What/who influences your political position?

Question

What/who influenced you to take a liberal, conservative or any other stance in between?

Dr. Feelgood: I hear you...Parents, hard core liberal!

Answer 1

I agree with Turboweegie, for once, logic and personal experience, of course those are all subjective, also my parents were both hardcore liberals :).

Answer 2

Very good question - mine was a long drawn out process of being exposed to both parties. I spent maybe 6 years making up my mind after listening to arguments and doing alot of reading. Especially on the subject of investing.
I also noticed how the left would conveniently leave facts and figures out of an argument that would reveal why there position did not work etc. very illuminating.
The first President I was able to vote for was Reagan and he really mentored my thinking. not so much by what he said but by what liberals were saying about him and his polices. It revealed to me what a bunch flunky parasites they are and always will be.

Answer 3

the end results of the political decisions made is what ultimately influences my political position. I generally find myself to be semi-conservative, however, very liberal in terms of personal rights. Except for convicted felons and sex offenders/murders. They give up those rights when they commit the crime, in my opinion.

Answer 4

A need to find justice and human dignity is my primary motivating factor in deciding my political position. sometimes the quest for human dignity is very unpopular. But being disliked by flag-wavers should be a position of honor. it puts me together with people like Gandhi , Martin Luther King and Jesus Christ. (not saying that I have any greatness in me, but I am on the right track)

Answer 5

Peoples political position should be based on what is best for all, not just what benifits them or their party. It is a shame how people forget others and what is best for all ! The middle class supports this country and people forget this! This country is based on equal rights for all, what has happened to that ?? Instead of Repubs and Dems fighting for what they want, they should be working for us. NOT CORP AMERICA !!!!

Answer 6

I'm conservative, and the other side influences my position by showing me how much they hate America.

Answer 7

common sense, and having enough of it to find my own answers without simply accepting everything I hear or see as being fact. There are AT LEAST 2 sides to every issue, every story, and every situation, and I won't make any decisions, or take any positions untill I have heard, read, or researched them all.

Answer 8

Parents and the media have the most influence

Answer 9

Age & maturity.

If you aren't a liberal in your 20's then you have no heart -
If your aren't a conservative in your 40's then you have no brain!!

Answer 10

Facts, logic, personal experience, reasoned and rational arguments.

I also always try to question my own beliefs, and determine what I'm basing them on. Do I reject opposing views because of personal bias or because they fail to meet my requirements of verifiable proof and validity?

One must always question oneself on these things. It will either reinforce one's beliefs, or make one question one's position and seek more information.

We are often confronted with new or opposing ideas that challenge our mindsets. If we knee-jerkingly reject them out of hand, then we fail to grow, and become stagnant. We need to take those ideas, check their veracity, and sift them through the prisms of our own belief systems to see if there is harmony or dissonance.

Answer 11

Rationalism. I look at the facts and make a decision. If the facts change or I realize that I am wrong about a particular fact, my position changes. That's about it.