A question for ex-Republican voters on this board...

[baby_mouse]

What changed your mind? Looking back, is there a *single* defining moment? Or was it more of a range of little things?

Most curious...

Many kudos for taking your beliefs seriously enough to change them...

[BooScout]

1. I voted.....

....Republican a couple of times in my youth.........I stopped doing drugs and grew up. I am sure the drugs clouded my thinking.:9

[baby_mouse]

3. Seriously?!

Okay. I'd have thought taking drugs might be more likely to lean you to the left a bit... Unless you were joking... :-)

[BooScout]

5. LOL..........

Well...........it looked better blaming the drugs than my stupidity :evilgrin:

[rpannier]

2. I was a republican until I was 16 (1980)

It became abundantly clear they did not represent issues that were important to me: The Environment, Choice, Civil Rights, etc.

[baby_mouse]

4. I thought the right were pretty good on choice...

At least, they always seemed to say so...

[Glidescube]

6. It was the neocons and thier hatred that pushed me over,

I'm only 20 but I know hate when I see it. I am also christian and prolife so that is about the only social issue I agree with the reps (which makes me unpopular in the demos realm.) But it was the hatered of GLBT society, calousness over the enviromment, the greed that blatantly put profits before people, the war mongering, the rule by fear and lies, the bible beating and the shoving of THIER moral values down the world's throats that sent me voting for Kerry in 2004.

[baby_mouse]

10. Okay...! So it looks like it was only one thing holding you to them...

There's quite a big list of things against them, there, I guess you must feel pretty strongly about abortion. Also I would imagine that the progressives have a bit of an "antiChristian" image... Over here in Britain, religion's *fairly* apolitical... in that Christians weigh in heavily on BOTH sides of the spectrum.

Certainly abortion's a very serious issue, I can see that that could be the thing for me that would get me to vote Republican IF I held the same position as yourself, despite what other things I might know. *I'm* not against abortion, but there's not much point going into that in *this* thread. It's a complex issue...

I do think that Christians, if they were following their consciences, would vote more left than right... I've never understood how the Christianity got caught up in the right in the States, the New Testament appears to contradict most of their policies...

[Skittles]

25. so if you are "pro-life" fine; just don't take that choice away from other

understand?

[Glidescube]

30. Does that include the baby?

Hmmmm...

[Clark2008]

32. The baby doesn't have a brain enough to make a choice.

But, that said, I respect that you're anti-choice. I am PERSONALLY against abortion as part of my Catholic upbringing, as well; however, I will never tell another woman what to do with her body and, like it or not, the fetus is a parasite of the mother's body, at least until it's viable, which is about 21 or 22 weeks. And, not-so-surprisingly, most states will not allow abortions after 21 to 23 weeks.

:hi: Welcome to DU.

[Cooley Hurd]

26. Welcome to DU, Glidescube!

:hi: Glad to have you here!

Just one small point of contention: I don't know any pro-choice people who are "anti-life." A better term to describe your position on abortion would be "anti-abortion."

And, I agree with Skittles - it's okay to be against abortion, but you should always respect a woman's reproductive rights.:thumbsup:

[leftchick]

27. There is absolutely nothing "prolife" about repukes

"pro fetus" perhaps but nothing pro-life. Welcome to DU Glidescube.

[recoveringrepublican]

7. It was a lot of things for me

first off I just considered myself a republican because that was what my parents were. My mom was a farmer's daughter (why many think repukes are good for them are beyond me), my father was career Army. I was "pro-life", but beyond that issue I didn't really think too much about politics and how it effected me and the rest of the world. I was actually a pretty progressive person now that I look back, but was to dense to realize.

Then I met my husband, a very progressive man who likes to have people look at all sides of issues. It would piss me off, lol, but I loved him. I've worked every crap job you can imagine and saw how hard these people worked, but just couldn't get by, that kind of started it.

Then I had my first child, and realized that even with the most amazing support system possible (my in-laws are amazing), just how freaking hard it is. That even with my husbands above the median salary how hard it was, couldn't imagine how others did it on minimum wage. After my I had my baby I reread the New Testament again, it had been so long that I was able to read it with new eyes, and realized how I had been going about my Faith all wrong, Jesus WAS a liberal. Still I was pretty apolitical.

