Why I Voted Democrat (or Republican)

Vice Lord wrote:

FredHayek wrote: The grain of truth? Dems are more likely to be demonstrating against capital punishment outside a prison at midnight than picketing an abortion clinic. There are some pro-life Dems out there, but they are the minority.

Stay outta people peoples bedrooms, womens wombs and my blood stream you Facist Nazi you

Deal. You keep out of my gas tank (ethanol), keep away from my cars (pushing electric cars), stay out of my house (CFR bulbs), stay out of my backyard (some communities all over the country outlawing barbecuing because of pollution), stay out of my healthcare, stay out of my elementary schools cafeteria (telling my kids what to eat), stay out of my crotch (TSA), stay out of my religious universities and hospitals (telling me what kind of health care coverage I have to offer even though it's against my religions ideology), stay off my property (eminent domain) stay out of my...

You get the point.

I have been a registered republican since 1984. The first time I was able to vote I voted for Reagan. I have in recent years considered becoming an independent but did not want to give up my right to vote in the primary election.

My general beliefs still line up more with republican views fiscally. i personally think government should stay out of alot more of the social issues that they are involved in but the realist in me knows that is impractical. I think both sides concentrate on the wrong thing and increasingly both sides have become more and more stubborn and refuse to cooperate and compromise. THAT is most of the problem. And if it continues, like a rubber band it will either snap back or break.

I believe in freedom. And that is why I love my country and I even love (relative term) Obama because he is our president and I respect that he was elected by the people. I also believe that part of the problem is that my kids generation and mine to a point, (I am on the edge of generations) have had it way too good and we need a little reality check to make us feel more appreciative of what we have. 911 did that to a point for a short period. Credit worthiness is what makes a country wealthy. Other countries where their citizens do not have that make the people have nothing. We were born with that right and it makes all the difference. We should appreciate it. Even our poor have something and we do have some safety nets in place. We should appreciate that as well.

When I saw those signs at OWS complaining about their education doing nothing for them this is what I thought of. We have been given an opportunity the rest is up to you. Government cant' think for you and go out and get you a job, but we have been born inherently with that opportunity. You have to have some initiative to make it work out. That is America to me.

I have other thoughts on all this but that is what I believe about freedom and being a republican. Do I agree with everything? NO. Do I believe in the concept of free speech and religion (including atheism)? it is everything to me. We just have to agree to disagree and get a common goal. Freedom.

CinnamonGirl wrote: I have been a registered republican since 1984. The first time I was able to vote I voted for Reagan. I have in recent years considered becoming an independent but did not want to give up my right to vote in the primary election.

[snip]

I agree with a lot of what you said above. And since we are doing testimonials...

I am fiscally conservative, socially liberal (so much more socially liberal than most progressive that you would have to outlaw most of what I feel about social issues)... an atheist, registered unaffiliated and not fooled by the rhetoric of fascist conservatives or socialist liberals. Overall politically, I'm totally disappointed in any of them, they are a Political Class that has gotten out of control, they don't care about you or I anymore, at all (they never really cared, but there was a balance that enable things to get done)... the only reason anything still works is because of trickle down corruption, money and influence trickles down to the criminal on the local level, occasionally we profit a bit from that. But bottom line, it's power and money, on the right or left, and they are well on their way to raping and plundering and destroying every thing that we've work on for over 200 years.

It's bottom heavy, this system cannot support 300 million plus people, not with all the special interest dividing as among ourselves. It's like ancient Rome, they spread so far, had so many citizens under their wing, with so many various opinions, religions, cultural difference that they couldn't keep up with it. They started to over promise largess to satisfy everyone. The couldn't afford it, they couldn't control it, they didn't have the money or resources. It feel apart, more with a whimper than a war.

It's happening here, the wolves are circling, and partisanship will be the death of it all.

