I think we would all benefit if we knew a little more about each other to understand each other's perspectives on politics. When did you change your mind about something? Why? Who did you vote for the first time and why? Did you ever work in the government or the military, and if so, did that change any of your political opinions? Stuff like that.
No criticism in this thread. If you had the same experience as someone else, say so. If yours was similar but different, say so respectfully.
I'll start. My parents talked a lot about politics in the home. They were both always Democrats. In college I came to decide that treating fetuses like humans was probably the most important issue to vote on, and switched my registration to the Republican Party, though almost every politician of every party has said and done things that make me cringe.
My families were both blue collar Democrats. As the most educated member of my family I was more comfortable in the Republican Party through college, but left them for the Libertarian Party when they became Democrat Lite and embraced Big Government. The L Party will never be strong enough to break the 2 Party system, but I don't care anymore, I just don't pull the lever for either of the other 2.
(07-27-2018, 10:03 PM)mikesez Wrote: [ -> ]I think we would all benefit if we knew a little more about each other to understand each other's perspectives on politics. When did you change your mind about something? Why? Who did you vote for the first time and why? Did you ever work in the government or the military, and if so, did that change any of your political opinions? Stuff like that.
No criticism in this thread. If you had the same experience as someone else, say so. If yours was similar but different, say so respectfully.
I'll start. My parents talked a lot about politics in the home. They were both always Democrats. In college I came to decide that treating fetuses like humans was probably the most important issue to vote on, and switched my registration to the Republican Party, though almost every politician of every party has said and done things that make me cringe.
... Blind hated was so much more fulfilling than commonality.... I picked a check of a day to quit drinking...
I was brought up in a democratic household. MY 1st election (1980) I voted for Mr Peanut Jimmy Carter (He lost to Reagan), Then I voted for Mondale in 84 (Once again, Reagan won)
After Living thru the Carter Years and the great recession we had, and living thru 2 terms of Reagan, I was seeing an upturn in the economy and Jobs were available.
Next Election I voted for Smiling George Bush and never looked Back.
Although I did vote Perot in 92 which helped get Clinton Elected
Most of my family was/is republican. My step-father is a democrat, but of the more moderate variety. I started out at 18 a fairly hard core repub who used to read Limbaugh's magazine. I was thrilled in 2004 when repubs had control of the house, senate and presidency. I thought they would finally cut the government back and get our debt under control. Instead they did absolutely nothing. I never felt the same way about them since.
At some point I took some online quiz and realized my values actually lined up with Libertarians more than Repubs so I switched parties. I voted a straight Libertarian ticket a couple times, but a lot of time there wasn't even a candidate. So I ended up going back and trying to find the repub or democrat I thought was better and voted all around. At this point I no longer identify with any party, especially after I found out Obama was auditing libertarians (and I did get one). Also I don't like that many of the libertarian canidates turned out to be warmed over ex-rinos.
But I will say that I really find the current version of the Democrats completely unacceptable, and besides a few individual moderate candidates who stay away from identity politics, I generally will not vote for them. I am fine with being a protest vote, and hope that my voting will influence more candidates to adopt the values I want. Or maybe there will arise a reasonable 3rd party.
I was a card-carrying Libertarian Party member for much of my life. I finally got frustrated with basically throwing my vote away every election and sitting out every primary, so I switched to Pub. I still vote for the Libertarian candidate in the Presidential elections unless I think the vote will be close. I did vote for Trump because a vote against the woman who sold US foreign policy for personal gain was important to me. Trump has actually governed a lot better than I feared.
I still lean libertarian in my personal beliefs, but with a strong belief that the US government should put America first. Trump has done that, so he has my support. The main thing I don't like about Trump and the Pubs is running up spending. Unfortunately, there's no chance of changing that with both parties only giving lip service to the debt when they aren't in power.
The Democratic Party opposes personal freedom in almost every policy decision so it is unlikely I'd ever for a Dem, but there have been rare cases where the Pub candidate was even worse and I did vote for the Dem.
I was raised in a democrat household. In fact, much of my family are still democrats. It still baffles me to this day when I talk with my parents and they express being against abortion, they are religious and they complain about being taxed too much. I had some of my family out on my property a month or so ago, and they had fun shooting some of the guns that I have... even the ones that are considered "assault weapons".
As a young kid, I was basically taught "democrats good, republicans bad". It wasn't until I joined the military at age 23, got married and started a family that I really started paying attention to politics. I started saving and investing for my family's future at a late time (around age 30) while I was still in the military. I started to see how republican policies were generally better and more sound for me. This was around the mid 80's early 90's.
Lately I've seen both parties for the most part move farther left/right, the most extreme (in my opinion) being the left. I can remember a time when being gay was a "stigma" rather than "celebrated" (I don't have a problem with people choosing their lifestyle, I do have a problem when it's shoved in my face). I remember a time where getting pregnant while in high school carried a stigma. I remember a time when people at a young age knew their gender and knew which bathroom to use. I remember a time when religion was respected, even if one didn't chose to practice that religion (and no, this isn't a religious discussion).
I'm kind of a "history buff" and I appreciate monuments of all kind. I am very much against changing the names of schools or taking monuments down just because the origin of those namesakes might be from the Confederacy during the Civil War. It's HISTORY. Heck, Jacksonville is named after none other than Andrew Jackson, a slave owner. He also did far worse in trying to remove the Native Americans from land that was rightfully theirs to begin with. I bring this up because it infuriates me that the left today is trying to erase the history of this area.
I consider myself conservative or perhaps libertarian. I don't like many of our democrat politicians and many of our republican politicians are not any better. I do my best and use my head rather than social media to make my decisions.
