Why are you in the party you’re in?

[bekkilyn]

Registered Republican, but only in order to be able to vote in the primary. Thinking of switching to Independent. Thinking about it, I probably should switch to Democrat in order to vote in their primary and try to get some more moderate/conservative Dems on the ticket. Thinking about it some more, I don't think I could bring myself to do that .

You could always move to a state that allows you to vote in the primary of your choice if you are registered Unaffiliated/Independent.

 

[Hazelelponi]

I’m a republican, but lately I’ve been thinking more about politics. Every political side, Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, Independent- everyone is doing what they think is best for the country. Not every democrat is a socialist, not every republican is a nazi. There are extremes, but most people are not extreme and are trying to do what is best. I was wondering what political party you guys are in, why you like that party, and maybe replace any political myths with the truth?

I vote republican most often, but I am very fiscally conservative and that's the main reason. When McCain ran and was saying he was willing to do all the same bail outs Obama was willing to do, I didn't vote at all.

The more the republican party resembles the democratic party, the less I vote at all. I have voted libertarian before, but that's been a long time ago.

Locally I have always voted an eclectic mix, some democrat some republican depending on the person and what they say their goals are. In 2016 I voted for a democratic party sheriff, for instance, but he has since changed party affiliation to republican. (Which I'm happy with seeing the horrible turn the democratic party has taken).

In the future, if I do vote, I'll likely never vote democrat again, even locally, but I've not been particularly happy with the republican party since before Bush... they went too far left for my taste.

 

[miamited]

Hi @SkyWriting

From your link:

Between 1910 and 1960, socialists elected three separate mayors in Milwaukee, as well as state and local legislators and one congressman. Although “sewer socialist” was meant pejoratively, it was, in fact, accurate: their improvement of sewer systems was part of their focus on public health, which also included vaccination campaigns, as well as their investment in public infrastructure such as schools, parks, and housing projects. They also improved workplace safety and hiring practices.

I'm not sure I see anything bad in any of those endeavors. I've always kind of felt that the government should be BY the people FOR the people. What's best for the people overall in general terms. Certainly in my mind, better infrastructure and schools and public health and housing projects all fall within what I feel is the purpose of a government.

God bless,
Ted

 

[Tiberius Lee]

We must vote for life people. We have to stand with the unborn babies in every circumstance.

From political view, I am an independent. I am a born-again Christian, and I am a pro-life supporter. But pro-life definition for me is much different then the contemporary evangelical Christian like to describe.

To me Pro-life is “feed the hungry, give water to thirsty , give shelter to stranger, give cloth to those who are naked, look after those who are sick, visit those who are in prison. (Matt 25) , take care the widow ( Acts 6), give justice to the weak and fatherless ( Psalm 82) , pro-life to me is to take care immigrants ( Deut 10:19 / Psalm 146)

That’s why to me pro-life means “Paid family leave”, “ free education” , “ child tax credit” , “prison reform and rehabilitation policy” , “comprehensive immigration reform” other social programs.

And yes, I too care about the unborn, but lets take care the “life” which are already born first.


Dave Barnhart wrote about the Pro-life movement

"The unborn" are a convenient group of people to advocate for. They never make demands of you; they are morally uncomplicated, unlike the incarcerated, addicted, or the chronically poor; they don't resent your condescension or complain that you are not politically correct; unlike widows, they don't ask you to question patriarchy; unlike orphans, they don't need money, education, or childcare; unlike aliens, they don't bring all that racial, cultural, and religious baggage that you dislike; they allow you to feel good about yourself without any work at creating or maintaining relationships; and when they are born, you can forget about them, because they cease to be unborn. It's almost as if, by being born, they have died to you. You can love the unborn and advocate for them without substantially challenging your own wealth, power, or privilege, without re-imagining social structures, apologizing, or making reparations to anyone. They are, in short, the perfect people to love if you want to claim you love Jesus but actually dislike people who breathe.

Prisoners? Immigrants? The sick? The poor? Widows? Orphans? All the groups that are specifically mentioned in the Bible? They all get thrown under the bus for the unborn.

 

[J Michael]

You could always move to a state that allows you to vote in the primary of your choice if you are registered Unaffiliated/Independent.

