How Pure Does A Democrat Have To Be?

[rpannier]

I'm asking this question because I find it interesting how when someone praises something a Democrat, Independent or republican says, how quickly some people will bring up stuff that was said or done 3, 5, 10, even 20 years ago. This question came to me after reading someones posting on Bill Maher and how quickly several people were to bring up things that Bill said two and three years ago.
My question to everyone is "What makes a Democrat acceptable?" To me, if they oppose the shrub, believe in preserving the environment, helping families and protecting civil liberties I'm good with that. I don't care what their positions were in the past, even six months ago. A lot of people have changed their minds about shrub, the war, etc since March. I accept that they may disagree with me on many issues, but my goal right now is to get Kerry elected and if a "Man and/or Woman who drives a pick-up truck, has a Confederate flag on the back, listens to lee greenwood and believes in the literal interpretation of the Bible" says they're voting for Kerry, I'll take their support.

[porphyrian]

1. Public figures never escape their pasts.

Byrd will always have been in the Klan. Businesses can change ownership and be "under new management," but people have a hard time convincing others that they have changed, especially if the change is drastic.

[rpannier]

4. Agreed n/t

[liberalnurse]

2. Right now....while *bush and company

are in office.....you are either with us or against us.......we can't afford to be "normal" at the moment.....America is in "crisis" with this administration.

[rpannier]

3. I agree 100%

Beating shrub is the most important thing.

[mmonk]

5. In my opinion

the neocon influence needs to be eradicated from the party if it is truly to be called democratic. Dem Iraq war hawks, like their republican counterparts, do not respect the concepts of open and transparent government that democracy is supposed to represent.

[NewJeffCT]

6. I brought up some of Maher's old quotes

Supporting Colin Powell as his ideal president and saying that Asscroft prevented terror by profiling Arab males & locking them up because some folks seem quite reverant of him - and, while Maher may have changed his position over time (his Powell quote, I think, was from early this year, however) My google has been sucking this week, so I could not find the exact dates of Maher's quotes, though.

It's great that Bill is strongly anti-Bush and I enjoyed his HBO show, but he is not a Democrat. If Asscroft himself had said that we prevented a terror attack by profiling Arab males in the US & locking them up with no trial, we'd have a 1000 post thread here on DU demanding he resign.

Some things in your past cannot be escaped unless you are a Republican, though. For Democrats, Byrd will always have his KKK past, Kennedy has Chappaquidick, Clinton has Monica, Carter has the Iran hostage crisis... Republicans use these easily recognizeable things from the past to marginalize certain Democrats. (Byrd makes a great speech against the Iraq War, Repub counter, "Well, he was in the KKK")

[Rowdyboy]

7. I'm the same way about Ariana Huffington

Yeah, she talks a good talk now. But ten years ago, she was Newt Gingrich's biggest booster and I'm not totally ready to forget that.