Why are you what you are?

[DABearSoX]

Ok, so I got to thinking...Why am I a Democrat? Why do I feel that this is the better party?

 

Well I grew up in a middle class household with parents that did not goto college. My dad works in a factory and my mom works in an office at COD. I've always seen how they struggle to put me and my brother through life. Times have been good and times have been bad for their own economy. This is just a short back story, but basically the reason why I call myself a democrat, is that from the 24 years I have been on this earth the Democrats to me have shown that they are the people's party. They are the ones who don't care what you look like they treat us all equally. They work for the people to try to make theirs lives just a little bit easier everyday. They are the ones that are open to negotiation and don't respond too quickly before a judgment can be made. And most of all Democrats are the ones I can most relate myself too. They seem to be the ones that have my same outlook on life.

 

 

This is not a thread to ATTACK PEOPLE, or QUESTION WHAT THEY SAY. It is merely a spot to post your own thoughts as to why you are what you are. There really should be no quoting of anyone.

 

*Mods, if you think this is going to get too crazy delete it now. I just thought it would be very interesting to hear the reasons why people vote the way they do.

Edited August 30, 2008 by DABearSoX

[HuskyCaucasian]

I am an Independent who happens to support Barack Obama in 2008.

 

I was born into a middle to upper middle class staunch traditional republican / very christian family.

 

Around late 2004 / early 2005 I started to change, but still hang onto parts of my conservative christian up-bringing. I still oppose gay marriage and abortion. But, I also support universal health care, massive investments in clean energy, and getting out of Iraq.

 

I do not agree with the policies of John McCain and that is why I can not support him. But in 8 years after Obama is done and we have universal health care, out of iraq, and are moving towards renewable energy, I would have no problem supporting a moral conservative if I feel that moral issues are more important than the other issues of the time.

 

If it were up to me, I;d start a "middle" party that pulls a little form the left and a little from the right. But lord knows I dont have the time, money or political clout to do it.

Edited August 30, 2008 by Athomeboy_2000

[lostfan]

I think this thread is a good idea, I will post my thoughts when I'm not preoccupied.

[NorthSideSox72]

Why am I what I am? In terms of political affiliation?

 

I am not, because of what they are.

 

[kapkomet]

I think universal health care is a colossal mistake, I think the war in Iraq was justified but absolutely managed as poorly as one could possibly manage it, I think that the government needs to stay out of my (your) wallet and my (your) bedroom, and I think states' rights should reign supreme.

 

Where does that leave me? No-where.

 

 

[HuskyCaucasian]

I think universal health care is a colossal mistake, I think the war in Iraq was justified but absolutely managed as poorly as one could possibly manage it, I think that the government needs to stay out of my (your) wallet and my (your) bedroom, and I think states' rights should reign supreme.

 

Where does that leave me? No-where.

 

Libertarian?

[kapkomet]

Libertarian?

Probably, but not bats*** crazy libertarian like Ron Paul. I understand the need for some government programs - but I think it should be more structured to the state and local jurisdictions.

 

[Balta1701]

Quite simply, politically, I am who I am because of George W. Bush.

 

I really wasn't a fan of the Clinton years during them. I grew up during those years, started college fall of 99. So I grew up watching how the Clintons governed, how their administration was hamstrung for so many years because of scandal, and the whole Clenis thing was just the topper. Hated how the government was running at that point.

 

Just to prove my point, and I'm neither kidding nor trying to brag, but in 1999 I gave the valedictorian speech at my high school and actually included a series of lines bashing Clinton and threw in a statement about how hopefully he'd taught us to vote Republican.

 

If Indiana had been this swingy in 00, man would I regret that line.

 

Anyway, then I watched the rise up of this absolute monster from Texas. A guy I simply couldn't stand from the moment I first saw him. I found him insulting to everything that this country stood for. He was an embarrassment. Every time he advocated a policy I found it to be a horrible idea. All his proposals for drilling, that's just silly. A tax cut? When we have a $5 trillion debt already built up and the Social Security generation about to retire? That's a terrible idea. And on and on. Just watching how he raked in the money from so many really wealthy donors, all of whom would benefit from his plans while I'd be exactly the kind of person who would suffer, that was awful.

