Are you a Republican, Democrat, or Independent, and why? (Please put some thought into your answers.)?

Question

I am hoping for more than "The Democrats are traitors who hate America and want to destroy it!" or "The Democrats want to raise Taxes just to screw over the working man!" or "The Republicans are Nazis and racists who profess to be patriotic as they take away our rights ---left to there own devices they'd throw any non-whites into prison camps!" or "The Republicans are the prositutes of corporate America and the Religious Reich!".

I think I have covered most of the troll talking points, so lets try having an honest response without unneccessary inflamatory word choices. Please, no baiting.

Give me your age and tell me if you identify with either main party. Do you only vote for one party? Do you only lean in one direction? Do you reject them both as tools of Corporate interests? Do you identify with Independents like Ralph Nader, or smaller parties like the green party? Does your historic voting reflect that?

Answer 1

As I look at it today, Republicans beleive America should be a Republic ruled by the rich elite --- as they obviously know what they are doing. For this reason, the Republicans tend to be more in favor of things I can't stand, like the electoral college. Democrats revolt against the concept of rule of the rich elite, thinking America should be more of a Democracy where everyone has a voice in the direction of the country. Even though I generally don't think much of a lot of opinions, I hope that our shared voices would be wiser than than the opinions of a few.


I'm 36. Everytime I take a political quiz it tells me I am solidly Democrat, but my heart and my voting record says otherwise. I think in practice I am an independent with strong democratic leanings. Public education and public health are hugely important to me and those are areas the Republicans don't see as broken. I agree with many Democratic principles, but hate the party for it's corruption and it's incompetence campaigning.

When I look at my voting record --- Perot, Dole, Gore, Kerry --- my real skill is picking a surefire loser.

I'd like to vote for people I believe honestly have the best interest of the American people at heart. Sadly usually those people have crap political advisers and don't win the nomination. Barring that, I usually take the guy who seems less likely to filter tax money to his corporate partners or get us into ill-conceived wars.

I'd love to have a choice of straight-talking candidates like Tancredo or Huckabee vs. Obama or Biden, but those guys all have crap advisers and have almost no shot of winning a nomination. I'd love to have to stress over which good candidate to vote for, but I haven't seen it in my lifetime.

I have never voted for Nader, a green, or fringe Presidential candidate, but mostly because I think those kinds of guys only discourage the emergence of a real threat to replace one of the two parties. If 3rd party candidate arises who can capture 20+% of the vote he will get real consideration from me. Shy of that, I vote against corruption out of self defense.

Answer 2

Democrat, though I have voted for independents and republicans, when I liked their political views better.

I'm 49, I think both the Democrats and Republicans are tools of corporate and wealthy interests, but I haven't found an independent party that wasn't totally goofy as well.

I've voted in every presidential election since I was 18, and have voted in nearly every election I was eligible for during the last 20 years.

This country is a republic, not a democracy per se, that was set up and run by wealthy, landed, white slave-owning men, and it hasn't changed that much since then (except for the slave owning).

I'd prefer to have parliamentary system that many European countries have where multiple parties exist that voters can choose from, multiple parties represent voters, and all the wacko to moderate political parties have to work together to get anything done, since they represent all the people's interests. But that won't happen here in the US.

Answer 3

I am a 59 year old Libertarian and yes I vote my values and have for 30 years.

At first I was a Republican but now I see the Democrats as where the Socialists used to be and the Republicans are standing where the Democrats used to and no one is protecting our budget or freedoms. The Libertarians were started by Congressional members (both Dem. and Rep.) who were fed up with what was going on (in I think the late 60's)so they started a party that believes in personal freedoms and government fiscal responsibility.

I don't think the Republicans have any right to legislate my morality nor the Democrats to insist that we give everything away, including our money and our country. I think self responsiblity is the key, but anymore everything is someone else's fault and we are all "victims". Just once I'd like to see someone (and that includes us peons too) admit that they caused the trouble they are suffering from and figure out for themselves what that have to do to lead a better life.

The Libertarians are the third largest party in the U.S. but you (the question asker) didn't even mention them as an alternative. I really believe that lots of Americans would belong to this party if they knew more about it and understood it.

Thanks for asking this question, I learned things from the other answerers too. BTW I also attend both major party meetings in my town too - like to know what and why people believe as they do.

Answer 4

Democratic values are clearly apparent in the Constitution. Congress has the power to tax incomes and spend to promote the "General Welfare." This is the essence of what Democrats do. The core programs of the LBJ War on Poverty are still there. Aid to students so they can achieve their dreams. Health care for the elderly and the poor. Head Start, and school lunch programs. Today's Democrats have added children's health care. Democrats like to use government to help people with a hand up, people whose lives otherwise might be, in Hobbes' words, "nasty, brutish, and short." That's the state of nature.

The Democratic Party is also the party of civil liberties and the civil rights movement. When the United States fought for freedom against Fascism and Communism in the 20th Century, all three times a Democratic president was in power (Roosevelt, Truman, LBJ).