Then came 9-11, I was rah-rahing President Bush (though not for long). It was then I really realized I had to get involved. Now I was the mother of 2 children under 2 years old, so not a lot of time to go out, but I had a lot of down time (my kids were great nappers) to join some online debate groups, after a few bricks (ok facts!) being pounded into my head (but gently) I realized that to consider myself a republican would mean that I was a liar and a hypocrite, that I would accept blaming children because they were born to poor parents, that I felt it was ok to judge people, and that i had no logic (again, deny things that were clearly facts) all these things I never wanted to be. About this time my husband had me read "A People's History of the United States" and I was heartbroken, pissed off and scared. Then Iraq came, and I knew I couldn't be one of the people that 30 years later, when asked why they did nothing, responded with "you don't understand, that's just how it was".

Now I'm full blown lefty, don't even really consider myself a democrat (most are to moderate for me! imagine that!)

Please excuse all the mistakes I know I made, I just got off of work.

[McKenzie]

8. That was a damned good read

thanks for that.

A Scottish libral.

[baby_mouse]

12. That's not McKenzie tartan in that there icon, fellow Scottish dude. :-)

;-)

[Demit]

11. thanks for your story, and if you're not already fast asleep from

exhaustion, cheers! :)

[baby_mouse]

13. Thank you...

Most informative response.

Do you think there are more like you? Who were "born" republican and didn't think of themselves as progressive because they didn't know any progressives to compare themselves to? (I'm kinda making that assumption that you didn't know any, that's what I interpreted from your post, sorry if I'm off base...)

[recoveringrepublican]

28. I think most republicans fall into these 3 categories

1: the fucking greedy "Let that child starve, she/he should have thought about that before she/he allowed themselves to be born to poor parents" I think only probably 30% can be placed here. And then it just some middle class greedy fuck who either thinks they are already rich, or thinks that some day if they pray real hard enough they just might win that powerball.

2: the truly stupid, though I don't think many fall into this category.

3: the overworked. This is where my parents and I fell. I was working full time, trying to go college full time. No way in hell was I spending my free time other than vegging out, shopping, eating, sleeping, etc. No time to look deeper into issues, no time to educated myself on the history of our government and why I shouldn't trust them. Add the heavy dose of brainwashing we receive in history classes. I'm amazed at just how easy it is for the state to keep us compliant. I think most repukes fall into this one. All we really know about government is that no matter who is in power we will continue to live pay-check to pay-check, and think (wrongly) "hey at least with repukes I don't pay as much in taxes". ooh also add the fact that most are Christians, but don't even have enough time to know the Bible beyond what some asshole Priest/reverend/pastor, tells them. I can't really describe how reading the Bible again, without their voices in my heads, help to change my outlook. So there's the other factor, these people will be saying "hey at least with repukes, we can be a Christian country" completely ignoring, or not knowing what the Bible really says.

You noticed I mentioned things didn't really change for me until I had time.

I don't know how to fix this problem. I try my best to help educate others. Don't know how many copies of Howard Zinn I have handed out to co-workers, who are really great people, just mis-informed in my opinion. The only other way I see is for Dems to REALLY set their agenda apart from repukes. It saddens me to see so many on this board talk of "electablity" instead of "will she/he really make the changes needed". Just getting a Dem in office isn't going to fix this, it's not even going to be working toward it, because for the most part these same people will still be working to their death pay-check to pay-check, just getting by enough thinking "damn Liberals, eating up my paycheck".

[DIKB]

17. I agree

don't even really consider myself a democrat (most are to moderate for me! imagine that!)

I'm listed as an Independent simply b/c too many are moderate. I think I'm going to change to a full blown Dem though, and suggest you do too. The reason why: To vote in the primaries and to have say in what direction the party is headed. I want to move the Dems further to the left. I hope you consider this.

[awoke_in_2003]

9. I started having my doubts

when W was nominated the first time (as a Texan, I knew he was an idiot). Did not really "wake up" until the run-up and invasion of Iraq. That is when I finally realized the repugs were full of shit.

[baby_mouse]

14. LOL!

I guess Texans know their own, or those *pretending* to be their own. He does come across as fake, even to me, and I've never been anywhere near Texas. He's from Connecticut, isn't he? I also see a lot of posts on this site saying he's scared of horses...

[awoke_in_2003]

22. Yeah, he is from Connecticut

god knows why texans love him. He stands for everything texas aint.

[NewJeffCT]

24. scared of horses... and...

his favorite sport is baseball!! I thought true Texans live & breathe football?

[DIKB]

15. Technically

I was never really a repuke. When I was younger, before I could vote, I held more right wing thoughts. Such as the view that the dissolution of the "Nuclear family" had led to current problems, anti-abortion, more religious, etc.

I'd say I was in college when the whole Clinton blowjob/impeachment thing came to everyone's attention. For me, I believed that personal matters, such as sex life, were not of national importance. Right wing friends failed to convince me that he needed to be impeached, it was then that I realized how vindictive and partisan the impeachment was. I strongly believe in "Honor," and what they were doing was unacceptable in my mind. I opened my mind to the democratic party for the first time then.