 

I had some hope for McCain. I actually liked the 2000 version of McCain. He seemed to at least have his head on straight. Perhaps most importantly, the people dumping money in to Bush's campaign, the people I felt were just trying to buy the whole thing to make themselves rich, hated him. Hated him with a passion that only his illegitimate African American daughter could understand. I would have voted for him in the primary if the race had made it that far. Might well have voted for him in the General, I'd have at least been a swing voter, because I didn't really trust Vice President Gore after all his fundraising shenanigoats. But Bush knocked out McCain early, and that was that.

 

I watched Bush humiliate himself in one campaign event after another. One that really bothered me was that he made an issue of the 2000 census, the data which is really important for the country to get, and he told people not to fill it out. That was just idiotic. One flub after another. The guy didn't know anything about the world. He wanted to dump a bunch of money in to activating a missile defense shield that was a decade or more away. You name it, I couldn't stand the guy.

 

In January, 2001, I was at the University of Illinois for a Quiz Bowl event, saw a hard print copy of the issue of the Onion with the headline "Bush promises 'our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over'". I still have that paper, since I just had to pick one up. It just seemed like it was going to be 100% right based on my evaluation of the man.

 

I am a George W. Bush Democrat.

[kapkomet]

Quite simply, politically, I am who I am because of George W. Bush.

 

I really wasn't a fan of the Clinton years during them. I grew up during those years, started college fall of 99. So I grew up watching how the Clintons governed, how their administration was hamstrung for so many years because of scandal, and the whole Clenis thing was just the topper. Hated how the government was running at that point.

 

Just to prove my point, and I'm neither kidding nor trying to brag, but in 1999 I gave the valedictorian speech at my high school and actually included a series of lines bashing Clinton and threw in a statement about how hopefully he'd taught us to vote Republican.

 

If Indiana had been this swingy in 00, man would I regret that line.

 

Anyway, then I watched the rise up of this absolute monster from Texas. A guy I simply couldn't stand from the moment I first saw him. I found him insulting to everything that this country stood for. He was an embarrassment. Every time he advocated a policy I found it to be a horrible idea. All his proposals for drilling, that's just silly. A tax cut? When we have a $5 trillion debt already built up and the Social Security generation about to retire? That's a terrible idea. And on and on. Just watching how he raked in the money from so many really wealthy donors, all of whom would benefit from his plans while I'd be exactly the kind of person who would suffer, that was awful.

 

I had some hope for McCain. I actually liked the 2000 version of McCain. He seemed to at least have his head on straight. Perhaps most importantly, the people dumping money in to Bush's campaign, the people I felt were just trying to buy the whole thing to make themselves rich, hated him. Hated him with a passion that only his illegitimate African American daughter could understand. I would have voted for him in the primary if the race had made it that far. Might well have voted for him in the General, I'd have at least been a swing voter, because I didn't really trust Vice President Gore after all his fundraising shenanigoats. But Bush knocked out McCain early, and that was that.

 

I watched Bush humiliate himself in one campaign event after another. One that really bothered me was that he made an issue of the 2000 census, the data which is really important for the country to get, and he told people not to fill it out. That was just idiotic. One flub after another. The guy didn't know anything about the world. He wanted to dump a bunch of money in to activating a missile defense shield that was a decade or more away. You name it, I couldn't stand the guy.

 

In January, 2001, I was at the University of Illinois for a Quiz Bowl event, saw a hard print copy of the issue of the Onion with the headline "Bush promises 'our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over'". I still have that paper, since I just had to pick one up. It just seemed like it was going to be 100% right based on my evaluation of the man.

 

I am a George W. Bush Democrat.

You know, I have often thought about what it would be like if McCain got in 8 years ago. I would have to think it would be somewhat different. George W Bush has IMO gotten a worse rap then he should; but then again, he's been a (second time I've used this tonight) colossal failure on two things I thought he wouldn't be, and that is, the "war on terror" and spending. The last one has been horrific and makes me sick. I know you and I totally disagree on Iraq, I still think we needed to do that, but not in the way those idiots did it.