Just a quick note on OWS. The reason I have difficulties with this movement is because it is not my style to not go through the proper channels to make change. The comments I hear are about the system not working, so they want to take it upon themselves to just do what they think should be done because maybe they feel powerless or don't believe in government. And I respect fighting for what you believe in but from what I see they want the democratic way we make change to go away. Fight for your beliefs, but the difficulty I have is the lawlessness and I can't speak for them but they seem to dislike the USA and everything it stands for. I have more optimism than that. I still believe in our system and the changes we can make with that system. We have to just be okay with imperfection. Less is still more to me in a democratic society.

Wallstreet? We have laws in place and may need more of them. Just freaking enforce them without politics.

OWS, did make a point. But MLK did too and made a huge point without breaking the law. So did Gandhi, he got millions to follow him non violently. I so respect that more and OWS would get to me more if they took that stance. Look at MLK and Malcolm X. Who do you respect more. IMHO.

I started out tongue in cheek on this posting but realized that this really an opportunity for people on both ends of the political spectrum to highlight the myths they carry about people on the other end of the spectrum. A quick glance of what was posted early on would suggest that ALL liberal Democrats were illogical or hypocritcal and ALL conservative Republicans are mean spirited and uncaring. There are many people from each end of the spectrum that actually believe these myths...sort of. But then when they meet the person they made a villain face to face they realize their judgement wasn't quite right. The anonymity of the internet only fuels the fires.

In the end, it might be better to get all the misconceptions on the table...argue about them....debunk them and get over it. Only then will we be able to start a substantive dialog as real Americans that will help us sort out our differences enough to find SOME common ground. In the meantime the media and our politicians continue to take advantage of the seams represented by our differences instead of keying on our similiarities. We need leaders who will truly focus on our similarities so we can clean up this train wreck.

I suspect that if everyone really talks about why they believe what they believe we will all be surprised by who they really are and what they think.

lionshead2010 wrote: I started out tongue in cheek on this posting but realized that this really an opportunity for people on both ends of the political spectrum to highlight the myths they carry about people on the other end of the spectrum. A quick glance of what was posted early on would suggest that ALL liberal Democrats were illogical or hypocritcal and ALL conservative Republicans are mean spirited and uncaring. There are many people from each end of the spectrum that actually believe these myths...sort of. But then when they meet the person they made a villain face to face they realize their judgement wasn't quite right. The anonymity of the internet only fuels the fires.

In the end, it might be better to get all the misconceptions on the table...argue about them....debunk them and get over it. Only then will we be able to start a substantive dialog as real Americans that will help us sort out our differences enough to find SOME common ground. In the meantime the media and our politicians continue to take advantage of the seams represented by our differences instead of keying on our similiarities. We need leaders who will truly focus on our similarities so we can clean up this train wreck.

Personally, I have already highlighted the myths in my comment above. I'm sick of both sides who have shown themselves to be nothing more than a syndicate, a criminal organization called the Political Class, who's only mission is to bring themselves more money, power and standing in the multinational world of big money. Like I said... I'm "not fooled by the rhetoric of fascist conservatives or socialist liberals."

I agree with your "sort out our differences enough to find SOME common ground". That common ground, called nonpartisan is the only thing that may save us. Otherwise, the useful idiots on both sides will help sink the ship for the rest of us who don't walk lockstep with the Political Class.

If you want to see this in action, watch the useful idiots jump into this thread with their not-so-subtle partisan rhetoric.

CinnamonGirl wrote: ......and I even love (relative term) Obama because he is our president and I respect that he was elected by the people.

Well, kinda, sorta, but not really. The votes that were cast by the people were for how the electors chosen by the state would cast their votes. It was these votes that determined who the next president would be. Yes, you had a say if you cast a vote to decide how the electors from you state voted, but the citizens of the states don't actually elect the president.

CinnamonGirl wrote: We just have to agree to disagree and get a common goal. Freedom.

Freedom is a scary thing CG - you might not actually choose what is best if allowed too much of it - at least that is what those who seek to govern from a single, distant location armed with the plenary power to do as they wish whenever they wish seek to convince you is the case. Self government? How quaint. Don't you know that it is impractical in an empire as vast as this one is in the modern world?