Party Curious

Looking to the past can be confusing Jessika - but this is a terrific question.

Personally - I'm what you call a "fighting liberal". Roosevelt, Truman, John and Bobby Kennedy and Clinton are practically heroes to me. I get the feeling I'm in the minority among liberals online however.

So what do I believe?

1. That America - it's people and the principals it is based upon - codified in the Bill of Rights - is the greatest country in the world.

I say this with a straight face. My own personal story, a real rags to ... well not riches ... story, is a powerful proof to me. I come from the worst of situations, and yet here I am responding to you today. Co-workers from other countries have told me time and again how my story just couldn't happen back home.

2. Patriots dissent. Speak up. Speak out. Admit challenges. Take our leaders head on. And ask for SHARED sacrifice.

3. That the government has a role to play in the American dream - to help insure a playing field where the weakest among us have the tools available - and environment - to achieve the dream if they want to pursue it. America should not a place for kings and king makers. That's not what the founders intended. And to those folks decrying hand outs … it’s not about giving a hand out - it’s about giving a hand up. Capitalism - but with sane regulations and oversight - by the people, for the people. Let us enjoy the fruits of our labor - but importantly let us establish an environment where the next generation can do so as well. This calls out to the woeful state of health coverage and education in this country. Where do Republicans or Democrats stand on these principals anymore? I just don’t hear them. I do hear their constant attacks on each other. Being a Democrat - I want more from my party.

4. Having a strong military to protect our interests and ideals is a must. To use it wisely is even more important.

5. That the government has NO right into the private moral decisions that make up our lives - whether it be abortion, the right to die, my religion, or my entertainment - a government that overreaches into our bedrooms, our living rooms, our video game consoles, and our hospital beds, is a government that is reaching too far.

6. How we treat our children and elderly speaks volumes to the real health of a society. Government has a regulatory role here as well.

7. By being the greatest example of the freedom - we stand the best chance of spreading it.

I might just be a throwback. I know I'm not a conservative, yet among liberals, culturally (and that might be the REAL differentiator these days) I'm not sure I fit in either:

I love hard rock and metal (but also love folk and blues - give me a guitar and a singer!) Tipper Gore attacked a slew of my favorite bands during the 80s.

NASCAR is fun to watch. I like cars. Can't help it. Took auto mechanics in high school. Yes - I liked Dukes of Hazzard as a kid... however the new movie is a straight-to-DVD for me.

I loved WWF and NWA wresting growing up.

I'm not college educated (not yet - I'm working on it)

South Park is one of my favorite shows on television (so is the Daily Show for that matter)

I'm a dog person.

The Original Star Trek and The Next Generation rocked. So did Star Wars. For me - ALL of it.

I'm a Catholic who goes to church a few times a year at minimum. Not simply for the holidays.

There is attempting conversation and understanding and then there is political correctness, and political correctness can go to hell.

So take all that as you will.

One thing that is true no matter what is that all generalizations are false.

This thread can easily spin out of control. But that would make a good discussion.

but maybe I hit the wrong button when I went to submit the comment.

I won't try to recall my entire sentiment, except to say that I switched my party registration from Republican to Independent about five years ago, when it became increasingly clear to me that the Republican philosophy was not really in line with my principles, and even where it was in line, it was inconsistently practiced.

Sadly, I couldn't get myself to switch to Democrat, because the story was pretty much the same there.

Switching to independent was just my way of voicing dissent to both sides, though I'm not sure anyone was paying attention. But now I feel most comfortable not taking sides and simply finding my position on the issues as they come to me.

That said, I agree with several of Karl's points, but this one seems to kit me closest to home:

"How we treat our children and elderly speaks volumes to the real health of a society. ..."

I was raised in one of those evagelical Christian settings, and I was always impressed with the Biblical idea conveyed in Jesus' words, "whatever you have done to the least of these you have done to me."
It strikes me as one of the Christian principles that gets largely ignored when many conservatives talk about what good Christians they are -- and that's probably a lot of the reason why I couldn't call myself a Republican anymore.

Karl and Howard, Thank you for taking the time to answer my post. You make some interesting points.

I was hoping that more people on the Philly Future blogroll would have opinions and ideas to contribute.

Just in terms of the History you are talking about:

Yes, the Democrats once were the party of white supremacists, and ruled the South. However, starting with the election of FDR, a realignment of the two political parties began. While FDR and later Presidents were able to cobble together Southerners like Strom Thurmond with urban, NE politicians that we think of as Democrats today, the coalition was doomed when Lyndon Johnson signed a variety of Civil Rights legislation.

At that point, Richard Nixon initiated a "Southern Strategy" that largely appealed to racism to make sure that Southern Whites knew they had friends in the Republican party. (And, people like Ronald Reagan contributed to this by doing things like announcing his bid for President in Philadelphia, Mississippi, the famous town where three civil rights workers were murdered with the help of the local sheriff, et al; and in doing so, he discussed "states rights," certianly a loaded phrase in this context.) As a result, the South went from solidly Democratic, to being an area that is now readily identifed with the Republican party.

At the same time, there was a realignment in the North (starting again with FDR) that continues today. There used to be a huge strand of socially liberal Republicans that governed much of the Northeast (such as the "Rockefeller Republicans."), but except for a few remaining US Senators (Chafee, Snowe, etc), the reallignment is virtually complete.

Just saying that you cannot look at the parties of today, and simply use their names to see historical information much past the 1960s, because they were completely different at that point.

That's the best way to get a good feel of what all sides are saying on subjects. I couldn't recommend any single source for either 'side' because there is so much variation. But to simplify things, let's just call it a Conservative and Liberal debate. The Conservatives seem to fall in line easier and quicker than the Liberals do with their 'nuance' getting in the way.

Me, I'm a Liberal, not a left-wing moonbat, but a decidedly left of center person. I believe in Free Speech. I believe in a woman's right to choose [which is not a pro-abortion stance as Conservatives like to frame it]. I believe we have more problems at home than we find the time to address and too quickly get involved abroad. I believe poverty should not be an issue. I believe that healthcare should be universally available to everyone. I believe teachers, police officers, firefighters, healthcare workers, people who give without asking to recieve should be among the highest paid people in America, not CEOs. I could go on for days about what I believe in.

But getting back to your original question on reading material. I'd say read a broad spectrum of papers, magazines, blogs, what-have-you. TV tends to be pretty horrible and sound-bite driven. To get any kind of depth, you have to watch something on PBS which tends to be Left leaning, but they are putting on some people for 'balance' [which I don't think is a good move]. Me, I like PBS.

I'm gonna' second Albert's words.

There is no central publication that will give you all the facts; you pretty much have to read/watch everything you can.

While I grew up in a Republican setting, I was fortunate to have parents who passed on their habit of taking in opposing viewpoints, sometimes even giving consideration to third-party ideas, which is so counter to the philosophy of most Americans today.