It never ceases to amaze me how easy it is to tell someone else "you could always move..." while knowing nothing whatsoever about their situation and circumstances. Okay--you buy my house for the asking price and you pay the realtor his commission; you pack up and ship (paying for it, too) all the belongings we want to take with us; you search for and purchase a modest house in the location of our choice that we would fully approve of; you get us there, at your expense, once everything is settled. I'm sure I must've left something out... Yes, we could "...always move...".

Seems like way more work and money than it's worth just to be able to vote in a primary of my choice as an Independent.

 

[bekkilyn]

It never ceases to amaze me how easy it is to tell someone else "you could always move..." while knowing nothing whatsoever about their situation and circumstances. Okay--you buy my house for the asking price and you pay the realtor his commission; you pack up and ship (paying for it, too) all the belongings we want to take with us; you search for and purchase a modest house in the location of our choice that we would fully approve of; you get us there, at your expense, once everything is settled. I'm sure I must've left something out... Yes, we could "...always move...".

Seems like way more work and money than it's worth just to be able to vote in a primary of my choice as an Independent.

*points to the smiley*

It never ceases to amaze me how people overlook such things.

And yet moving is still an option. Some people recently have been moving out of blue states to Florida because of the mandates, so having that sort of freedom was important enough to them to temporarily disrupt their lives for what they perceived would be a better one. The point is is that there are options for being able to vote in Democratic primaries without having to register as a Democrat. Moving is one of them, but there are others as well. It used to be that unaffiliated in my state could only vote in Republican primaries, but somewhere down the line, the Democrats were convinced to do the same. Perhaps making similar changes to local voting is another option to consider.

But obviously, as you've made very clear, being able to vote in the primary of your choice isn't all that important to you, so I do hope you enjoy voting however you are allowed to vote in your state and can be happy and content with those available options.

 

[GodLovesCats]

Every scientific poll shows very few Republicans care about America because most of them worship Trump the Terrorist. Anyone who disagrees with my nickname for him must not know what happened on January 6, 2020 was 100% planned and initiated by himself with help from his closest buddies. So I hope many of the Republicans on this forum have learned to reconsider their positions about the importance of being an American patriot who fully respects the Constitution and all that it stands for.

Because I am a patriotic American citizen and disabled woman below the poverty line I would always be a Democrat even if the party's platform did not almost totally align with what Jesus would do. But I also am a Democrat because of my religion. While Republicans preach cheating, greed, hate, and fears, Democrats want to practice the three things that will always remain: faith, hope, and love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

 

[Jermayn]

Every scientific poll shows very few Republicans care about America because most of them worship Trump the Terrorist. Anyone who disagrees with my nickname for him must not know what happened on January 6, 2020 was 100% planned and initiated by himself with help from his closest buddies. So I hope many of the Republicans on this forum have learned to reconsider their positions about the importance of being an American patriot who fully respects the Constitution and all that it stands for.

Because I am a patriotic American citizen and disabled woman below the poverty line I would always be a Democrat even if the party's platform did not almost totally align with what Jesus would do. But I also am a Democrat because of my religion. While Republicans preach cheating, greed, hate, and fears, Democrats want to practice the three things that will always remain: faith, hope, and love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

I say this with as much gentleness and love as I can muster in an online format; it's not worth being consumed by hatred for your brothers and sisters because they are affiliated with a different political party. You speak of the Democrat party as if it's the Church and the Republican party as if they are the enemy. It's time for you to step away from politics for a while and focus on other areas of your relationship with God.

 

[miamited]

Hi @ChristianForCats

it's not worth being consumed by hatred for your brothers and sisters because they are affiliated with a different political party.

Personally, I didn't read a lot of 'consumed by hatred' in your post. I can appreciate your position. As far as my understanding of the man, Donald Trump, while I'm not sure I'd refer to him as a terrorist, although I can see your point regarding the 1/6 incident, he most certainly is not the 'type' of person that I would choose to represent me and the nation of my home. If there was anyone on the national scene that I would think to be 'consumed by hatred', it would be Mr. Trump.

God bless,
Ted

 

[iluvatar5150]

I’m a technocrat at heart and I realized long ago that the conservative ideals with which I was raised and for which I still have a fair amount of sympathy are built on a quasi-religious dogma and not on any sort of evidence or rational outcome-based political philosophy. The ideals of, say, low taxes, small government, low regulation, etc are not merely a means to the end of a better society, but the end themselves regardless of the outcome.

