'Strong' GOP Needed as Democrat Counter, Says Singer James Taylor

Grammy winner and self-described “relentless Democrat” James Taylor, while speaking at the National Press Club on Friday, pointed out the need for a “strong Republican party,” words with which many conservatives may agree.

Although the main focus of Taylor’s topic was election reform, the singer issued a warning of sorts to the country about the dangers of an unrestrained Democratic or Republican Party.

“I think that by ourselves liberals would probably steer us to a sort of paralyzed nanny state, European style,” Taylor explained, adding, “And Republicans left to their own would head toward oligarchy of inherited wealth and power.”

“So I think that we really do need a strong Republican Party and a good dialogue between left and right,” Taylor further reasoned.

The singer spoke about his political involvement in recent years as well, sharing that he was “hugely motivated” to work for President Barack Obama’s re-election due to the “eight years of Cheney-Bush.”

“And I say it in that order on purpose,” he explained. “It was a tough time for me. I really suffered. It made me deeply ambivalent about my country. That we would choose that — even if we may not have actually chosen it — that that was what represented us in the world.”

Concerning elections, Taylor sees the need for a national holiday for the purpose of electing a president.

“We have a day off for 4th of July. For Independence Day, Patriot’s Day. Washington and Lincoln's birthday, Veteran's Day, we have MLK Day. Why can't we get a day off to go to the polls?” he asked.

His Democrat roots were reflected in his views on voter ID laws, as he offered the following: “These voter ID laws that are in the name of preventing voter fraud, I think, it’s a solution without a problem. …It’s just a bad idea in my opinion.”