Why are you a Dem? Do you have a history?

[blondeatlast]

I think it's high time we validate being Democrats, whether we're happy with the Party leadership or not (as I am).

Here's my story.
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I LOVE the Democratic Party. I'm at least a third-generation Dem. My father was the son of tenant farmers (and one of a brood of 11 yellow dogs in Kansas!). My dad and 8 of his brothers went to college on the GI bill, and they all helped pay for my aunt's college educations. My mom is the daughter of a proud, hard working union man who endured the strain of frequent strikes to support the workingman's rights.
They, and I, were the products of a VERY red state, Kansas.

I guess I'm left of center; I see where the "red state" mind is at concerning the Democrats. I'm very socially liberal, support gay marriage and abortion rights, a bit more fiscally conservative, but not much. I support progressive government programs like Head Start and Pell Grants with everything that matters, and see the government as the way to improve the availability of quality health care. Taxes are a necessity, I have strong opinions on how mine are best used.

I'm college-educated and professional, but I do see elitism as a strong presence in Party leadership. I did NOT see elitism in our ticket, which I saw as nearly my ideals personified. Yes, I really mean that; a Massachusetts liberal with an up from the bootstraps North Carolinian is a perfect symbol of the big tent.

I wasn't a fan of Clinton's, but I absolutely sensed the connection he had to middle-America voters.

I believe the Party has lost it's way in a HUGE way. I want to see it turn back to it's roots, which I believe would bring many Greens and independents into the fold. It will take far more grievous mistakes for me to abandon the party.

I;m fiercely proud of being a Democrat, and I hope I always will be.

BTW, I LOVE THE DONKEY!

[wtmusic]

1. Great story

I was a Republican (shame) until 2002. The impending invasion of Iraq flipped me. DU has opened my mind (imagine that, at age 46) to a lot of Democratic ideals which I never would have embraced before.

[blondeatlast]

7. Welcome to the light side! We are glad to have you. nt

[NNadir]

2. My registration as a Democrat goes back to being invited into the Army

in the days of the Vietnam war by my draft board.

My father was right wing. My mother was a Right of Center Democrat, a swing voter. (Her last vote for President before she died however was for George McGovern.)

Over the years I have become more and more attached to the general Democratic philosophy of respect for science, investing in education, investing in infrastructure, acceptance social libertarianism (live and let live), respect for international law, respect for domestic law, respect for human rights, tolerance, resistance to racism, separation of church and state, a commitment to work for peace, all the things that are now going to be brutally, cruelly, and criminally ripped out of the heart of the United States.

Without our party we are destined to true third world status. (My rage knows no bounds now.)

[blondeatlast]

6. Don't I know it! IMO, the party needs to get back to its roots in order

to appeal to a broader base. They really don't have to veer right OR left, just remember what their purpose is.

[lovedems]

3. I agree with all of the social issues you do and after November 3,

I am more proud to be a democrat then ever before. If the republicans showed up in droves to vote on hatred and bigotry then my party is all the better to me.

My story is a little bit different. I am a 4th generation democrat from a liberal Catholic family. My great grandfather, my grandfather, my uncle and now my cousin all served this country honorably from WWI to WWII to Vietnam to my first cousin likely going to Iraq. They have all voted democrat their entire lives. In my family being a democrat is a way of life. Coming from a Catholic family we are concerned with the issues you laid out above. We are concerned with poverty, health issues, we are pro-choice but against the death penalty. We are pacifists in nature yet will fight for a good cause.

I disagree with the party elitism. I find the zealots and other republicans to be far more elitist then the democratic leaders. What is more elitist then claiming my God is the only God and we are the only ones worthy of Heaven. What is more elitist then saying giving billions of dollars of tax breaks to billionaires will help the middle class. What is more elitist then claiming our social issues are the only moral social issues.

That is the only area in which I respectfully disagree with you. November 2 I thought I was left of center but now it has dawned on me that I am a progressive. I am farther left of center then I originally thought.

I am prouder of my party today then I was last Tuesday and that pride continues to grow.

[blondeatlast]

9. Actually, my father was raised as a catholic and even after marrying a

Presbuterian did not convert (ahem, neither did my mom, though!).