About two years later I was having a crisis of faith, and made the decision that making people adhere to your beliefs was wrong. I took the stance like Kerry did, that I didn't approve of abortion, but it wasn't my place to make that decision for anyone else.

The 2000 election was what changed everything for me. During the run up to the election, I KNEW that * couldn't be trusted. He gave me the impression of a shifty-eyed, smirking, Used Car Salesman who would say anything to get you to buy a lemon. I saw the disdain behind the smirk, the arrogance, and I smelt bullshit. My family had lived in TX for years, and knew all about his wheelings and dealings. The faux education miracle, that it was merely a decorative position in TX gov't. The view that he was all-hat-no-cattle, a New England rich city-boy.

When the hanging chads, and voter suppression came to light, there was no turning back. I've become an extremely liberal voter. I REFUSE to even consider voting for a Republican candidate. Independents, Greens, and Dems will get my support. My family holds a very stubborn streak in our blood, so chances are, I'll be anti-repuke for the rest of my life, and will NEVER FORGET the national nightmare they are responsible for, the hell they put Clinton through, the 2000 election, Diebold - the possible end of democracy, 9/11, the iraq war, etc.

The repukes like to state "9/11 - Never Forget," and I will never forget that It's all the Goddamn Republicans' fault!!!

[baby_mouse]

19. Yes, I was absolutely AMAZED when he was elected. He doesn't LOOK right.

I had always thought that image was of prime importance in elections and George looks like a total CROOK. The cameras HATE him. He doesn't look *at all* like an American president. Okay, neither did Jimmy Carter, but Jimmy just looked a bit vague, George is positively *sinister*.

Of course, there are other reasons people shouldn't have voted for him, but I Was taken aback at how little of this was made at the timeof the 2000 election.

Also, during the run-up to 2000 he behaved like a sort of creepy, aging chat-show host, a compere getting off the stage and walking up and down the aisles, arms open, saying "I'm a uniter, not a divider..." WANKER. I couldn't trust him, he wouldn't answer even SIMPLE quesitons.

[Quakerfriend]

16. I began to turn sharply to the left when Bill Clinton came into

office. I just loved him, and the positive changes he made in the welfare system really impressed me.

Then W came along and I knew he was trouble from the start. Did not even consider voting for him.
I was all for McCain (And, actually believed in him then!).

Once I had read Worse than Watergate By J. Dean and The Price of Liberty By P. O'Neal, my eyes were WIDE open!

[baby_mouse]

20. "Worse than Watergate"? Worth my reading?

Is it one of those frightning books likely to make my eyes pop out?

[cornermouse]

18. I quit during Reagan.

It seemed like they started moving away from what I thought was important. I could look around and could see the people that their policies were actively harming. And then some numbskull got up and stated that if you believed in a right to abortion, and several other things which I don't specifically remember but which I believed in, you weren't a republican. So I thought "okay...."

[DanCa]

21. Well not so much republican as a two party voter

I really used to split ticket vote, never for a repug at the top of the hill. I did vote for Ross Perot but that's another story. No I didn't vote for the first Bush or Dimson. I did vote for John Mccain in the 2000 primairy because thats how much I fearred a chimp theocracy. Plus the fact the I didn't like Mccain swift boated.
It's all this right wing religous nonsense that changed my mind. I can never vote for a repuke again no matter how moderate they appear. The rw religous puppet masters will always pull the strings behind the scene.

[baby_mouse]

23. Indeed, I wonder if they'll recover from that religion thing.

A lot of dem voters who were fooled were biting their knuckles in regret after just a few months into the 2000 fiasco. I don't think that's going to happen again...

[NickB79]

29. The Iraq invasion

I voted Bush in 2000, but that was mainly because of the gun control issue. On every other issue I was very liberal. By the time Bush began beating the Iraq invasion war drums, I was through with him as president. I guess the main thing that changed my mind was that I went to college and was exposed to so many people of different beliefs than myself. It was really a mind-opening experience for a farmboy like myself :-)

[Clark2008]

31. I still vote Republican every now and again.

Now - before you guys start throwing eggs at me, let me explain.

The area in which I live is VERY Republican and sometimes, I have to vote in the Republican primary because there either IS no Dem challenger in the wings (therefore, no general election).

Also, because this is such a Republican area, many Republicans here are still of the paelo-conservative variety. I do resepect their limited-government, anti-tax stance. However, I've NEVER voted for a neo-con. I usually choose the paelo-con over the neo-con in the primary.