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democrat or republican


pvenne

are you democrat, republican, independent or other, and what has led you to this choice of affiliation?  

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  1. 1. are you democrat, republican, independent or other, and what has led you to this choice of affiliation?

    • I am democrat because thats the way i have been socialized.
      2
    • I am republican because thats the way i have been socialized.
      3
    • I am independent because thats the way i was socialized.
      0
    • I am affiliated with some third party b/c of socialization.
      0
    • I am democrat b/c of an individual and personal choice.
      15
    • I am republican b/c of an individual and personal choice.
      10
    • I am Independent b/c of an individual and personal choice.
      10
    • I am a member of a 3rd party b/c " ".
      0
    • I am democrat for reasons of morality
      2
    • I am republican for reasons of morality
      5
    • I am independent for some reason other than those above.
      5
    • I am member of a 3rd part for reasons other than above.
      2
    • I dont think this matters because both parties are the same.
      4


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Economic liberal

Social moderate/libertarian

My mother and father were both republican (however, my mother was more moderate. She voted for Dukakis and Kerry).

But she is much more liberal now. My whole family has seen the republican solution to our social ills: Lower their wages and cut them off. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer... and if you don't belong to the nuclear family and go to church every Sunday, you might as well start packing and head off to Canada.

(You have no idea how many republicans have told me "If you don't like it, you can go live somewhere else!) I've never heard something so completely against everything that is America in my life. Meanwhile, they got laid off at their local school district because of budget cuts and now they work at Wal-Mart for half the pay. Twice the work, half the pay... (I've seen this many times, too, since 2001.)

People can argue until the day is done about "whether people have a right to more equal wages" but when people are working two full time jobs and still struggling to get by, there is something fundamentally wrong.

Also, I could venture to guess that every person posting here that opposes social welfare has never been in a position where there was nothing else they could do and nowhere else to turn.

It's not as if jobs are just handed out. Sometimes people can't find jobs. Sometimes people can't just get up and move to a place that has jobs. If it was that easy, then nobody would be on welfare.

But oh well. The political dichotomy will only get worse. The democrats will continue to lose grasp on the values that made hte party great, and the republicans will continue to slander this country into oblivion.

Make the game fair: Campaign finance reform. Give everyone the same amount of money for a campaign and see how well the democrats and republicans do!

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What is it with you and coming up with these polls that start heated debates. I'm republican because I'm choosing the lesser of two evils. And I appreciate you calling me nuts. Also, I don't like lazy people living off of what others earn. And that comment that was made about liberals isn't generalizing anything just the truth. I'm also prolife. You made it you take care of it and take some resposiblility for your actions. I don't totally agree with republicans either and see some of the libertarian views like the point of getting rid of the income tax and moving it to the sales tax. Getting rid of that damn IRS and its big ugly head. I think its more powerful than the FBI at times. I don't like so much govt. control and view it as communism pushing out its ugly head. I believe also that welfare is being abused 90% of the time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You "believe" that welfare is being abused 90% of the time? You made the statement, prove it. I only hear rhetoric. I only hear what your republican politicians are telling you. Show me a report that proves that welfare is abused 90% of the time.

And yes, you're prolife. Tell the woman that got raped and ended up pregnant that "she made it" and that "she can take care of it." I'm sure if I were a woman and got raped, I'd want to raise my rapist's child in the name of 'pro-life'. Sometimes situations warrant something evil in order to rid someone of a life of guilt and pain.

It sounds to me like you have a generalization that all women that have abortions have them because they were dumb, got pregnant, and they don't want a baby. Sometimes, that isn't the case. But I guess hangers in the back bedroom are more effective tools than government regulated abortions. After all, a woman who ends up pregnant deserves death before hte baby does if she's gonna try that. And what about the father? Do you have any idea how many men get women pregnant and then run off, leading to the abortion in the first place? Of course you can say that men shouldn't leave women like that.. but they do. And yet women are the ones left with the burden of a child because the father was the irresponsible one.

Moving to a national sales tax will only shift more of the tax burden onto the working class. (Those that spend a high proportion of their money in any given year.) The rich that are paying high income taxes spend much less and would pay a lot less tax. You might see this is as a good thing... but what happens when we are running a $1 trillion deficit and we have to cut defense spending in half? The republicans wouldn't like that.