You pretty much described my feelings on November 3--all of a sudden, after losing, it menat something fundamental.

[Maat]

4. I love the donkey too!

I was raised with a John Bircher (Dad was one publicly, but the fairest man you'd ever meet privately - it was weird - it was if he needed local social approval). I was raised in the infamous Orange County, Ca. (Take heart, my sis says that it is becoming more Democratic every day).

I started becoming aware during my high school years, and participated in the feminist movement. The 70's were great.

Then I got a job in aerospace. I was a young impressionable kid, and thought Reagan would be harmless socially, and so, I voted for him. I now see the folly there.

But I still don't think that the Rethuglicans of the 70's and 80's hold a candle to Dubya (with the exception of Bush I).

In the 90's I regained myself, and became a Democrat again. Working with the mentally ill, and transitioning into social work did it. I've been committed to the cause since then.

The thing is ... your 40's are a special time. You look at your kids and think seriously about what kind of democracy (or lack thereof) you want to pass on to them.

This election (the results) devastated me. The problem is that I took Constitutional Law, and a class they call Criminal Procedure (ConLaw as it relates to criminal matters, really). I can't tell you how weird it was to take tests, and one was expected to describe our fundamental rights, as Dubya was busy either ignoring them or gutting them.

Life can seem surreal sometimes.

[Bertha Venation]

16. Huntington Beach is my home town.

:hi: I live in Maryland now. Where did you grow up?

[Maat]

22. San Clemente, Ca.

Oh, you poor man. Huntington. It couldn't get any redder (politically) than that. Course, it's a beautiful place.

[Bertha Venation]

29. I am a woman. My family lives in HB and Fountain Valley, and believe me,

the area might be largely red, but the blues are there and they are with ME.

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. Removed voluntarily.

[blondeatlast]

11. I appreciate your viewpoint, but a lot of usDemocrats are feeling

a weird sense of both frustration and pride and I thought this thread might be a bit cathartic for them, as it was for me to start it.

[The Backlash Cometh]

13. I aim to please.

[blondeatlast]

14. You really didn't have to do that, but it's appreciated.

As for your post below, um, I think you may be right!

[Zuni]

8. The Republican Party raped my dog

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. And gave birth to a breed of questionable heritage.

[CO Liberal]

12. My Parents Were Democrats Before Me

We moved to a heavily Republican town (Morris Township, NJ) when I was a baby. When my mother registered to vote, the Board of Elections called her and BEGGED her to work at the polling place, because they had trouble getting enough Democrats. She continued working at the polls until ill health prevented her from doing it.

I remember the 1960 election, and how I was the only kid in my Second Grade class who wanted Kennedy - everyone else was for Nixon. I was so happy when he won. Those were the days....

[Bertha Venation]

15. Ex-GOP member here. I wish I could explain why I wised up. Maybe you all

can help me figure it out.

There's little mystery as to why I registered Republican when I turned 18: I did not think freely. I was a fundamentalist evangelical Christian, and in all teaching I'd ever received, especially from the Bible itself, thinking was discouraged. Faith usually precludes thinking.

I used to like to say "I cast my first presidential vote for Ronald Reagan" -- but in 1980, while I supported him for the office, I was only 17, and in 1984... I honestly do not remember if I voted Reagan or Mondale. I won't go into detail but in Autumn '84, I'd was still being stalked by a psychotic ex-lover (female -- whom I'd left college that May to escape), had broken up w/ my fiance (male) in October, and all else I remember from that time is where I was living and that the Tigers had just won the World Series. No, I don't remember who got my vote.

I don't remember when I re-registered to vote to change my party affiliation.

In 1988, I enthusiastically voted Dukakis/Bentsen. I was lukewarm about Dukakis and kept wishing Bentsen were at the top of the ticket. Still, I remember little about that campaign, except that, working at an Orange County, CA, big-money engineering firm, I was in a tiny minority w/ my Dukakis button.

By '89, I'd slowly, VERY slowly, begun to reject my fundamentalism. My FEC roommates were quite unhappy with me; as my thinking and outspokenness increased, they dug in their heels at what they perceived as personal effrontery. That relationship ended badly.

By '93 I was fully out of the closet and had declared myself an atheist (which I am no longer).