 

 

[lostfan]

I grew up in Chicago in a pretty hardcore Democratic family, blue-collar all the way, nobody in my family has ever voted Republican except my older brother who is now a Republican. And since Chicago and Cook County is one of the most Democratic regions in the country, I really didn't even know that people actually voted Republican, or why. Even by the time I graduated high school (2000 was the first election I participated in) I didn't even know what a conservative mindset was. I just assumed everything I thought was the same thing everyone else thought. I was actually kind of bewildered that Republicans could actually win states because I had never had seen them vote in large numbers... that was until I joined the military anyway.

 

I had a really bad taste in my mouth from the 2000 election and I was pissed off for a while. I pretty much hated everything about Bush for that. I didn't even really know why. When 9-11 happened though I happened to have just recently joined the Army, so I jumped in line behind Bush and I was ready to go. America, f*** yeah! Let's go! I didn't get to go to Afghanistan though which kind of disappointed me. However, I did go to Kuwait to support a mission in Afghanistan. While I was there, the whole drumbeat of war in Iraq started. A lot of it seemed fishy to me, ESPECIALLY the part about 9-11 and Saddam since I KNEW that wasn't true and could verify it, but I was like whatever. Something has to happen. And it did. The war broke out. Eventually I came home but around this time I started wondering why I hated Bush so much and as we began to horribly mismanage the war and all of the reasons we went began to be debunked one by one I started resenting him more and more, and I became completely disillusioned with his leadership, especially after I went back for another tour and observed this firsthand. But, I was disillusioned with the general spinelessness of the Democrats, and I started reading more and more and identifying with a lot of conservative ideals... but not completely, because even now I think the Republican party in general is really slimy and there are some people involved with it I just can't get down with. I eventually just got tired of hating Bush and just started laughing.

 

Eventually I just got completely disillusioned with politics altogether as I saw how divided this country was, and how nobody was willing to listen to the other side, and acted like their s*** didn't stink. I hated how since 2002 or so, if you were not in line with Bush's policies, you were a coward or unpatriotic, never said directly, always in thinly veiled terms. I didn't even think I was going to vote in 2008, especially since Hillary and Giuliani were leading the polls and I hate them both, but I gradually started following the elections and somehow got interested again... I'm not sure how. I was intrigued by Ron Paul at first until I came to the conclusion he is bats***, and I think I came fully back on board from listening to an Obama speech about why people are disillusioned with politics. So since then I've tried to be positive about politics, and why they act the way they do, and stay above the fray that I hate at the same time.

Edited August 30, 2008 by lostfan

[Rex Kickass]

I did not vote Democrat until 2004 on a Presidential level.

 

I left the Presidential ballot blank in 1996, and in 2000, voted for Nader (although would have voted for Gore if in a state where it mattered.)

 

Since entering adult life, I've come to realize that there is a lot of importance to individual freedom. The freedom to marry who you want. The freedom to conduct your private life appropriately and privately without fear of retribution. Only one party supports the steps necessary to get to a point where equality is truly something that all people can support.

 

In the last four years, I've watched one party grow to become a party that welcomes dissent, disagreements and various groupings of opinion. I've watched a party decide that everyone is important to its success, and to the success of our country. I've watched a party that wants its members to take an active role in determining their political destiny.

 

That, more than anything, is why I'm a proud Democrat today.

[Jake]

I'm young, can't yet vote. However, I must stockpile knowledge for future decisions.

 

When Bush was first elected, I was rooting for him basically due to the fact that central Illinois is so largely conservative. Al Gore also came off as a big time tool, which didn't help his cause with me. Still does at times. When 9/11 occurred, it seemed to me that Bush did excellently in the events immediately following the crashes. I actually recall an MSNBC analyst saying they thought he may go down as one of the best presidents of all time. Funny how things change.