And the days when the IRS had any real power is long gone. The IRS can't automatically search your house and put wire taps in it without you knowing. They can't arrest non-citizens without a warrant and hold them indefinitely on speculation. They can't find out what books you read, what surgeries you've had, or where you go to school and force your doctor, your librarian, and your teacher not to tell you that they were digging up information.

Republicans want personal freedom? Oh, please! Anybody who says this is wrong. Sure, that's a bold statement, but it's true.

The democrats want more controls on guns. The republicans want to be able to arrest people on speculation and put them in jail until they see fit. The democrats want more regulation on power companies to keep prices lower. The republicans want to search your hosue while you're at work without a warrant and listen to your private conversations with your family when you get home.

You say that is absurd? That only "criminals" need to be worried about being searched? Well, I say to you: Only criminals need be worried about gun control. The object isn't to stop people from hunting, only to keep murders from happening with guns.

Oh, and about communism. How many communist countries have you been to? You probably have very little liking for China. Unfortunately for us, China is growing at a much faster rate and has 4 times as many people as we do. While they're not exactly communist anymore, they are definitely a force to be reckoned with.

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Remember before you read my replies that you understand that I am independant and at one time, I was quite the bad seed.

I would prefer to get rid of the party system all together though I would support campaign finance reform.

You "believe" that welfare is being abused 90% of the time?  You made the statement, prove it.  I only hear rhetoric.  I only hear what your republican politicians are telling you.  Show me a report that proves that welfare is abused 90% of the time.
The 90% is off but as someone who grew up on welfare I can tell that it is abused on a major scale. I knew families that had kids just to get more, not one family but families...one of them had 9 kids.

And yes, you're prolife.  Tell the woman that got raped and ended up pregnant that "she made it" and that "she can take care of it."  I'm sure if I were a woman and got raped, I'd want to raise my rapist's child in the name of 'pro-life'.  Sometimes situations warrant something evil in order to rid someone of a life of guilt and pain.
I'm Pro Life with circumstances. Rape being one of them. She must file a full rape report before she can have the abortion. If she lies on he report just to have it, then is criminally charged. Life endangerment to the baby and mother are the other circumstances. Aside from them, it's murder. At 21 days old, a fetus has both a heartbeat and brain synapse function. Most women don't know they are pregnant until the fetus is over 30+ days old.

Moving to a national sales tax will only shift more of the tax burden onto the working class.  (Those that spend a high proportion of their money in any given year.)  The rich that are paying high income taxes spend much less and would pay a lot less tax.  You might see this is as a good thing... but what happens when we are running a $1 trillion deficit and we have to cut defense spending in half?  The republicans wouldn't like that.
I'd like to see a flat tax. 10% should be good for all. Can't blame anyone one group that way.

The democrats want more controls on guns.  The republicans want to be able to arrest people on speculation and put them in jail until they see fit.  The democrats want more regulation on power companies to keep prices lower.  The republicans want to search your hosue while you're at work without a warrant and listen to your private conversations with your family when you get home.
Democrats approved the patriot Act as well so you can't put that on Republicans. Also, I've read the Patriot Act and they most certainly cannot do as you suggest. Probably Cause must be proven first similar to getting a warrant issued. If there is novalid probably cause, they cannot search, wire tap, confine, or interfere with any other basic rights.

You say that is absurd?  That only "criminals" need to be worried about being searched?  Well, I say to you:  Only criminals need be worried about gun control.  The object isn't to stop people from hunting, only to keep murders from happening with guns.
As someone who once walked with wepons in hand for illicit means, I can asure you that gun control won't control anything. Do you think I or any other criminal with intent to use buys a weapon in a store? Guess we should put knife control in place too since only a few more murders happen per year with a gun than does a knife..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

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Well here's my take on the subjects above. Neither party is doing a very good job in my opinion

Social Welfare

Eliminate it for anyone under 55 or who is not handicapped. Anyone well enough to go out and have kids, is well enough to go out and support them. Make the fathers and to a lesser extent the moms, work to support these children. If they can't get a job, conscript them into a national work service.

Guns

Let the people have their guns if they want them. But anyone convicted of a crime with a gun gets the chair. That would solve the problem.

Abortion

Should only be a decision of the Parents and their Dr. Nobody has the right to force their religious beliefs on people facing such a difficult decision. This is a question of religious beliefs, nothing else.

Taxes

A flat tax, national sales tax, and all the alternative schemes will never be passed in this country. Both parties have constitutients with hands way too deep in tax policy for this ever to change. Keep in mind that 1/3 of the taxes that everyone pays simply pays off the interest on the National Debt. So make a Constitutional Amendment requiring a balanced budget. That will fix the debate on taxes.