Obviously, religion played a big part in my politics. But I can't point to a time or date or event when the shift from unquestioning conservative to thinking liberal began. (FTR I do not believe that all conservatives are brainless automatons or that all liberals are free thinkers.)

So here we are. That's my tale. I don't know how it happened, but I'm definitely liberal. I'm probably not as far left as most DUers, but that's no matter.

I am thinking of changing my party affiliation from Democratic to Independent. I'll always be politically liberal. I can't see the GOP agenda carrying the day for much longer, but god, does it sting today.

[Abelman]

17. Me

I had always maintained I would remain an independent. Then Wesley Clark started running for President. Thus, I found the Democratic Party. I joined just to support him.

After he lost the nomination, I was heartbroken. But then I finally realized John Kerry wasn't too bad, no, he was good!

And now, after losing again, I have decided to become even more Democrat. The party needs new blood, new life, and new ideas. I'm going to be working with Democracy for America and doing the best I can to convince party leaders a return to roots is in order.

[JohnKleeb]

18. well

I cant really sum it up now that good but basically on my mom's side I am very working class and I know through my grandparents tales how great for them FDR was. Hard to explain why exactly, you have to give me some time. I am probably left of your average democrat but I believe in the fourth way which to me is not running far to the left everywhere because I realize that doesnt work nor running to the center everywhere ala the third way which I Find crap, I believe theres another way, one between those two.

[Midlodemocrat]

19. I grew up in a very politically savvy family

three brothers and me. We spent many, many dinners discussing politics. My parents had no use for Republicans, fearing that they were not taking care of the downtrodden, etc. We all grew up believing that everyone deserved the same rights. All four of us are married heteros, with many, many gay friends, who bring us tremendous joy. I can't imagine continuing to live in an environment where they are not valued. I don't understand why anyone would vote for George Bush, I really don't. I don't understand women being Repugs, nor do I understand any minority being repugs. Old habits die hard. I was brought up to believe in the corporal works of mercy, so naturally, I am a dem, very, very left of center. And extremely proud of it.

On edit: My kids, 12, 14, and 8 are liberals as well. Husband, a dem, not quite as left as me, but I am working on it.

[Nikia]

20. I came from political families

My mother's family is Democrat. My father's family is Republican. They both were involved in local politics. I grew up watching the news and listening to political discussions in my childhood. I spent lots of time with both sets of grandparents. Despite my paternal grandparents Republicanism, they were not bigots or materialists. My mother's parents, Democrats, were more vocal of their views and were also not materialists. I was taught that people are more important than things.
Aside from this, the biggest influence on shaping my later political views came when I watched the movie "The Lorax" when I was 5 or 6. This made a big impression on me as far as how I felt about big business and environmentalism.
As I grew up, I loved to read and considered many different points of view from reading religious, political, history, and philosophical works.
My political philosophy probably is slightly more left than most mainstream Democrats. I am still growing and learning though. I listen to people. I still read. There are some basics that are pretty much set in stone, but on other issues I am still considering or reconsidering things based on these other views. I will probably stay a Democrat, though.

[DrZeeLit]

21. It all began when i worked for RFK in 1968...

...and talk about being CRUSHED. I woke up the day after the CA primary to a death watch.

I went to a Quaker college, hence the sit-ins and peaceful demonstrations were a way of life. I was on the college committee for the first Moratorium Against the War.

Other factors added up -- single motherhood, struggling to finish my education, and the continual need to "ask not what my country can do for me, but what I can do for my country." I was so young when I bought into that. I still believe it, hence the devotion to teaching and service, rather than money and security.

I would rather see us spend money on education and health care than anything else.

I get very angry. Why must our parents, the people of this nation who sacrificed through the Depression and sacrificed through WWII to save the world, have to BEG for prescription drugs? I DO NOT GET IT. We should be on our knees taking care of them. They gave us LIFE, they deserve our respect. We MUST take care of them.

In addition, we are in the prime of our lives, and we can afford to pay taxes for this purpose, to honor our elders.

And conversely, we take care of the children. They cannot do it themselves, and an education is our responsibility. I will pay taxes so that I am living in an educated world.

I suppose that makes me a liberal from the roots up.
I am sooo not ashamed of being a LIBERAL. So many GREAT achievements have been borne of that creed. BRAVO!