 

I have mixed feelings on the Iraq war. I do think that we did something wonderful for Iraqis and they have opportunities now that were unforeseen 10 years ago. However, from the U.S. standpoint, I must ask : Had we not gone to war, where would be now? Nothing can be known for sure and hindsight is oftentimes 20/20, but I tend to think we would have suffered no attacks due to Saddam and would have a lot smaller national deficit/stronger economy. I would never go out and publicly protest the war, however. Why waste resources and time doing something that will never, no matter how many people raise their voices, change anything. Once you start, you can't just say "Oh we realized this was a bad idea we have to stop." That time and resources could be spent supporting our troops and making this thing a success with as many healthy, living soldiers coming home as possible.

 

My feeling of politics is that it is just a game where no one has played it cleanly. Politics, although I know little of the pre-1990's, seems to be in its own Steroid Era. Nobody is playing by the rules, so everyone breaks them to stay in the game. However, perhaps I'll be found out to be just another sheep someday, but I feel like Barack would like politics as they are to stop. I don't know if he can change it, and I am sure he has committed some ethical errors in his rise to the top, but I feel that electing men like Barack Obama is the only chance we have at changing this system. The object of representative government, in its most simply stated form, is that the men in D.C. casting votes should be casting the vote that the people they represent would cast themselves. However, we know that personal and business interests are a much bigger player in the decision of what vote to cast.

 

I always cheered on Republicans like the home team when I thought little of the issues, but the more I think on the basis of who will stand for what I stand for, I oftentimes sway liberal. I want a healthy environment, I would like to lose oil dependency, gays should be able to marry they are in no way harming heterosexual couples by having their own unions, I am for stem cell research when obtained ethically. I also know that we are going to have to pay higher taxes to help defeat this debt we are in as a country. My main conservative viewpoint is that I am pro-life.

 

I also feel hesitant to declare that I am belonging to one party in particular. Times change, leaders change, the issues at hand change, I will change. I will always vote for who represents most closely the best for me and my country.

[YASNY]

Ok, I'll take a shot at this. I have a conservative mindset due to, basically, Ronald Wilson Reagan.

 

My first vote cast for president was in 1976 and I voted for some peanut farmer from Georgia. By the time 1980 rolled around interest rates had skyrocketed to around 20% and this country was hamstrung. At the time, I was a self-employeed carpenter with a wife, and a baby on the way. Work was very hard to come by because of the interest rates. People just weren't building new homes, though you could occasionally find some remodeling work. Then, there was the Tehran American Embassy takeover and the Iran hostage crisis. Carter totally bungled that fiasco. I was already pissed off about the capture of the USS Pueblo in 1968 and the fact that we didn't flatten North Korea for doing it. I felt that if this was the Democratic idea of national security, I wanted someone else in White House. Yet, when the Beruit marine barracks bombing occured, even Reagan did nothing. That seems to be so puzzlingly out of character for him that I still wonder why he let that slide. However, at the end of Reagan's presidency, I was happy with where America was. Sure, I wasn't happy about the deficit he built up, but I considered it a necessary cost of rebuilding our military and setting up the break up of the Soviet block. I really thought America at that point would just roll up it's collective sleeves, go to work and get that debt eliminated. And yes, I acknowledge that Bill Clinton was reasonably fiscally responsible. I was also ecstatic that in 1988 the America once again had a swagger, and a pride in it's power. Of course, the current abuse of that power not withstanding, I feel strongly that the USA has to be in a position of strength when dealing in international politics. I went through my 20's listening to Reagan, aka the great communicator, espouse conservative values and just simply could not disagree with him. Therefore, today, I consider myself a moderate with strong conservative leanings. I know I come across as a staunch conservative, but that's due to having to argue with all you damn liberals out there

[Soxy]

Ok, I'll take a shot at this. I have a conservative mindset due to, basically, Ronald Wilson Reagan.

