Are you a Democrat?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

[LynneSin]

1. I'm a democrat and very proud of it

although at times I'm peeved at some of the crap they do in general you'll always find me pulling the big "D" lever at election time

[MaineDem]

2. Absolutely! (nt)

[yellowcanine]

3. Yes, Yellowdog. I have never KNOWINGLY voted for a Republican at the

state or national level. I do reserve the right to vote for Republicans if the Democratic candidate is a DINO and the Republican candidate is a RINO.

[LiberalEsto]

4. Yes, but disgusted with the lack of leadership

in the Democratic Party concerning the war, tax cuts for the rich, Supreme Court nominees, destruction of environmental laws, and on and on.

If they don't start kicking ass, they're going to get their asses kicked not only by the rethugs, but by frustrated Democrats.

[Rowdyboy]

5. So far 2/3 of poll participants say they're Democrats.....Damn!

You'd never know it from some of the threads around this place.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

14. You know what they say about squeaky wheels...

[woodsprite]

6. I wasn't until about 3 months after joining DU.

I knew something was drastically wrong with the election. I woke up the next day feeling like I got punched in the stomach. The first thing I did was turn on the TV to see who "officially" won. I knew this country was sunk when Kerry caved.

[Dees]

7. Yes I am and I don't belong to the Democrat Party...n/t

[Double T]

8. 'Liberal' First. 'Democrat' Second.

[sui generis]

12. I second that - Dear Democratic Politicians:

Earn it or lose it, but do NOT take it for granted. We ARE the base.

[raccoon]

18. Ditto. I know both major parties belong to big business, but

I think the Democrats are somewhat more friendly to the middle class and poor.

And a third party candidate hasn't got a hope in Hades of winning the presidency.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. I've been a Democrat for 40 years. Voting Green in '06.

My nose is worn out and my capacity to hold it for the "lesser of two evils" has been exceeded by the IWR vote and the vote for Roberts. I've notified both of my (D) senators not to bother dunning me for more money and votes.

I'll be voting for an opposition party in '06 and, likely, beyond '06.

[alcibiades_mystery]

10. Left-leaning independent

Democrats are piddling in most cases.

[bunkerbuster1]

11. yes, although I've voted in Rethug primaries

when there was no significant Dem race to be determined, I've voted against fascist Reeps when I've felt it was my moral duty to do so.

(I should add, I live in an "open primary" state where you don't have to register as a Dem or a Reep--you just walk to the poll and ask for one ballot or the other. I get some interesting RNC mail as a result, though.)

[mod mom]

13. I used to consider myself a Dem but now consider myself a PROGRESSIVE, to

distinguish myself from those corporate loving DLCers. I'm anti-war, pro social justice and think fair, transparent verifiable elections are a must. If the DNC adopts these policies than I may return, if not I will vote my conscious no more straight party ticket and putting in endless hours of voluntering for them.

Remember the Dem ticket promised every vote would count? I stand for parties that fight for their base, not cave in an immoral adminstration full of bullies.

I AM A CONYERS DEM!

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

23. It's easy to be Conyers.

Conyers doesn't worry about getting re-elected.

You want to be something to be proud of? Be a Wellstone Democrat. A guy who was an unabashed liberal in a place where re-election isn't guaranteed.

[Zynx]

15. I would describe myself as a left-leaning independent right now.

However, I will not support any Republican for any office while they are so dependent on the religious right. The Republican agenda is very dangerous and must be stopped. Back forty years ago, I probably would have been a liberal Republican, but that wing of their party has long since died.

[mattclearing]

16. Why I Am a Democrat

I wrote this after the RNC last year.

After watching Arnold Schwarzenegger’s speech to the Republican
National Convention two weeks ago, it occurred to me that anyone with
two eyes and a nose must be a Republican.

After all, I believe several of the things that the Governator himself listed as criteria for membership in the Grand Old Party.

I believe that people should be treated as individuals, not as interest groups.

I believe that I know how to spend my money better than the Government does.

I also believe that our educational system should be held accountable for results.

For a moment it occurred to me that I should probably get down to the
DMV and change my party affiliation. However, some other notions came
to my mind that allowed my commitment to the Democratic Party to
endure. I’d like to take this opportunity to share a few of them.

