Mark Cuban: Why I'm Not A Republican (Or A Democrat)

Shark Tank star and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban sounds off on why he could be a Republican, but just can't bring himself to do it. 

Here's his reasoning, in his own words, reported by The Dallas Morning News:

Today’s game is trashing the Republican Party.

I would prefer to be a Republican. I want smaller government. I want smarter government. Just like most Republicans.

Put aside that I disagree with Republicans on most social issues. The Republicans have a much bigger problem that will crush them in every Presidential election until this changes.

The Republican Party requires that all their Presidential candidates Conform to Consensus.

If you don’t agree with every platform of the party not only are you called a RINO, a “Republican in Name Only." You are considered unelectable in primaries and become a source of scorn on Fox News.

That’s a problem.

Leaders don’t conform to the consensus. They create consensus to their vision and goals.

Leaders don’t change their positions mid debate. They welcome scorn from the masses because it creates the opportunity for dialogue.

Leaders don’t look backwards to condemn what has already been done, they look forward to create a better future.

Leaders are not dogmatic. They are principled and know that change is never easy, but when it’s necessary, they must lead.

The Republican Party does everything possible to discourage leadership.

They want dogma.

They want conformity.

They want to conserve their romanticized past.

That’s a shame. I wish they wanted to conserve the best of what America is today and find a leader that can take us to new places that make our future better.

I realize that’s not the way politics work in this day and age. And that just proves the point.

And btw, I know a lot of the same can be said about the democrats, but I don’t want to be a democrat.

Until things change, I’ll sit in the middle and think for myself. Unlike the Republicans.

Hey, GOP, are you listening? I couldn't agree more. 

How can you be a leader if you're taking a poll before you speak? That's the definition of a follower. You are following what is popular opinion rather than speaking from your own personal experience. 

Roger Stone, who was Donald Trump's senior advisor and on the campaign trail until last Saturday, addressed this very issue during his interview with Jesse Ventura:

Mark Cuban also recently weighed in on Donald Trump: 

I don't care what his actual positions are. I don't care if he says the wrong thing. He says what's on his mind. He gives honest answers rather than prepared answers. This is more important than anything any candidate has done in years.

Up until Trump announced his candidacy the conventional wisdom was that you had to be a professional politician in order to run. You had to have a background that was politically scrubbed. 

In other words, smart people who didn't live perfect lives could never run. Smart people who didn't want their families put under the media spotlight wouldn't run. 

The Donald is changing all of that. He has changed the game and for that he deserves a lot of credit.

Now maybe we will accept candidates warts and all and look at what they can do rather than what headlines they create. Congrats, Donald.

Cuban also told Business Insider he would consider being Trump's vice president if asked, though he said he would probably decline the hypothetical offer, stating: "I'm not cut out for politics. At least [the] way they are now. Maybe in the future if Trump truly impacts how the game is played" he'd consider running for office. 

And that's exactly what's wrong with American politics. Those who could make a difference, those who could lead and turn our country around, are put-off by the idea because the system is rigged.