I grew up in a trailer on my grandparents' farm. When my brother was born, the family built a toy room onto the back porch because we were outgrowing it.
My mother was a government teacher, my father worked in retail management - which meant long hours and low pay. After my brother was born my mother could no longer work due to mental illness. We were very humble and managed to get by.
Dad's parents were a union worker and lunch lady. Grandad put his family first and crossed the line to put food on the table when he had to. He also put a lock on his gas tank when the union workers were pouring sand or sugar into gas tanks of those who crossed the picket line. Grandma had a cellar full of canned goods and made all her meals from scratch just as they did at the schools back then. Meals were tasty, wholesome, and bountiful and nothing went to waste. Leftovers were recrafted and born again into something as good as or better than its original state. Neither were very political. Grandad served as a cook in WWII and I don't remember him talking politics. He was more concerned with family, game shows, weekend wrestling on TV, and his loyal dog. Grandma was always tending to family, usually in the kitchen and listening to gospel on the radio. Never heard her comment on politics, either, with the exception of stating that she didn't understand the situation in Granada. They were happy people who had each other, their family, and church community.
Mom's parents were dairy farmers. Grandad managed the farm and grandma managed the house. Without a lot of "things," it was great to grow up with family and lots of land to explore. Grandad left the work of the farm to my uncle and hired help, while he worked for the dairymen's association - which wasn't much more than self governance and a lobby for dairy interests. Without his hands on the farm, it eventually dried up as my uncle never learned how to run a farm business properly. Mom's family were and are (aside from my mother) stern Democrats. Being a government teacher she was more pragmatic and objective in her view of politics than the rest of her family.
Being a faithful person, I've always felt that who you are is based on a foundation of beliefs - beliefs that over time become the bedrock of your life and the way you live it, becoming your guiding values. I've never put politics into that foundation. I've always looked at the conclusions that I've come to issue by issue, and supported those who most closely resemble those shared values. I used to be able to find leaders from either party that were a suitable match. Today, that's becoming more difficult to do. I remain independent of party and have refused register with either party since 2001. I backed Bill Clinton against Bush when I was in college. I was challenging my foundations, questioning my beliefs at the time. Not long after, I came back to my center and by the end of his tenure regretted the decision to back him. Of all the deception and lies, I realized the most egregious of all were those I brought onto myself. That I had become unfaithful to my very foundation and core, and the beliefs that have stood the test of time and challenge. I realized all that I had to cast aside and ignore when I turned away from the values and foundation that gives firm ground. I had not been honest to myself or to logic. I had been driven with emotion without foundation.
Watching the teeter totter of extremists springing up on each side in response to one another is nothing I could have imagined growing up. We now have adult children who will not accept no for an answer, who will not accept losing a fight. I'll remain independent. I am libertarian socially and conservative economically. There's no party or candidate that fits my foundation of beliefs. I'll keep looking and voting for the closest to what I value, even if it seems to become more difficult by the day. It's no wonder so many people don't even bother to vote. They're happy and want to stay that way by not letting politics become their religion.
(07-29-2018, 12:37 AM)HandsomeRob86 Wrote: [ -> ]But I will say that I really find the current version of the Democrats completely unacceptable, and besides a few individual moderate candidates who stay away from identity politics, I generally will not vote for them. I am fine with being a protest vote, and hope that my voting will influence more candidates to adopt the values I want. Or maybe there will arise a reasonable 3rd party.
Aside for initially being favorable to Clinton, the last two Democrats I remember feeling worthy of my vote were Douglas Wilder and Joe Lieberman. It's been a long, long time for me. They were honorable men even if I disagreed with some of their politics. Politicians in general are no longer honorable, or at best much less honorable than they used to be, regardless of affiliation.
My parents didn't talk politics so I wasn't raised on any set of beliefs from either side but I was raised in a Christian home that at the time was a bit.....different in their beliefs. They're straightened out from all of that business. That's all I'll say about that.
I was a rebel and thought they were bat crap crazy so left home at 17 and have lived a very different life than most here the details of which aren't important.
I served in the Army and am Libertarian. I do have personal values that can sometimes seem to contradict the Libertarian mindset, those tend to go more to the righr, but then there are some things that I tend to see more on the left. More often than not though I guess I am a moderate Libertarian.
I believe in people taking personal responsibility, that there are consequences for actions, and rarely is there a scenario in which one is actually in the wrong place at the wrong time. We all make choices that put us where we end up at any given time. I believe people are capable of anything; good, bad, ugly, or indifferent. Given the "perfect storm" of circumstances we are all capable of truly wonderful or truly heinous things. I am not a glass half empty or half full kind of person. I say, "Why limit yourself? There is no glass." Expand your mind.
I believe in respecting people until they give me a reason not to. I don't care about your race, religion, socioeconomic status, where you come from. I have no quarrel with you until you give me a reason otherwise. Even then, depending on the situation I may not even care enough for it to register on a personal level. I'll probably bicker and moan about it but at the end of the day unless you're specific people to me I don't really care. Most of the time we'll just agree to disagree and move on. I have learned a lot from the people on this board and have had points of view changed on a few things. I think we are always learning, if we allow ourselves to, until we die. If we're not learning then we're not being challenged and that's a sad thing.
I'm as open minded as they come. I pride myself on understanding others' perspectives. My family and friends span the whole spectrum of political views and I like to be able to relate to all of them.
The things I have no tolerance for are willful ignorance, racism, and an unwillingness to seek common ground.
Nothing is truly black and white. Black and white make up tiny portions of the spectrum. There are miles of grey between. Black and white are merely the far polar reaches. Most of us exist philosophically somewhere in some great expanse of grey area where there is much common ground to be reckoned. I prefer to find the overlap.