Why I am a Democrat

[mumon]

It's really quite simple. Look at Watergate, Iran-Contra, BCCI, Iraq-gate, the election of 2000, the Patriot Act, and the secret-keeping nature of the present Bush administration.

Republicans have continued to keep in positions of power people like Elliott Abrams (convicted in Iran-contra, now ambassador to the UN), Ted Olson (Solicitor General, player in the attempts to smear Bill Clinton in an attempt to effect a legal coup d'etat) and others.

The Republican party, quite simply, tends towards what can only be described as treasonours or seditious- they have attempted to thwart rsponsible, representitive government at any cost. And that, frankly trumps everything, although fhe fact that they've fucked up the economy, social policy, and international relations does indeed weigh against them as well..

I may have a problem with some of the more bizarre aspects of affirmative action (or not), abortion (or not), or the shady business deals that Democrats do, but frankly, not being a treasonous Repubiican is at the top of my list.

And your reasons?

[BOSSHOG]

1. I was apolitical until the 90's

when the GOP turned me into an activist liberal democrat. Everytime I watched the news or read the paper it was some more dirty tricks from republicans trying to get Clinton, and it never stopped. And the attacks had no merit. Today we have tom delay blathering on about the investigation against him is just politics; and the conservatives are running a moral failure for Senator of Oklahoma. Bill frist and ed gillespie and the rest of the slime in the republican party. They are totally evil.

[mumon]

3. yes, and that kinda scares me...

why is 1 party in the US so evil? Not that the Dems are all sweetness and light- there's Jim Trafficant, Ed Koch, and others.

but that's the problem- to "middle America" it seems that with 2 parties it's a case of "he said, she said," but the other f*ckin side is a bunch of REAL traitors, and to compenaste they have to accuse Democrats of being traitors.

[Syrinx]

2. nail meet hammer n/t

edit: oops, I feel like W. ;)

[More Than A Feeling]

4. because...

I believe that gays/lesbians deserve every legal right that I will be entitled to if/when I am married.

I do not believe that every poor person is out to scam the system.

the free market should first be applied to all those corporate subsidies.

of Bill Clinton, and the hounding that they gave him.

the Republican theory of government seems to be "do the least to solve problems that you can scam people into believing that it is enough"

I trusted the president, and that trust was betrayed.

I don't have the energy to live my life in fear of all the people the Republican party would like me to fear.

For these reasons, I am a Democrat. I used to be a moderate one. Now I seem to be getting more liberal by the day.

[mumon]

8. I don't disagree with those beliefs...

for me, the real kicker was Watergate, then Chile, the repression of domestic dissent, all this stuff in the late 60's early 70s showed me that these guys are a lot closer to fascists than the media gives 'em credit for.

[OnionPatch]

5. That's the top of my list too

I don't care if Dems are not innocent of occasional political hi-jinx, but the Republicans make theirs look like child's play.
I am not able to trust even the most innocent seeming Republican. Just belonging to that party makes me question their integrity.
I don't fall in line with liberals on every single issue but at least I feel confident that most of them have a soul.

[RaleighNCDUer]

6. I've been a Democrat since 15, when I heard Nixon supporters

saying it was a good thing that Bobby got shot. At that same time (spring '68 -- powerful election year emotions) I had taken it upon myself to break down the constitution, line by line, article by article, and rewrite it into a modern, relevant document. There was a lot of talk about forming a new constitutional convention back then. Worked on it for weeks, a couple months at least. Put in all the things I was hearing around the base and at school (I was an overseas brat). When I was finished, I read through it and discovered I was a nazi. Made me realize what happens when you absorb attitudes without examining them. Tore it up and have been wavering between liberal and radical ever since. I still wish I'd kept that draft, just for reference, though.

[Selatius]

7. Because corporatism is fascism.

That's probably the biggest reason that drives me today. The Republican Party would naturally become a vehicle for corporatists given it's basic philosophy of limited government and little regulation. That doesn't mean the Democrats are immune to giving in though. As long as you have an election system where politicians must solicit money for their campaigns, then the ones with the most money and the most resources have an advantage every time. A small government with no teeth is something that can't protect the people.

Before this I drifted left because I felt things such as universal health care and public education were and are good ideas. Why do students have to go into debt just to get a better education? Why do we allow 45,000,000 people to live without health care in the nation that claims to be the richest in the world? I think social programs are good ideas, but apparently socialism is pure evil and that I'm a pinko commie bastard for espousing it.

The next level of knowledge I picked up had to deal with the core of fascism. I firmly believe, after reading up and researching it on my own time, that the root of fascism is nothing but the mere lust for power and profits. It's vehicle is the corporation; it's the most effective one nowadays. All that stuff with extreme nationalism, obsession with traditions, anti-liberalism, etc. is one gigantic red herring in my book.

All of this is simply meant to distract the population, while the ones who want power work to destroy the institutions of democracy. Corporations come into the picture because without the resources and support that they command, none of it would be possible. They are the ones that can bankroll politicians, control the media, and move the economy. It was Hitler collaborating with industrialists of the era who put the Germans back to work, but they were turning out war machines, not things used in peace.

While it's one thing to stoke people's nationalism, it's another to get them to do things against their own interests like start wars and give up their freedoms. Someone else already covered how to do this:



The reason why my stance is this way is not only because I think helping people get a leg up is a good idea but because I fear the emergence of corporatism as the dominating feature in the US.

[Maestro]

12. Whoa! That Georing quote is scary!

Let's not foget history folks.

[newyawker99]

15. Hi Selatius!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[mandyky]

9. To make the "myth" of America into a REALITY

A gov't of, by and for the people.

Liberty and justice for all.

A country that cares as much for families, mothers and children as it does embryos, fetuses, and legislating morality.

A gov't that truly cares for the welfare of the people. (not corporations)

Because I do not see democracy and a representative republic diametrically opposed.

[BeFree]

10. Look up!

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot air balloon approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feet above sea level.
You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude."

She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be a Democrat."

"I am," replied the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me."

The man smiled and responded, "You must be a Republican."

"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"

"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you're going. You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met but, somehow, now it's my fault."

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Not mine, a paste. Peace

[BeFree]

11. The contrasts are evident

Dems believe that government should no longer tell you how to live.

Pubs want to tell you who you can live with, what you should do with your life, and who you should believe.

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Dems think government should keep the playing field even.

Pubs think they own the high ground.

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Pubs are for an everlasting, overarching, complete control on society where everyone conforms to their beliefs. A monarchy.

[demforall]

13. Worker vs. Owner

it really comes down to Democrats are the people's party, and the RNC just cares about big business ...i mean, come on,it's obvious

[mandyky]

14. I am more of a Liberal Independent but in NY

one has to be a Dem or GOP to vote in primaries, so I've always registered Dem.