Question: What makes us Democrats?

[Mark_Pogue]

What makes us Democrats besides what party we tend to vote for?

[mrcheerful]

1. The ability to think for ourselves instead of having leaders to think for us

[mike_c]

2. I'm a LIBERAL...

...and sometimes that makes my interests parallel to the democratic party's interests, although much less in the last couple of decades, unfortunately. I tend to vote overwhelmingly Green in local elections (and the GP is fully represented in my local elected officials). During the last couple of years I've voted green in most state and national elections too. Many dems have moved way too far to the right for my taste.

[Rydz777]

3. It's partly a matter of principle. It's partly that there's no alternative. eom

[yurbud]

5. if we had a true multi-party structure, I would be more like a green

[jmp]

9. Dem/Green

What I've never figured out is why all the ticked off Dems don't just jump to the Green Party en masse. Where is it written that the Democratic Party can't be knocked off its perch as one of the two major parties and replaced by something more agreeable to the people it fails to represent?

This country needs to a shakeup, and that seems to me to be the most plausible scenario. The Dem tide this past election sure didn't shake anything up.

[yurbud]

12. it should at least be done at congressional level. problem is, where there is critical mass for

greens, there tend to be more progressive Dem candidates.

[yurbud]

4. the belief that some functions are better performed by government, and business should not be free

to intentionally harm others for profit.

[Avalux]

6. Making decisions based on reason rather than belief.

The Republican party's platform is all about pandering to people's emotions; those people who choose to deny the facts right in front of them and believe bullshit.

Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, equality....a government by and for the people. That's about a simple as I can say it....that's what makes me a Democrat.

[Sweet Freedom]

7. A functioning brain. /nt

[polichick]

8. Big hearts, a conscience, vision, hope, intelligence...

...independent spirits, a sense of justice, etc.

Unfortunately, we try too hard to be pc, fair and generous ~ foolishly believing the Reps will respond in kind. If we don't learn to play hardball, we might as well get out of the game. Our principles are worth fighting for ~ REALLY fighting for.

[elocs]

10. I am a Democrat and I unapologetically vote for Democrats.

No, I don't get my own person perfect candidate every time that agrees with each and everyone of my own personal beliefs and has the perfect stances on every issue. But I will never, ever, EVER, vote for anybody from the Green Party. Not after 2000 (rationalize it any way you like, I believe they are one of the main reasons we have Bush today). I am a Democrat and I post here at DemocraticUnderground.com. This is my party and although it is imperfect it at least has a history of governing. Sure it disappoints me at times and breaks my heart, but that is part of life and I am willing to make a commitment and not just be a fair weather party supporter and voter.

[EST]

11. Simple questions are often the deepest and most challenging ones.

I have spent a lot of cogitating time grinding on this very one.
After watching republickers, I have concluded that first and foremost they see themselves as republicans. After that, they do what publickers do, which is advocate publicker causes and attitudes and then make up a lot of high sounding justifications to appear ethical and, perhaps, delude whatever bit of conscience that may still be clinging to a margin of existence.
I did not wake up one day and discover that I was a democrat.

Matter of fact, although I champion most democratic causes and philosophies, I am not even registered as a dem, but that's another story, altogether.

I make a conscious and unconscious attempt in every situation to behave as ethically and as responsibly as I am capable of discerning.
Even in my private thoughts, I hold up the measuring stick and compare my own empathy, compassion, morality and selfishness to the standards that I would demand of anyone. I am rarely completely satisfied with the comparison, but it's getting better all the time.

In christian, freewill baptist terminology, it's called "pray without ceasing," a Christian directive.

In this life long pursuit of perfection (perfect as in complete) I looked around for the group of enlightened citizens and voters most closely aligned with the way activists and responsible creatures should be in my little imaginary perfect world.

I do not do "democrat" in order to have a banner to do battle under, but I can pretty easily see that, in this imperfect world (as in ideal) republicans lie more than democrats.
Republicans cheat and steal more than democrats.
Republicans gratuitously hurt and damage other humans more than do democrats.

Republicans seem to be affected with abject xenophobia and spend their precious time covering it up with sweet smiling ugliness, while democrats seem more likely to embrace change and thrive on humane solutions, even though they may be terrified at times. More flexible and less hidebound.

Democrats tend to be longer on self evaluation and questioning of motives than republicans.

In my world, calling someone a republican is perilously close to being a thinly veiled insult while calling someone a democrat or a liberal is not.

Democrats are a lot less likely to attempt sexual liaison with entities than are not responsible for themselves, such as horses, mules, sheep, dogs or immature humans.

Conscience seems a more useful and more often used tool to democrats than to republicans.

Republicans like to emulate disrupters, haters and other nasty actors more than do democrats.

Democrats are more likely to worry about what others think of them without elevating it to guilty paranoia.

Democrats are, unfortunately, much more likely to be Charlie Brown than Lucy with the football. They get jerked over way too much, but that encourages my sympathy and empathy.
Root for the underdog, I guess.

For these and many, many other reasons, I find myself more closely aligned with democrats than I do republicans, not perfectly-there are too many differences for that-but, on the whole, this is where I will stand and fight, build my church, draw the line in the sand.

What ever it needs to be called, my ethical and moral sense feels a hell of a lot more comfortable on this side of the line than it ever could on that one.