Elect the President by the Popular Vote

This will fix some of the problems we have now.

Limit terms in the House of Representatives to just 2 terms

Ditto. One of the biggest problems in this country are career politicians.

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Well here's my take on the subjects above.  Neither party is doing a very good job in my opinion

Social Welfare

Eliminate it for anyone under 55 or who is not handicapped.  Anyone well enough to go out and have kids, is well enough to go out and support them.  Make the fathers and to a lesser extent the moms, work to support these children.  If they can't get a job, conscript them into a national work service. 

Guns

Let the people have their guns if they want them.  But anyone convicted of a crime with a gun gets the chair.  That would solve the problem. 

Abortion

Should only be a decision of the Parents and their Dr.  Nobody has the right to force their religious beliefs on people facing such a difficult decision.  This is a question of religious beliefs, nothing else. 

Taxes

A flat tax, national sales tax, and all the alternative schemes will never be passed in this country.  Both parties have constitutients with hands way too deep in tax policy for this ever to change.  Keep in mind that 1/3 of the taxes that everyone pays simply pays off the interest on the National Debt.  So make a Constitutional Amendment requiring a balanced budget.  That will fix the debate on taxes. 

Elect the President by the Popular Vote

This will fix some of the problems we have now.

Limit terms in the House of Representatives to just 2 terms

Ditto.  One of the biggest problems in this country are career politicians.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's the most sense I have heard in a long time. I especially like the Social Welfare, Taxes and the Gun control ideas.

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I am a proud democrat. One thing I dont like about how U.S. House and senate member are elected is how parties redraw district lines to benefit their party in electing members. Its very unfair and is a big reason Republican hold their power in the house and senate. Republican leaders are for the wealthy and big corporations such as in the oil industry and drug companies. Repblican leaders always vote against raising the minimum wage. Its no coincidence that we have an oil man as our leader and the gas prices are sky high. Our president has a financial stake in the oil industry and while our presindents is lining his pockets we are suffering from helping him to do it by paying higher gas prices.

I also believe that our president is using religon as a smoke screen for his political agendas. One example is stem cell research. Bush uses religion and morality is his reason for the U.S. Government not supporting stem cell research, but here is the reason. If the U.S. government provided funds for stem cell research, then that would means that the cost of new drugs from government supported research would have to be moderated. If the Government doesnt support it, that would mean that the private sector would have to support it. That means the private sector (including the drug companies) could charge as much as they want to for the new drugs made from stem cell research discoveries. The drug companies are the ones that finacialy backed Bush to help him get elected. Bush uses religon as a PR campaign and says he repects life and thats why hes against abortion and stem cell research. But if that were the case, he'd be against the death penalty which he is not. When Bush was governor of Texas is was the one that ok'd the deaths of imates in tthe Texas prison system. How can you respect life and then be for the death penalty?

Another case where Bush used Religon and God for his political angenda is the gay marriage issue. Before Bush was re-elected, that was all Bush talked about. He said he would make an admendment to the U.S. constitution on banning gay marriage. Now that he won re-election, the subject has been dropped all together. The idea was to use the gay marriage issue to boost the republican/christian turn out at the voting polls. A few people I know said they didnt like how Bush ran the country but the only reason they voted for him was because he was against gay marriage. You can immagine how many more people like that who voted to get him re-elected.

The war in Iraq is a big mess. The president rushed to war under false intelligence and without an exit plan. Our resources should have been focused on finding Osama Bin Laden and not on Iraq which had nothing to do with 911 or terrorism. The terrorist werent in Iraq before we invaded the country. They came in afterwards. Thousands of our troops are dying and it doesnt look like we are leaving Iraq soon. As long as people are willing to blow themselves up, we will have to occupy Iraq. I do believe that we will fail in making Iraq a self supporting democracy because their culture is far too different from ours. All the extremist will do once we do leave is assasinate the leadership and the government will fall back into the hands of a dictator or extremist groups.

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Well here's my take on the subjects above.  Neither party is doing a very good job in my opinion

Social Welfare

Eliminate it for anyone under 55 or who is not handicapped.  Anyone well enough to go out and have kids, is well enough to go out and support them.  Make the fathers and to a lesser extent the moms, work to support these children.  If they can't get a job, conscript them into a national work service. 

Guns

Let the people have their guns if they want them.  But anyone convicted of a crime with a gun gets the chair.  That would solve the problem. 

