Once I voted for a Republican

[senseandsensibility]

I was young, under thirty, extremely disengaged politically, and easily influenced. I was raised in a far right wing home, so it came naturally to me to vote for a Republican I suppose. I had not voted in the previous presidential election at all because I found the whole topic meaningless and didn't know who to vote for.

I tell this story not because I am proud of it. It's embarrassing. But I was college educated, watched the "news" and read newspapers, and still I did this.

Was it my youth? And if it was, what can we do to make sure that young people vote? How can we reach them? How can we reach all disengaged voters?

I've walked precincts and will continue to do so. I'll take my shift at the phone bank as I've always done. But I honestly don't know if a phone call would have made me vote my own best interests back then.

[Radical Activist]

1. No candidate has spoken to young people like Obama does.

At least not in this generation.
If you really want to do something the volunteer to be a pollwatcher at a college campus. Help turn out the vote and make sure the partisan election judges don't pull any tricks to discourage young voters.

[Gabi Hayes]

2. me, too:

[senseandsensibility]

3. LOL

I have to laugh at that to keep from crying.

[monomach]

4. I voted for Pat Buchanan...and Dubya.

Then Kerry, now Obama.

I imagine I'm the only person to ever vote for Buchanan AND Obama. :rofl:

[senseandsensibility]

5. That's interesting.

You must be a reformed Republican. I was never a Republican despite being raised in an extremely Republican family. I was just uninterested and disengaged until I "found myself" so to speak and became very liberal. But I'd be interested to hear more of your experience.

[monomach]

10. I was half RINO, half neocon.

I was a racist and a homophobe. I really hated gays and blacks. I thought we should occupy any country that was a problem for us.

On every other issue, I was pretty liberal.

Then, I just kind of grew up. I stopped being so angry. I finally met some gays and lesbians. I figured out that while they may see sex differently from me, they'd be just about the best neighbors in the world. Now I really wish the wife and I lived in a predominantly gay neighborhood. No violent crime, friendly neighbors...Gay neighborhoods are the American dream, right? :rofl:

As for the racism and warmongering...They just sort of softened into nothing as time went by.

[senseandsensibility]

11. Hey

I'm from the San Francisco area: you don't have to sell me on that. :)

[hughee99]

6. I voted for a repuke for Governor once...

Bill Weld ran against a conservative democrat, John Silber. How the f*** Silber ever got the nomination in Massachusetts is beyond me. Looking back, I don't regret it either.

[senseandsensibility]

7. I wish I had a good reason for what I did.

I don't. The worst part was the next day, when I somehow let it slip that I'd voted for Bush the Senior at work. The silence spoke volumes. And then a couple of well meaning souls tried to "set me straight". I wished they'd talked to me earlier (before the election).

[nevergiveup]

8. I voted for a Republican for governor once

and he is now in jail :blush:

[monomach]

12. The Dem we replaced him with will go, too.

I'd vote for Jim Edgar again in a heartbeat after the last two. I think we all expected George Ryan to be like him. :(

[nevergiveup]

16. Governor Rod

is a total embarrassment but fortunately we do have a couple of super senators. :applause:

[Graybeard]

9. The closest I came was my vote for John Lindsey.

Election for Mayor of NYC, but even though Lindsey was a Repub I was able to vote for him on the Liberal Party line.

[quaker bill]

13. A sin

of which I am truly innocent. I came of voting age the day Nixon was sworn in for his second term. Consequently, I avoid voting for Republicans, even in "non-partisan" local races. I simply do not want to do anything to encourage them, even the young ones.

To my mind, there is no elected position in this country that is sufficiently unimportant for me to support it being occupied by a Republican. I did once abstain from voting for the Democratic candidate in a race, but then he was in jail for attempting to shoot his Republican opponent at the time. Even under these circumstances, I refused to vote for the Republican and simply passed on the race.

I have consistently found the Republican party to be the largest organized criminal syndicate in the country, without exception, and without meaningful competition.

[senseandsensibility]

14. I do admire the yellow dog democrat principle

in which a yellow dog is preferable to any Repug. Unfortunately, my upbringing did not lead me to that conclusion until later in life.

[FreedomRain]

15. Hell, I once voted for McCain

for Senator. Fellow Navy man and all + seniority in the Senate for my state. Clinton for Pres that same year. My very first vote for Pres went to Ron Paul! ( Libertarian party line, before they were hijacked by Big Business. )
Don't knock yourself out. It is a good question you pose though: How to break through the ignorance and apathy?

[senseandsensibility]

17. Thanks

Just don't vote for McSame this time, hear? :)