Should a Recovering Republican or person

[Wisc Badger]

who just no longer subscribes to the GOP view of things be allowed to gravitate to the Democratic party and lend it his/hers support?


I ask this question because I notice that there seems to be an attitude on the part of some posters that if you are insufficiently pure in ideology you are no welcome.

To be sure I have been made feel quite welcome and received nothing but the most positive and outstanding treatment from DU'ers since I found this site.

I LOVE THIS SITE AND THE PEOPLE WHO LURK/POST HERE!

I do note that most are not so ridged, but I have noticed some rigidity.

I bring this up because this morning I read what I considered a thoughtful piece on my ex-governor (Tommy Thompson) it indicated (to me at least) that he has changed his views from what they once were

He advocates an idea called Medical Diplomacy, as it is described in the piece it does not appear to be the least bit conservative in approach. Later near the end of the piece Thompson indicates that if he commented on some things political he would receive serious flack from the right wing.

Question if a person such as Tommy Thompson were to change his approach to issues would should he be encouraged by those who would at first blush sooner have him tarred and feathered.

In other words if a person learns through time/experience to question/change his political position is this than an acceptable and good thing. Or, is one doomed to carry only one viewpoint through his life.

I am a recovering Republican and can stand nothing GOP any more, I am not however as liberal/progressive as some others who post on on DU.(Although I swear I become more progressive every day).

Any way just thought I would throw this our for discussion.

I think Howard Dean would appreciate my transformation from nominal conservative to Democrat with ever more liberal outlooks on issues.

Thank you all in the DU universe for letting me comment, and please have a good and peaceful day.:dem: :toast: :bounce:

[jackster]

1. easy answer Badger

a big resounding yes

Even tho I'm having a wait and see attitude with the Party especially in light of who the DNC chair may be, it is the Democratic Party that is the REAL big tent party.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

2. I think you have to take a few factors into account.

1) DU is NOT the heart of the Democratic Party, contrary to popular belief. Your DUer is not your average Democrat. We are rabid here, and unabashedly so.

2) Even among the rabid, there are some extremists here. Of course, if you name ANY belief, there is an extremist lurking somewhere, so don't take them quite so much to heart.

3) Welcome to DU and the Democratic Party. Yeah, you'll probably have to hold your nose some times. Politics affects all of our lives, and because of that, some of us get a little out of control. Don't feel bad if you're not in lock-step with everyone here. If we truly wanted to be that way, we'd be on that "other site" known as "freerepublic".

[readmoreoften]

3. I'm pretty progressive and I say WELCOME...

I think having an open mind to ideas and issues is at the heart of the progressive spirit. I'm even open minded to conservative ideas sometimes. (Like for instance, I'm REALLY into preserving the Constitution as-is and not amending it. I'm also really conservative about seperate between church and state. I strongly believe they should remain separate.)

My problem is the jingoistic, pure propaganda, lock-step-goose-step mentality of the right wing and their inability to engage in civil debate.

Welcome.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

4. The Rapturist Right alienated me

As a socially liberal and fiscally conservative Republican, I find that the (R) now stands for Rapturist Right. The Democrats have shown to be more fiscally responsible without trying to legislate privacy matters. Although DU is not the entire Democratic party, I have personally found this site to be informative, engaging, and, at times, a great source for humor/cartoons. I have always tried to post respectfully and, in turn, have had minimal flaming. I support the Democrats in their quest for sanity in a world turned upside down. :toast:

[adigal]

11. I, too, am recovering

and I feel comfortable here. And if anyone here does not like it, well, I'm sorry, but I have every right to fight for progressive ideas as well.

See what a b**ch I am - I think more of us recovered repubs will be good for the party.

[ZombieNixon]

5. ABSOLUTELY!!!

And we will love you for it! :bounce:

[AmandaRuth]

6. LOLOLOL

"Should a Recovering Republican or person"

Yeah, I think alot of 'pubs are inhuman, too. :evilgrin: :evilgrin:

[bvar22]

7. My political enemies:

1) People who promote Corporate rights over Human Rights,

2) People who support spending Tax money killing people or building an even bigger War Machine

3) People who support privitizing and deregulating necessary services (HealthCare, Transportation, Education, Utilities, Social Security, Saving & Loans, the Military, the Police Depts)

4) People who support Large Corporations over Small Independent businesses.

5) People who support Agri-business over Family Farms

6) People who support Free Trade (in its current incarnation)

7) People who support ammending the Constitution to deprive minorities of rights

8) People who believe that a Police State will make us safer

9) People who prefer mythology over Science

10) People who believe that Corporations should not be resposible for Environmental Damage

11) People who believe that Corporations should not be accountable to the People through the Judicial System (Tort Reform)

12) People who don't question the reliability of BBV

13) People who believe that the USA is in Iraq to Liberate, and that the invasion and occupation of Iraq was justified.

14) People who insist that bush* and the republicans are good Christians and are doing the Will of God,

15) People who support giving Tax Dollars to Religious Institutions,

16) People who don't support Universal HealthCare and Universal Education.

17) People who don't believe that our Two Party System has become overwhelmingly corrupted through Corporate influence.

18) People who believe that it is OK for government to operate in SECRET!

19) People who support Tax Systems that hurt the poor and middle class, and rewards the RICH.



People on the above list are my political enemies.
Party designation doesn't mean much anymore.


On Edit:
Welcome to DU!

[MissMarple]

8. As a small "d" dem, a progressive, a pragmatic liberal, I say come on in

Parties are just about dogma and ideology, anyway. It's the goals and issues that matter most. Affordable, available quality health care and child care, a good public education, providing opportunity and jobs, protecting public resources (and the whole public, not just your friends), and taking care of those who cannot care for themselves, stuff like that.

But you really need to mean it. Bipartisanship needs to be fostered, we need it to survive in the long term.

[Taxloss]

9. Well, there are feocious disagreements here.

So don't take it personally if someone disagrees with you; it's nothing to do with your background (most times).

[bobbyboucher]

10. I have gained respect for Paul O'Neill,

for what it's worth.

[Nadienne]

12. A question about medical diplomacy:

is it similar to what Cuba does, sending doctors to third world countries, and inviting people to Cuba to learn medicine from these doctors?

Is it possible that Medical Diplomacy could be used as a fist to crush developing countries, the way that loans from the World Bank crush the economies of developing countries? Is it possible that Medical Diplomacy is a way to expand markets for US pharmaceutical corporations? If this is so, I would guess that these are Secretary Thompson's real motiviations behind Medical Diplomacy.

I know that people can change. And I know that some people don't change.

Welcome to DU.

[mhr]

13. Welcome Wisc Badger

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