First, I thought to myself that Arnold’s profession of Republican
beliefs missed a few things. For instance,

If you believe that corporations deserve unlimited unearned welfare but impoverished Americans must earn the right to assistance, then you are a Republican.

If you believe that the legal community is at fault for corporate price gouging and that allowing corporations to account for their consumer abuse settlements in advance is a good idea, regardless of the circumstances of the case in question, then you are a Republican.

If you are more passionate about the rights of the unborn than you are
about the civil rights of your fellow Americans, then you are a
Republican.

If you can be persuaded that money for roads and schools for Iraqis
should be a bigger priority for your President than money for roads and schools for your fellow Americans, then you are a Republican.

If you believe that unaccountable military contractors are more
deserving of the government’s charity than the elderly poor, then you
are a Republican.

If you believe that pre-emptive war is more likely to prevent terrorism than to encourage it, then you are a Republican.

If you believe that subsidized healthcare is a complete waste of money
but wouldn’t mind throwing unlimited taxpayer dollars at the
development and deployment of a space-based missile defense shield,
then you are a Republican.


Now, I’m a Democrat, and I’ve been a Democrat for all of my life. I
have given it some thought, and I’ve come to some conclusions about why I choose to affiliate with the Democratic Party.

Here are some ways to tell if you are a Democrat:

If you would be willing to pay for a government that provides services
that matter to you, then you are a Democrat.

If you believe deep down that America’s diversity is the source of
America’s strength, not a threat to it, then you are a Democrat.

If you believe that homelessness, poverty, and a lack of healthcare for the less fortunate among us reflect poorly on us as a society, and that those are things the government can and should do something about, then you are a Democrat.

If you believe in your heart that government-funded research can
provide us with the great scientific achievements of the future, just
like it gave us space flight, the Internet, and the human genome in the past, then you are a Democrat.

If you believe that we can find better, more efficient, and less
politically volatile sources of energy that will create American jobs
and inspire good-old fashioned American ingenuity, then you are a
Democrat.

If you pray that there is more power in the peaceful march for justice
than there is in the deadly march of warfare, then you are a Democrat.

If you imagine that globalization might work a bit better for all
involved if we pushed for better labor standards worldwide, then you
are a Democrat.

If you think that thoughtful and respectful diplomacy can often more
effectively serve the United States’ interests than intimidation and
hard bargaining tactics, then you are a Democrat.

If you think that a balanced budget is a sign of a healthy and vital
government, and not a sign that taxpayers are being ripped off, then
you are a Democrat.

If you believe that the rich don’t need the government’s help to get
richer, but that maybe the poor could use it every now and again, then
you are a Democrat.

[Ysolde]

26. Wonderful post.

May I forward it to some friends? We have a group that's having a hard time coming up with small sentences that describe us (without being too bland) and yours is wonderful and will be greatly inspirational.

[mattclearing]

27. By all means.

I was very proud of it when it was done. Do with it what you want.

Thanks.

[bdot]

17. I'm an independent independent.

[pansypoo53219]

19. fire-breathing

democrat, who will speak back.
no middlecrat here.

but i actually think of myself as a rational socialist.

[Finder]

20. no choice for RINOs...

I chose the "no, left leaning independent" option.

The political spectrum is so fudged lately.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

22. Well, if you're a RINO, that means you're a Republican.

Which would be a member of a right wing party. So the option is definitely there.

[Finder]

24. not all republicans are right wingers...

nor are all democrats left wingers. I do not see the Democratic Party as being a left wing party.

Don't fall into the "us vs them" mentality that has gotten us into this mess.

Of course I am talking about political science not rhetorically.

In the last election, the majority of dems I know voted for Bush while the repubs I know voted for Kerry.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

25. No, but the question is of party affiliation, not of ideology.

I'm hoping that if you're on DU, you're following the rules and are already progressively inclined.

[Finder]

28. Always progressive...

and when I was active as a repub, was considered a liberal republican. I do not support the repub party at all today and have aligned with the dems nationally. I do feel politics are local(as far as affiliation)and work to keep conservatives out. I am in the Northeast and it is very different ideologically from say..Kansas.

[elehhhhna]

21. No they are irrelevent. n/t

[johnnie]

29. Left-leaning Independent

I never belonged to a party but I never have voted for a Republican. I registered as an Independent when I was 18 and that was 23 years ago.