How many come from liberal families ?

[steve2470]

Liberal families = 90% or more of family members have liberal values. Just curious. Thanks.

eta: Family can be blood-related or just anyone you consider family.

Steve

35 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Yes
	22 (63%)
	No
	10 (29%)
	Other (see my post)
	3 (9%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[hrmjustin]

1. My immediate family yes.

[steve2470]

2. extended family no ?

I have cousins who are Bible-bangers. I'm glad they live far away.

[hrmjustin]

3. My mother side they are democrats.

My father side they are mixed.

[steve2470]

4. I hope they respect you nt

[hrmjustin]

6. Sure! We don't talk politics on my fathers side.

An event on my mothers side is asking the one or two republicans in the family why they vote that way.

[PotatoChip]

5. I'm assuming you mean family of origin, rather than

current family? Or both?

Either way, it'd be no for me despite the fact that Mr PotatoChip, my daughter, and I are all liberals. My family of origin was/is much larger than the 3 of us.

[steve2470]

7. mainly blood-related family

If you consider someone "family", that's good for me.

[PotatoChip]

8. Yes. I'm going by parents and siblings. (nt)

[bigwillq]

9. Most of my immediate family

are either liberal or at least Democrats.

[Tikki]

10. Me, yes…Mr. Tikki, no…we are both Liberals since our youth.

The Tikkis

[Freddie]

11. Yes and DH family too

No political fighting at the dinner table on holidays, yay. People joke about their "right wing brother-in-law" and my BIL is a long-haired leftover hippie even more left than myself (if that's possible).
The only RWNJ in the family is one of my cousins. She's a retired teacher and owes her early retirement and lifetime of decent pay and benefits to the union, go figure. Lives in a very red part of Pennsyltucky.

[brooklynite]

12. How do you define "liberal"?

By my standards, yes. By DU's? I'm not sure.

[steve2470]

14. hm good question

I guess for Democrats, the benchmark is FDR. Granted, FDR had his flaws, huge ones.

[FSogol]

16. Good point. n/t

[Puzzledtraveller]

22. Haha, I like that

So true, what flies for liberal around here...

[truebluegreen]

13. Sort of.

Parents were big fans of Kennedy, but having 3 rebellious teenagers pushed Dad over the edge and he opted for Nixon in '68 (control freak, btw) and then never looked back.

[Xyzse]

15. I don't know...

In many ways, my father side is very liberal, in some ways not so much.

My mother side has always been very conservative and a pain in the neck, but they have a ton more scandal.

[Broken_Hero]

17. My mom/dad are both Dems and liberal. nt

[joeglow3]

18. Family was card carrying Union Democrats when I was growing up

They are republicans now.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

19. My father and grandmother were Socialists. So, am I.

[get the red out]

20. Strong Union Democrats

I'm almost 50, so liberal is relative regarding my upbringing. My Dad had evolved along with the Democratic Party, and beyond, into a pretty full-blown leftie before he passed though. Bless him, he was fully capable of re-evaluating in the face of new information. My Mom is kind of a mis-mash of a Democrat, she's ethically opposed to both abortion and the death penalty. At least she isn't a hypocrite like all the Republican anti-choicers who are pro-death penalty.

[deurbano]

21. Parents were Southern Democrats (Dixiecrats) who became rightwing Republicans over Civil Rights...

My dad was a member of the White Citizens' Council in Mississippi. After they moved to California, their first Republican votes (ever) were for Goldwater. (They hated Kennedy and then Johnson.) They were both very politically active. My dad was an elected official and my mom worked for a powerful Republican congressman for about 30 years (until he retired). My 80-plus mom was a delegate to the last Republican primary convention in Tampa. She went on a Weekly Standard Mediterranean cruise last summer.

Sucks. I started arguing with them about civil rights when I was still in elementary school. (And the political "debates" ballooned from there...) We had a very tumultuous relationship for many years, including times when we weren't speaking, but I get along okay with my mom, now. (She kinda needed a bleeding heart liberal in her life as she got older.) She has Fox "News" blaring constantly... when she isn't listening to rightwing radio. (Loves Limbaugh and Hannity...)

Again, sucks. My only sibling and her husband are also Republicans. Luckily, there are some liberals on my husband's side.