 

My first vote cast for president was in 1976 and I voted for some peanut farmer from Georgia. By the time 1980 rolled around interest rates had skyrocketed to around 20% and this country was hamstrung. At the time, I was a self-employeed carpenter with a wife, and a baby on the way. Work was very hard to come by because of the interest rates. People just weren't building new homes, though you could occasionally find some remodeling work. Then, there was the Tehran American Embassy takeover and the Iran hostage crisis. Carter totally bungled that fiasco. I was already pissed off about the capture of the USS Pueblo in 1968 and the fact that we didn't flatten North Korea for doing it. I felt that if this was the Democratic idea of national security, I wanted someone else in White House. Yet, when the Beruit marine barracks bombing occured, even Reagan did nothing. That seems to be so puzzlingly out of character for him that I still wonder why he let that slide. However, at the end of Reagan's presidency, I was happy with where America was. Sure, I wasn't happy about the deficit he built up, but I considered it a necessary cost of rebuilding our military and setting up the break up of the Soviet block. I really thought America at that point would just roll up it's collective sleeves, go to work and get that debt eliminated. And yes, I acknowledge that Bill Clinton was reasonably fiscally responsible. I was also ecstatic that in 1988 the America once again had a swagger, and a pride in it's power. Of course, the current abuse of that power not withstanding, I feel strongly that the USA has to be in a position of strength when dealing in international politics. I went through my 20's listening to Reagan, aka the great communicator, espouse conservative values and just simply could not disagree with him. Therefore, today, I consider myself a moderate with strong conservative leanings. I know I come across as a staunch conservative, but that's due to having to argue with all you damn liberals out there

That's funny. My dad lost his business in the 80s due (at least in part) "trickle down" economy. So RWR is a huge part of the reason I'm not a republican.

 

I have voted for Republicans and green party candidates. But I feel that the democrats are most in line with where I stand socially (supporting the ERA, VAWA, and gay rights). I'm also more inline with the democrats when it comes to the environment, drilling, alternative energy, and less breaks for big business.

 

Fiscally I am more conservative. But I think that currently neither party really represents fiscal conservatism right now.

 

Also, at this point in my life I have poor health insurance (no vision or dental) and make 15,000 a year, so in that sense, the democrats appeal more to me too (universal health care).

[DABearSoX]

I also feel hesitant to declare that I am belonging to one party in particular. Times change, leaders change, the issues at hand change, I will change. I will always vote for who represents most closely the best for me and my country.

 

Yea, I meant to write something about that. I really just mean express your views on the world.

 

I really like how this is shaping up, it gives a reasonable explanation at why someone disagrees with what you say in another thread.

[DukeNukeEm]

I'm a far left Socialist, but not a Communist. A lot of people don't know the difference between those two and it makes arguments very difficult.

 

Why am I a Socialist? Well uhh... because it works?

 

For real, I'd be glad to explain it if anybody cares.

Edited August 30, 2008 by DukeNukeEm

[Jake]

Yea, I meant to write something about that. I really just mean express your views on the world.

 

I really like how this is shaping up, it gives a reasonable explanation at why someone disagrees with what you say in another thread.

 

I'm a little too tired to think clearly but that looks like you're criticizing me, I do realize I went off track from your original post.

[DrunkBomber]

Well, I will be very blunt. This for sure is going to get me flamed but its the truth and I suspect Im not alone but a lot of people would never admit it.

 

I dont care about the little guy. I dont care about homeless people, poverty or basically anything that doesnt effect me. I dont care about minimum wage or think its a problem. Its my opinion that ANYONE can arm themselves with at least some kind of skill set to make themselves more than minimum wage.

 

I dont have health insurance and I was in a terrible car accident in 05 and am lucky to be alive. The hospital bills were nearly 100k and it basically took, loans, cleaning out every penny I had saved in my life and destroying my credit to work it out finally. Never would I expect anyone else to be responsible for that tab. I think if people want health care they should get it or deal with the consequences like I had to. Everybody has the right to health care, but nobody is entitled to it.

 

Immigration. I think any employer who gets caught with illegal immigrants as employees should be ridiculously fined the first time, and if it happens again he should lose his business. I dont think we should have any tolerance to allowing people to come to this country illegally and then giving them immunity. Then, if immigrants want to move here but dont want to wait, they can join the military and perform a service to the country and then receive the benefits of everyone else.

 

We should be drilling here, hands down, and try to limit our dependence on other countries as much as possible.

 

We NEVER should have went to Iraq. Too many lives were lost and too much money is being spent on it. After 9/11, we should have torn Afghanistan apart until we took down Bin Laden and called it one.