There was a coup plot against FDR by U.S. business interests in 1933, a group that wanted to make the U.S. into a Fascist dictatorship. The BBC did a special on this that's worth watching.

Both parties may take money from wealthy individuals for campaigns, but at least the Democrats use their power to help the poor, elderly, children, and those trying to get by in the middle and lower class. They also treat disabled veterans better, and the G.I. Bill was a Democratic idea.

I am 38, a current NZ Green Party member, but a Democratic precinct captain when I lived in the States.

Answer 5

Mid fifties, was democrat now independent for the last dozen years, yes, that's right I left the democratic party during the Clinton administration. Why? NAFTA. I tend to lean towards the democratic social issues. I think when things like Katrina happen it is the responsibility of our government to get a city up and running again. Clear the debris, fix the roads, get the water and electricity restored, make interest free loans available so people and business can get their lives going again. I also tend to lean towards the republican thinking of being fiscally responsible. Look at the shape we are in now with our huge deficits and even worse deficit spending, that's not being fiscally responsible. We are nothing more then cows for both parties to milk for our tax dollars. The only two candidates I would like to see elected are Paul and Kucinich. Both parties are now nothing more than corporate hacks. I always split my ticket and vote for the people who best represent the issues that are important to me. I would never vote for a person who wants to legislate my morals.

Answer 6

I am an independent simply because, as you worded so wonderfully above, I consider both Dems and Republicans as tools of corporate interest. Depending on the issues in question, I lean either towards the liberal or conservative, so I also consider myself a centrist.

In terms of elections though, I have usually voted Democrat as I agree more with their viewpoints which are hot button issues (religion should not be in schools, abortions should be a choice issue). I'm not sure which party I will eventually be voting for in the primaries this time around, though. I need to see some more candidates speaking... and I need to do it quickly, as my state is the first primary in every election (NH).

Oh, and I'm in my late 20's.

Answer 7

When will everyone realize that this political bickering is is misplaced? The Libs hate Bush and the right, the neo-cons hate Hillary and the left. Bush hates minorities and Hillary is a Socialist. When will everyone realize this is a ploy to keep you misdirected? The Elites of the left and right run this world. The progression towards a NWO is run by Elites. It seems as though only conservatives and constitutionalists on the left and the right see Bush, Hillary, Rudy, Mitt, Obama..etc, for what they really are....The Elite, neither side cares about minorities or the lower class or the middle class, WE ARE SERFS. All of the above love big business and the world banking system, check their records...
So when will the animosity on Y!A be directed at the proper people???
Slight of hand and misdirection work so well these days...

Answer 8

I used to be a Democrat, in the mold of JFK and Joseph Liberman, until the Democrat party began turning hard left in the early 1980's.

Because I had no place else to go, I became a Republican.

Today, the Democrats have continued to move even farther left (into the hands of Michael Moore and moveon.org), and we really have no 3rd party choice ... most of the 3rd parties are nuts. And, Republicans are losing it.

So, I'm sort of stuck being a malcontent Republican, until something better comes along.

I was hoping that www.unity08.org would be an "out" for me, but they're sort of dysfunctional.

So, I won't vote in the primaries, for either party. I'll decide for whom to vote about Nov. 1, 2008.

Answer 9

I voted Green for some time, and was registered as a Green. But of course my candidates never won and I felt rather irrelevant to the political process. In recent years, it has come to seem more important to get Republicans out of power than to elect a Green candidate. The Democrats are at least some improvement. And if I want to have a voice in the primaries, than I have to be a Democrat. So now I am. Of course, once the Democrats are in power, I'll probably rejoin the loyal opposition.

Answer 10

I'm 51+ and am a Dem.

I may not always be right, but I'm never wrong.

Your question is too complicated to answer beyond that fact, as the story lies too deep for average discussion. Current events have to unfold for years to decide what is actually happening to garner the interest to decide intelligently what or who, by party is more correct in their decisions. To put it simply, a voter can identify with any of those candidates, lib con dem rep, as that is the nature of Americans. I voted Dem cause I knew for myself that George Bush was a loser BEFORE he was elected, per se. But, I also understand that the given politician isn't who's actually in charge. It's alot more complicated. I usually look to see where they hang out more than what they say. Clinton was a fense strattler, he advanced by notions of by partisanship, worked well, except he wouldn't go that extra mile later in his presidentcy, and his partisan buddies crossed him out(aka big money folks). Now Hilary is trying her luck at pleasing the beast. I'm curious to see if it'll work. I don't figure on any viable Republican candidates as George of the Jungle done fried the voters out with all the 'say this do that' stuff. Now that the rep voters are all worked up and noticing any incongruencies, they're hoplessly stuck. The straight line voters will go their way( like me) and vote for their party regardless.(I'm glad I did...I wouldn't want GW on my conscience either, I would've suffered Gore or Kerry much better...) There you have it, all the gory details of my political delusions. lol