Then there’s violent crime.

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Every single day in this city, someone is shot and killed. Most of the victims are Black men between the ages of 18 and 30, but the bloodshed can overtake members of every age group and ethnicity. Our elected Democratic leaders have poured millions into anti-violence groups that, in my opinion, are of questionable efficacy.

Some leaders point the blame at police officers and say they’re not making enough arrests. And, of course, when a particularly horrific killing happens, such as the recent Kingsessing mass shooting, the state legislature gets blamed for not strengthening gun laws.

I think the problem lies with progressive district attorney Larry Krasner, who took office in 2018. Since then, the yearly number of homicides has risen steadily, from 353 in 2018 to 516 last year.

That’s not all Krasner’s fault, of course, but I can’t help but see parallels. Especially as he shifts focus away from prosecuting people for illegal gun charges.

According to the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, compared with the last DA, Seth Williams, Krasner is getting fewer convictions in all felony cases, including robbery, auto theft, drug sales — and, of course, illegal guns.

According to a research study by the United States Sentencing Commission, people who commit a firearms crime commit subsequent crimes at a higher rate than all other offenders. So why aren’t we going after them?

I was a police reporter for 10 years for the Philadelphia Tribune. I don’t think the progressive philosophy works when it comes to violent crime; a tougher, hard-on-crime approach is what keeps our community safer. And in Philadelphia, progressives are becoming an ever-bigger voice in the Democratic Party.

I don’t think the progressive approach works when it comes to violent crime.

If I switch political affiliations, it’s not going to lower the murder rate. It won’t save lives. It will make me feel better personally, though, not to be aligned with people who seem to have a low regard for human life in pursuit of the progressive agenda. What happened to all the conservative — and even moderate — Democrats?

Some say Cherelle Parker, the Democratic nominee for mayor, is a tough-on-crime Democrat. But I don’t see enough talk from her about an aggressive push to prosecute and imprison violent repeat offenders. Anything else sounds good but misses the mark.

So I’ll keep inching toward the Republican Party until I see a tough law-and-order Democrat rise up from the ranks. That’s someone I would feel good about voting for.

Larry Miller is a former police reporter for the Philadelphia Tribune. He is a lifelong resident of Philadelphia.