[steve2470]

24. I feel for you

My dad voted for McGovern in 1972, in Orlando FL, when probably almost all of his friends voted for Nixon.

[Codeine]

23. I only know my mom's politics.

She seemed like she was a liberal in the 70s and then gravitated to Reagan Republicanism in the 80s, which was absurd because we were on food stamps. I went through an odd right-wing phase around 14 or 15, but it didn't last.

My grandparents were old white people, so I'm going to assume they were old-school conservatives.

[Aristus]

25. My family are all die-hard, old-school Kennedy liberals.

My wife's side of the family are all right-wingers, including a few teabaggers.

My wife self-identifies as a conservative Republican, but voted for President Obama in 2012. I'm having a positive influence on her.

No surprise, she's the most intelligent member of her family.

[sufrommich]

26. I do. I could probably count

members of my extended family who would vote republican using less than the fingers on one hand.

[Maedhros]

27. My parents were solid working class Democrats, though I wouldn't call them "Liberal."

Dad grew up in a small Oregon town founded by German Catholic immigrants. He served in the Navy in WWII and afterword worked as a printer.

Mom grew up in southeast Kansas on a farm during the depression. She worked in an aircraft plant during the war, then found her way West to Portland where she met my dad.

Their political philosophy was always "vote for the man, not the Party," but they generally voted Democrat.

[libodem]

28. Even my Mormon grandfather

Said he would allow no church to dictate how he voted or if he could belong to a union.

[Jamaal510]

29. There's not a single Republican in my family.

In fact, I don't even know any real-life Republicans.

[Democracyinkind]

30. Well, my father thinks that he is a liberal, but I regularly disagree with that.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

31. liberal parents

Parents very active in community, local government, and national politics.

Older brother? I think he votes Dem but he shows indifference.

Older sister used to be like brother then got hijacked by libertarians but doesn't know it. She likes to share her idiocy all the time and it typically ends with me calling her an uninformed, misguided useful idiot.

I'm my parents' son.

[abelenkpe]

32. Growing up

my father was conservative who admired and voted for Kennedy. My mom was a democrat. Both were atheists. I left for college in 92 bound for CA. Somewhere between 92 and 2000 my entire east coast family: parents, brother, sister, uncles, aunts and cousins became Ron Paul libertarian wackjobs or tea baggers who listen to Limbaugh and watch FOX news. I've asked many times to not forward me rightwing emails or jokes and please don't bring up the subject of politics so as to avoid conflict. Unacceptable! If I won't let them beat me over the head with their opinions and politics then no conversation can take place.

So we don't really talk.

[ananda]

33. Half n half.

Mom's side - liberal
Dad's side - racist conservative, some crazy fundie

[cry baby]

34. Mother=liberal...Father=late to the liberal side

Dad was an uninformed repub most of his life, but when he retired, he started watching CSPAN and changed sides! I'm proud of him!

[KamaAina]

35. Mom yes, Grandma and especially Grandpa no.

He once told Mom to stop listening to "fat-lipped n****r music". And he meant Elvis! Fortunately, she saw the light when she grew up.

Also, a big fat no to Republican Stepdad, obviously. However, stepbro and especially stepsis turned out OK as well.

[TBF]

36. Yes - union members & farmers

Sadly some of the younger generation have bought into the Republican message (mostly the religious ones). When I was growing up everyone in the family voted for democrats.

[Auntie Bush]

37. My parents were both Reagenites.

My Father would still be a Rethug today. My Mother would have probably voted for Obama. My three siblings are all ReThugs. But thank goodness my kids and their spouses are all Democrats. Smart kids! Dumb relatives!

[LordGlenconner]

42. People with liberal upbringings had it easy

Life was much harder for those of us who were forced to endure growing up in GOP households.

[steve2470]

46. We were blue in an ocean of red

Orlando is just now turning purple. I was steeped in politics from an early age, and supported the populist candidate in 1976, Fred Harris. So, on the one hand it was great, but it made me a true exception in my area. I still identify more with Berkley CA than where I live, but Berkley is way too expensive for me.

[PeaceNikki]

38. All 5 of us are passionate bleeding heart liberals. My mom was on DU well before me.

She was here at the beginning.

[steve2470]

39. That's very cool about your mom !

Can I ask her DU name ?