Abortion

Should only be a decision of the Parents and their Dr.  Nobody has the right to force their religious beliefs on people facing such a difficult decision.  This is a question of religious beliefs, nothing else. 

Taxes

A flat tax, national sales tax, and all the alternative schemes will never be passed in this country.  Both parties have constitutients with hands way too deep in tax policy for this ever to change.  Keep in mind that 1/3 of the taxes that everyone pays simply pays off the interest on the National Debt.  So make a Constitutional Amendment requiring a balanced budget.  That will fix the debate on taxes. 

Elect the President by the Popular Vote

This will fix some of the problems we have now.

Limit terms in the House of Representatives to just 2 terms

Ditto.  One of the biggest problems in this country are career politicians.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree with most of this, except the abortion part. Viability is a moving target, and keeps moving closer and closer to conception as science progresses (funny how science will end up deciding this decades-long debate). Whether you believe a fetus is human or not, if medical viability is proven at conception, then it becomes a human rights issue. I was never taught this in Sunday school ;)

But I like the rest of your ideas. We have one career politician in Michigan (the Penguin) whose time has come.

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Social Welfare

Eliminate it for anyone under 55 or who is not handicapped. Anyone well enough to go out and have kids, is well enough to go out and support them. Make the fathers and to a lesser extent the moms, work to support these children. If they can't get a job, conscript them into a national work service.

I agree with this, except for the national work service part.

Guns

Let the people have their guns if they want them.  But anyone convicted of a crime with a gun gets the chair.  That would solve the problem.

I largely agree with this too. Everyone should be able to carry guns so long as they are not convicted felons. If you commit a crime with a gun, you should be severely punished.

Abortion

Should only be a decision of the Parents and their Dr.  Nobody has the right to force their religious beliefs on people facing such a difficult decision.  This is a question of religious beliefs, nothing else. 

Having a pregnant wife, I have learned a lot more about fetuses. You can see the beating heart on an ultrasound at about 1 month old. Fetuses have separate and unique DNA at conception. Fetal viability outside the womb is possible now to an extent previously unimagined, meaning a very young fetus can now survive outside the mother if delivered prematurely. The bottom line is, with all the science we now have, it becomes increasingly clear that abortion is nothing more than a murder of convenience.

Taxes

A flat tax, national sales tax, and all the alternative schemes will never be passed in this country.  Both parties have constitutients with hands way too deep in tax policy for this ever to change.  Keep in mind that 1/3 of the taxes that everyone pays simply pays off the interest on the National Debt.  So make a Constitutional Amendment requiring a balanced budget.  That will fix the debate on taxes.

I completely agree with this. Several bills to accomplish this have been introduced by Republicans recently. They are supported by few if any Democrats. Bush has voiced support for such a tax regime.

Elect the President by the Popular Vote

This will fix some of the problems we have now.

I disagree. This would further destroy the idea of federalism in America. The point of the electoral college is to prevent direct popular election and to have the states play a greater role in the election of the federal President. The electoral college forces candidates to campaign in smaller states which would otherwise be ignored and forces candidates to pay attention to issues involving states of all sizes.

Limit terms in the House of Representatives to just 2 terms

Ditto.  One of the biggest problems in this country are career politicians.

Term limits are not a bad idea, but I think 4 terms would be better. 2 terms just isnt long enough to figure out the system and get things done. Term limits do have the effect however of limiting the options of the voters.

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Rather than having term limits, we should make the "running ground" equal.

Take away all "soft money." Each politician is given an equal amount of funding from the tax payers (I know, I know... but we are in a democracy for and of the people. The people should be funding political campaigns, not a few high-profile donors.)

This equalizes the playing field. Then, have primary elections. If you are secured as the candidate for whichever political party, you are then given another dose of money to spend on your campaign. This would allow 3rd parties to gain more status and eliminate our 2 party deadlock.

And in the spirit of grassroots politics, allow donations to the candidates once hte primaries are over.. but a cap of $100. This is held to the individual. Corporations are not allowed to give donations. If you choose to volunteer for the campaign, you can not donate money.

This allows people to support their candidate of choice financially, but keeps politicians from doing the dirty tricks that they do in office.

Ban negative political ads. Political advertisements may not mention any other candidate besides the candidate in the ad. This keeps the focus on what the said candidate will do for the country/state/district, and not what the other one won't do.

After all of these rules, a politician runs 15 times for the house... he'll have to keep his job by representing his constituents.