[Rabrrrrrr]

23. I'm a Dem because I'm Christian

(well, technically I'm a Green because I'm Christian, but I vote Dem because I don't thinking voting for the insane people the Green party seems to want to keep running is helpful for humanity)

[BiggJawn]

24. I was wishy-washy until the mid 1980's.

Then I got good and god-damn tired of the ReTHUGlicans I worked for wiping their shitty asses all over me.

I probably was ripe for the picking by somebody else, but I found the Democrats before the Socialists.

And now 20 years later, where do I see my party?

On the fucking ROCKS!

the Indiana Democratic party is just a social club in my area. they run candidates only for the purpose of keeping the myth of the 2-party sytem alive. Hell, they couldn't even field candidates to oppose every ReTHUG running.

Damn party needs a fire-hose enema, and I think that goes for the DNC, too.

[SarahB]

25. My parents were hippie wannabees.

My dad was a delegate a couple of times to a Democratic convention and after law school wanted to go into politics. He did some protesting of the war in Vietnam, but was a pretty clean cut, tow the line young guy for the most part (he had a really high draft number- 350 maybe, so was never called). He has good ideals and is extremely progressive, but he's not so good at people skills, so a political career never happened. My mom learned most of her stuff from him- she's more of a, shall we say, Lieberman Democrat. My dad's parents were racist (but saw the light more in their later years on this issue), southern Dixiecrats. My mom's parents were rural, Nebraskan Republicans.

When I was in high school, I tended to be active in things like Amnesty, environmental groups, helped organize Earth Day stuff. I shut off my activism for a long time because the realities and business of marriage and motherhood hit me pretty young, but I always tried to stay on top of things through reading, etc. Once I was online in the mid-90's, I was able to do a little more at least with petitions and that type of thing. As I get older, I hope to become more active again somehow.

I never really had a moment where I knew I was a Democrat or a progessive person. It's just what I was and who I am.

[GingerSnaps]

26. I was raised a Democrat

My parents were also raised in Democratic households.

[CelticWinter]

27. I have always been a Democrat ever

since I can remember, and its odd because I come from a family thats been conservative since who knows when. I have always believed in 'live and let live' where they were the strict bible thumpers. I was the kid in sunday school that always asked, why and how do you know, and is this your interpretation, they loved me there (NOT lol). I was just always the one who was curious, believed that people have a right of choice, and dont feel that they should live in the 'Medieval Ages'. To this day my mother still shakes her head at me and I smile, I told her I cant wait to put the DU bumpersticker on my car.
~~Blessings
Celtic

[shade]

28. No real history...

10 years ago, when I was 17, I registered Republican because this area is very conservative, and the only way to even choose the candidate in a lot of races is in the primary -- there aren't any Dems running for a lot of them.

That said, I've always been slightly to the middle of the road, and the past four years have changed me to a flaming liberal. Although I haven't changed my affiliation, I took a LOT of pleasure in voting for every Democrat on the ballot last week. I only wish it more people had followed my lead, particularly given where I live.

I proudly voted for Clinton in my first presidential election in 1996. In 2000 I was somewhat disenchanted with the whole process and didn't bother voting. This year, I was rather pissed at the Republicans and made sure to get out and vote.

This election (heh, I almost typed "selection" there... perhaps that're more accurate) has woken me up to the need to do more than just vote, and I hope to get involved with one of the Democratic campaigns here in Ohio in '06.

[LWolf]

30. I have a 25 year history voting

as a "decline to state." I've never belonged to a political party before. I became a democrat in 2002, for 2 reasons. One, to support Dennis Kucinich in the democratic party primaries and beyond. Two, to lend my support to all efforts to remove GWB from the WH.

[Cooley Hurd]

31. I'm 39, been a Dem for 32 years...

My mom brought me to Dem HQ's during the '72 campaign, and I stuffed envelopes and left doorknob lit bags for McGovern. Here's a pic of me in my bedroom in Nov 72:


Did the same thing in '74, '76, '78, and '80...

As far as the party goes today, my hope is that we don't sacrifice any of our core values for political expediency - to do so would be tragic. That means we continue to fight for the rights of all Americans, not just the ones who "vote for us."