[PeaceNikki]

40. She hasn't posted in some time. And wasn't a hugely active poster, ever (compared to me...)

But it's Serial Mom- http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=profile&uid=100714

[steve2470]

41. ah ok ty ! nt

[PeaceNikki]

43. Me, her and pops spent mom's 60th birthday protesting in Madison during the WI uprising.

They're awesome.

[steve2470]

45. very cool ! nt

[LumosMaxima]

44. My grandparents were Democrats.

My parents and their siblings were (mostly) lured to the dark side by Reagan. I'm one of the only sane people left in my family.

[steve2470]

47. bump nt

[steve2470]

48. kick nt

[one_voice]

49. I do.

Most everyone in my family is Liberal.

Except my granny. She was old school Republican. She'd be a Democrat today.

She thought we should have single payer insurance, she was pro choice, she believed in a safety net....she was one of the toughest, smartest women I've ever known. I've been missing her lately.

She hated the Bush family with a passion. Thought Reagan should have kept his ass in Hollywood.

I think she voted for Clinton. LOL.

[etherealtruth]

50. Democrats .... yes

Liberal .... on some things yes, on some things no .... but always vote a straight Democratic ticket.

My children .... extreme liberals (makes a mom proud)

[gollygee]

51. I guess the right answer would be yes, but . . .

Democrats and union members, so yes, but there was that nasty Reagan Democrat period, so I don't think they're all that liberal, really.

[MNBrewer]

52. Liberal now, or liberal when I was born or growing up?

I think there's a significant difference, toward the liberal side over the last (almost) 50 years.

[steve2470]

54. um both I guess nt

[Le Taz Hot]

53. Nope, but then again,

I've been told that I came out of the womb arguing . . .

[llmart]

55. My family of origin was left of FDR.....

LOL - My father's father was a leader in the Socialist Labor Party. My parents were thrilled when JFK was elected though my father hated most Catholics but then again, he was an atheist. My mother was devastated when he was assassinated. All of my siblings are very liberal.

Both of my grown children are Democrats who couldn't wait to be old enough to vote and have voted Democratic in every election. My son canvassed for President Obama in Florida.

[CherokeeDem]

56. I come from a mixed family....

My parents were both Dems but my dad started out as a Republican. Both grandfathers were Republicans... old line.... not these crazed idiots of today. My grandmothers were both Democrats. Women in my family rule!! Have some right-wing cousins but for the most part everyone else is a Dem.

[sheshe2]

57. Except for one cousin and an aunt...

All Dems, well my father was a little wishy washy. However he voted for Obama once. In 2012 he was suffering from Alzheimer and was unable to vote.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

58. I am so proud to say I come from a liberal family. My family was not always lib, but they became

lib with time, starting with my dad. He started out conservative as a young guy, then I suppose he slowly grew to realize what evil BULLSHIT right wing ideology is, and by the time he was in his 60s, he no longer was a right winger.

Which brings me to that famous adage erroneously attributed to Winston Churchill:


"If you're not a liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by the time you're 35, you have no brain."

There is no record of anyone hearing Churchill say this. Paul Addison of Edinburgh University makes this comment: "Surely Churchill can't have used the words attributed to him. He'd been a Conservative at 15 and a Liberal at 35! And would he have talked so disrespectfully of Clemmie, who is generally thought to have been a lifelong Liberal?"
https://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/speeches/quotations/quotes-falsely-attributed

Not only did Churchill NOT say that, but it also happens to be as much BULLSHIT as the right wing ideology it promotes.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

59. Parents were liberal Democrats.

Dad was a union organizer in the Thirties, before we had wage and hour laws. Picketing got your head busted open and you got dragged off to jail.

Grandmother thought FDR was wonderful and she saw how much he improved peoples' lives who had nothing.

My folks were against the Vietnam War. So I didn't have to waste energy rebelling.

The first politician my mother called a slimeball had four names: "That Bastard Richard Nixon".
Then she'd continue: "He smeared Helen Gahagan Douglas when she ran against him for Congress."


Which of course was true. Helen Gahagan Douglas invented the term "Tricky Dick". She was an amazing woman who is forgotten today. And a good New Deal Democrat. Wife of actor Melvyn Douglas.