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I am a proud liberal, for reasons of morality. I believe that any governent's responsibility is to ensure the freedom and well-being of its citizens. Cutting back on social problems only hurts the most vulnerable Americans and enriches the wealthy, who least need it. The right wing in this country seems to be motivated by little more than profit, and that disgusts me. Even worse is the way they twist the teachings of Christianity to justify their agenda. Didn't Jesus mention once or twice that we should be helping the poor? Didn't he say not to pass judgement on others (i.e. homosexuals)? I am absolutely convinced that if JC were around today, he would be a liberal. It makes me want to cry when I see so many of his followers supporting a political agenda that violates so many of his core beliefs.

The electoral college forces candidates to campaign in smaller states which would otherwise be ignored and forces candidates to pay attention to issues involving states of all sizes.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've never understood that argument. It seems to me that the current system itself allows smaller states to be ignored. Right now, candidates spend most of their time on states with many electoral votes and on "swing" states that are evenly divided. States with only a couple votes are largely ignored. On the other hand, in a popular vote, someone in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming would have as much power as someone in New York.

More importantly, IMO, is that a popular vote is a more accurate reading of the country's true desire. Under the electoral college a conservative living in a liberal state (or vice-versa) simply doesn't matter. Then in closely divided states, just under half the votes simply get discarded when electoral votes are distributed. One person, one vote, I say.

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  Even worse is the way they twist the teachings of Christianity to justify their agenda.  Didn't Jesus mention once or twice that we should be helping the poor?  Didn't he say not to pass judgement on others (i.e. homosexuals)? I am absolutely convinced that if JC were around today, he would be a liberal.  It makes me want to cry when I see so many of his followers supporting a political agenda that violates so many of his core beliefs.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

According to many of them, JC was an earlier version of an American marine, pro-war, and intolerant.

:ph34r:

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...Even worse is the way they twist the teachings of Christianity to justify their agenda.  Didn't Jesus mention once or twice that we should be helping the poor?  Didn't he say not to pass judgement on others (i.e. homosexuals)? I am absolutely convinced that if JC were around today, he would be a liberal.  It makes me want to cry when I see so many of his followers supporting a political agenda that violates so many of his core beliefs...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No offense, but you need to read the Bible and not just quote a few verses. Jesus said to help the poor, indeed, but upon our own free will as individuals, not forced to, like many liberals would like under a more socialist government. Not pass judgment on others? Again, I love how you just read a verse and forget the rest. Jesus did say to not pass judgment, but he also said that we are to rebuke others when they do wrong, not just give them a pass. Forgiveness and love are more than just passivity and tolerance. Jesus Himself actually overturned tables, threw chairs and booths, and tossed out merchants when He saw them using the temple as a marketplace. Hmmm...that wasn't too tolerant of merchants, was it?

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What bible are you reading from????? I will never believe that Jesus would be a liberal but the total opposite. You better spend a little more time in Bible study before making a comment like that and lets leave religion out of the politics here. There is a difference from being liberal and hating the sin and not the person. He preached against the sin and said not to hate the person. That doesn't mean to accept the sin by no means.

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there, you've heard it. if it's about religion and if it's coming from a republican - then it's doctrine. the repubes will do everything in their power to hijack god and country...and dare you cross them - you will be stamped unpatriotic and non-christian. this is one reason i disdain the rebublican party a little more than the dems.

the truth of the matter is christ probably wouldn't endorse either party. i think he was a political rebel to the end. i do think that both repubes and dems have platforms on which christ would stand but as far as one claiming a stronger alliance...well, thats just not "considering the beam that is in thine own eye" -matthew 7:3

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there, you've heard it. if it's about religion and if it's coming from a republican - then it's doctrine. the repubes will do everything in their power to hijack god and country...and dare you cross them - you will be stamped unpatriotic and non-christian...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

:blink: Umm, when did he reply back by saying that the other person was non-Christian and unpatriotic?! All he did was point out the failure of that person to completely read Scripture, and this person has thus failed to properly understand Jesus' teachings and Christian theology in general.

Hijack God and country? :huh: One of the reasons I support Republicans in general is that they actually support Christian principles. In general, they are pro-Christian. However, I am not registered as a Republican...the party has been wrong on some occasions, IMO. It just happens that this party supports most Christians and their beliefs. They don't demonstrate sheer hatred of followers, unlike many Democrats and liberals that I have heard and seen.

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