what's better, a Conservative Democrat or a Liberal Republican?

[taxidriver]

don't be so quick to answer- not all conservative dems are Zell Millers (Clinton was more conservative then i'd prefer, as are many of the democrats on capital hill) and not all Liberal Republicans are Olympia Snowes. I'm leaning towards the liberal republican option right now, because we could always hope they'd jump the fence like Jeffords did a few years back.

[boobooday]

1. Is there really a difference?

When it comes right down to it? I mean, I don't think the people in the center have been much help, but it is certainly more helpful right now to have Republicans crossing boundaries than democrats.



http://www.wgoeshome.com

[LittleApple81]

2. As long as they vote for Kerry, I don't care. But really, I don't think

there would be much difference in their approaches to life and reality.

[freetobegay]

12. Several answers listed in this thread is why

Left Liberals will never control the Democratic party or it's agenda.

[John_H]

20. Only if you think about it for more than three seconds.

[Salviati]

3. That depends...

on whether you're talking about rational times, or times like now. In today's political climate, I'll take any Democrat over any Republican any day of the week.

I figure, if they haven't jumped the fence by now, they aren't going to out of conscience, and we can't promise any jumping R's anything without a few more D's in the column...

[kalian]

4. A lib republican

and that's my final answer.

[Nlighten1]

5. Neither

:)

[JVS]

6. What is tastier 60% vomit and 40% feces or 60% feces and 40% vomit?

[Null Pointer]

7. Any Democrat

I see what you mean by leaning toward Liberal Republicans because they can always jump the fence, but how often does that happen? And in the meantime, on party line issues, they'll always vote the party line. I'll take a conservative Democrat any day.

[Philostopher]

8. I'd venture a guess all the genuinely 'liberal' Republicans

Already have jumped ship, the past few years. Which is to say Bernie Sanders and Jim Jeffords are now Independents, and that's about it. Wish the conservative 'Democrats' like Zell Miller had the integrity and balls to do the same. That would certainly clear some things up.

[lastknowngood]

9. There are no liberal republicans and zell is no democrat

if you support the party of the clan and Nazis your neither a liberal repug or a conservative dem your just part of the brown boot fascist problem

[Doctor Smith]

10. You mean like a "compassionate conservative"?

[JI7]

11. some conservative democrats are only that way because of where they come

from. for example, i think mary landrieu is far more liberal than she votes. you can tell she doesn't like the right wing. but she comes from a conservative leaning, though traditional democratic state so she has to vote the way she does to win.

and the same goes for liberal republicans. it's about where they come from.

so i have to say i admire people like that republican senator from indiana and john warner of virginia who come from conservative leaning states and are conservatives but they aren't the disgusting right wing pukes that people like james inhofe, tom delay etc are.

[Old and In the Way]

13. Conservative Democrat

Because the (D) part helps to build a majority in Congress.

[HEyHEY]

14. Ow - you're making my brain hurt

[HEyHEY]

15. Actually wait - a conservative dem - because they'll vote dem

[DaveSZ]

16. Liberal Republican

Teddy Roosevelt and even Nixon had great domestic agendas in many areas.

Actually, it's difficult for me to say.

Joe Lieberman is a great champion of the environment, but is a total PNACer.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

17. I GUESS a conservative Dem

because at least they would VOTE for the right party, know what I mean?

[Liberal Classic]

18. People are more than

party affiliation.

[John_H]

19. Conservative Democrats don't have to do whatever Tom Delay and Bill Frist

tell them to do.

[Just Me]

21. I'll take anyone who isn't brainwashed,...

,...the labels are meaningless.

[Still_Loves_John]

22. You know...

It's interesting how we attack republicans for the way they treat moderates like Arlen Specter, and how they attack anyone who doesn't toe the party line, but a look at this thread shows that we aren't much better.

Just because someone isn't 100% liberal doesn't mean that they don't still hold liberal ideals at heart--I like what that one poster said about Mary Landrieu. I mean, Howard Dean was pretty moderate, and that didn't seem to bother the people (and I'm just guessing here) who are posting about how evil conservative democrats are.

[Pattib]

24. what "we" are you talking about? NT

[thebigidea]

25. wish I had the gumption to speak in the royal we like that for all of us

[Finch]

27. Very True...

...Moderate, Southern, Blue-Dog Democrat here... on this board I am such a minority and rarely post :( as i just get shouted down... but ah-well this is the mirror image of Freeperville i guess...

[DustMolecule]

23. Anyone who does what's best for:

1) the citizens of the United States of America (keeping both long-term and short-term in mind)

while at the same time remembering that,

2) we are members of, and have a responsiblity to, the world at large

and

3) keeps government as small as possible (and therefore less costly and less powerful to 'control and micro-manage' the lives of it's citizenry(sp?) ), while at the same time realizing that some members of society, who haven't had a lot of opportunities and advantages, might need some extra-governmental help from time-to-time.

I don't think Conservative Democrat OR Liberal Republican fits the bill....I don't believe any 'party' or 'label' does (or can).

[Finch]

26. Pionts 1 and 2 are good...

Point 3 is a bit too specific... I think "old-style" Liberals like Ted Kennedy, Tom Harkin and Hillary Clinton have what’s best for the country at heart and furthermore and they would argue for a “big government” while at the same time “old-style” conservatives like Barry Goldwater (RIP), John Warner, Richard Lugar, Lamar Alexander, Orrin Hatch have the best interests of the country at heart...

The same goes for Moderates like Spectre, Snowe, Breaux and Bayh and even those who are more radical like Santorum (yes even him) and Kucinich all of them care about the country and want what’s best for it…they just differ, yeah there are a few “rotten apples” there always have been the likes of DeLay however are a minority most Politicians in Washington care… despite the hysterical belief of many on the board that the GOP would like nothing better than to turn the USA into a ChristoFacist State this is no ore true than the idea that the Democrats would like to turn the USA into a secular, Communist state of free love and complete disarmament…I just wish people on this board could see that… ahh well

As for Moderates, a moderate of either party can best be defined as someone who while holding the same principles as the rest of their party (DEM = The belief in the role of community and government, REP = The belief in the rights of the individual and a limited but important role for the state), however when faced with an issue they look for the solution which will work best as opposed to the solution which would appeal to the ideologues as most pure.

[Finch]

28. KICK