 

My biggest driving factor is corruption. It makes me sick and Im tired of being held to higher standards than police and elected officials. This is why I really like the Palin pick because of her efforts in cleaning up Alaskas politicians, even in her own party. If the government wants to use new technology to know our every move, we should get to use it to know theirs.

 

Gay marriage and abortion arent issues to me. Im not religious at all. If two people love each other they should be allowed to get married. I personally would never get an abortion unless it was out of my hands but I dont think anyone has the right to tell a woman what she can do with her body. I am really against the later stage abortions though and think they need to regulate time limits.

 

I dont think I need to touch on social programs. However, I will add, that I think ALL the money for public schools should come from within its own community. If you want to go to a different school, move.

[kapkomet]

I'm a far left Socialist, but not a Communist. A lot of people don't know the difference between those two and it makes arguments very difficult.

 

Why am I a Socialist? Well uhh... because it works?

 

For real, I'd be glad to explain it if anybody cares.

Cool, so you want the government to take care of your every need? How awesome.

 

 

[DrunkBomber]

Cool, so you want the government to take care of your every need? How awesome.

ya, I dont get that either...

[DukeNukeEm]

Cool, so you want the government to take care of your every need? How awesome.

As far as I'm concerned, I'd rather have the government take care of my needs than somebody looking to brand and package something as intrinsically necessary as water for a profit. Sometimes I wonder what Capitalism has done to us as a people, have we become so comfortable with a profit driven society that we just accept it that people are deprived of things like food and shelter because some multi-billionaire needs his pockets lined?

[kapkomet]

As far as I'm concerned, I'd rather have the government take care of my needs than somebody looking to brand and package something as intrinsically necessary as water for a profit. Sometimes I wonder what Capitalism has done to us as a people, have we become so comfortable with a profit driven society that we just accept it that people are deprived of things like food and shelter because some multi-billionaire needs his pockets lined?

I'm not trying to be an ass, but how old are you? PM me and I'll explain why I asked that, if you feel uncomfortable or if you think I'm "picking" on you. I just want to frame my answer based on that, because depending on where you are in life, changes how I would answer it, and I mean that with respect.

 

[DukeNukeEm]

I'm not trying to be an ass, but how old are you? PM me and I'll explain why I asked that, if you feel uncomfortable or if you think I'm "picking" on you. I just want to frame my answer based on that, because depending on where you are in life, changes how I would answer it, and I mean that with respect.

19 years old. But there's a real reason I am a Socialist:

 

By taxing the rich more and providing the middle and lower class with necessities like the aforementioned food, water and shelter you broaden the middle class significantly. A larger middle class creates a much stronger consumer base which as anybody with common sense knows is good for an economy. All Capitalism does is polarize rich and poor until the gap becomes unsustainable. The last time this happened was the late 20's, and this country went through a massive liberal revolution to get ourselves out of that mess.

Edited August 31, 2008 by DukeNukeEm

[kapkomet]

19 years old. But there's a real reason I am a Socialist:

 

By taxing the rich more and providing the middle and lower class with necessities like the aforementioned food, water and shelter you broaden the middle class significantly. A larger middle class creates a much stronger consumer base which as anybody with common sense knows is good for an economy. All Capitalism does is polarize rich and poor until the gap becomes unsustainable. The last time this happened was the late 20's, and this country went through a massive liberal revolution to get ourselves out of that mess.

I don't think you know history quite as much as you think you do - because that's not what happened.

 

And furthermore, take away the "communism" away from China, and I hope you like how they treat their "middle class"... think about that a bit.

 

I didn't mean to threadjack you. I just think you have a lot to learn, and that's my opinion of your take. I'll stop because it's taking away where you wanted this thread to go, and I'm honestly not trying to start something - I'm just discussing your point.

[DukeNukeEm]

Were just putting it off because there's bound to be a clash between a Libertarian (or at least thats what I think DrunkBomber is) and a Socialist if they're within such close proximity. But please, in the future dont bring communism into the discussion at all. You wouldn't call Norway or Sweden communist countries would you?