Which is just mind-bogglingly stupid to me, especially when you start realizing how those ideals can be manipulated by the powerful few to oppress the weak.

So, while I don’t have any particular love for the Democratic party, they at least have room for technocrats whereas the GOP mostly requires me to check my brain at the door.

 

[seeking.IAM]

...I've skipped races where both candidates lied during the campaign...

That is an admirable position, but I suspect it doesn't permit you to vote often.

 

[Taodeching]

I wasn't referring to anyone's opinion of Donald Trump. I was more referring to the "While Republicans preach cheating, greed, hate, and fears, Democrats want to practice the three things that will always remain: faith, hope, and love." We're all brothers and sister in Christ here and we can't let politics cause us to start viewing one another as the enemy. I'm guilty of it (and way worse) as well and I have the warnings from CF mods to prove it. It's best to just step away and refocus on how God wants us to view and treat one another.

Yes, even I was filled with hatred for evil Democrats an had to step away. It is easy to do and I still struggle but am much better once I have rejected politics

 

[Brihaha]

That is an admirable position, but I suspect it doesn't permit you to vote often.

Actually, I vote in every election. Once in awhile there is a race I do not vote in. But there's usually more than one thing to vote for in our elections. Not to mention Virginia politics isn't nearly as ferocious as general presidential elections. Republicans in local elections are down to earth, normal citizens here. Which is a good thing when voting.

 

[RoBo1988]

If you looked at my voting record, you'd say I was Republican, although 90% of the time, they disappoint. Both parties love spending money, just their version of big spending. My opinion of government is that of Thomas Paine:
"Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one."
They are, IMO, like umpires, and referees- you need them to play the game, but no one buys a ticket to watch umpires, and referees.

 

[iarwain]

I vote for:

• Strong National Defense
• Strong Border Control
• Pro Life Stance
• Small Federal Government
• Lower taxes
• Minimal Federal Regulations on Business
• Pro Police

That's a good list, I agree with that. I also want to see the country govern as is dictated in the Constitution (a limited Federal government), not to "progress" beyond it by forming some fanciful new utopia. I am also very much against dividing people by skin color, identity politics, and the like. For these reasons, I currently side strongly with the conservatives. I also think that the left is the natural home for atheists (not saying all leftists are atheists), which is another reason I do not trust them.

Both parties are flawed, of course, and have their own set of screwballs. My own political philosophies are a mix of conservatism and libertarianism.

 

[SkyWriting]

Socalism has no downside. And because people associate it with Communism, doesn't mean there is a connection. My state has never had any increase in communism despite a lot of Socialist Party members getting elected here for multiple terms. There have been no complaints about Communists because none have ever shone up. They'd remain under democratic rules even if they did.

 

[hislegacy]

Socalism has no downside. And because people associate it with Communism, doesn't mean there is a connection. My state has never had any increase in communism despite a lot of Socialist Party members getting elected here for multiple terms. There have been no complaints about Communists because none have ever shone up. They'd remain under democratic rules even if they did.

I have to respectfully disagree with your opinion “socialism had no downside”. I’ll not detail this thread, but socialism, along with its many definitions, is replete with negative aspects. That is why there is and never has been a purely socialist utopia.

 

[RoBo1988]

Both parties are flawed, of course, and have their own set of screwballs. My own political philosophies are a mix of conservatism and libertarianism.

“If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism. I think conservatism is really a misnomer just as liberalism is a misnomer for the liberals — if we were back in the days of the Revolution, so-called conservatives today would be the Liberals and the liberals would be the Tories. The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is.” -Ronald Reagan

 

[SkyWriting]

I have to respectfully disagree with your opinion “socialism had no downside”. I’ll not detail this thread, but socialism, along with its many definitions, is replete with negative aspects. That is why there is and never has been a purely socialist utopia.

Nobody has ever proposed a pure system. So that's a red herring. Living here for 30 years I do know the downsides to Socalism.

 

[seeking.IAM]

...there is and never has been a purely socialist utopia.

It is also tough to argue that capitalism has resulted in a utopia. Utopias exist only in the minds of those who also believe in unicorns, yetis, and the Easter Bunny.