Why are you a Democrat and why are you for Kerry/Edwards:

[mdguss]

In the spirit of the convention I thought I’d post why I am a Democrat. I was born an orphan. Thankfully, I was quickly adopted by a caring and loving family. I’ve went to wonderful public schools. I have a Bachleor’s Degree (and soon, hopefully, a Master’s Degree). My parents were middle class and grants, loans, and an occasional helping hand from the government helped me get to where I am.

I believe in a government that funds public schools adequately. I believe in a government that taxes fairly, so that we all share in the burden of building a better America. I believe in a government that cares for the elderly and ill who so often need help.

I am a Democrat because I believe in helping others. I believe that a society becomes stronger when it helps an elderly person with Alzheimer’s or a young student to get a college degree.

I believe in a foreign policy that eliminates terrorists. I believe that international cooperation, foreign aid, and necessary wars all help to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from this world.

Most importantly I’m a Democrat because I believe in “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” as the founder of our party put it. I’m probably more moderate (or even conservative) than most here. But I’m proud to be a Democrat, and proud to support John Kerry for President and John Edwards for Vice President. I urge all other Democrats--liberal, moderate, pacifist, realist, conservative and progressive--to post why they are Democrats and why they support the Democratic Party and Kerry/Edwards in this thread.

[2Design]

1. democrats care about people

rethugs care about themselves and corporations and greed

voting for kerry/edwards
1. they are democrats
2. I have grown to admire kerry. He is a man who speaks with his actions. He is not a great orator. But I know by his actions and the products of his labors that he is a man who believes in good things for people and the earth.
3. Edwards is/was a great orator and excellent lawyer. His ability to debate, to promote, to frame a thought will be the guiding words for implementing the actions of Kerry.
4. Teresa Kerry is a great assest to this administration. her ability to speak 5 languages will be a strong suit in developing and repairing international ties and building the relationships we need to help mother earth
5. Teresa Kerry is a mystic. She believes in herbs, folk medicine, environment and her life like Kerry's has been devoted to helping people
6. Teresa Kerry is her own woman and her husband is not afraid of that
7. Elizabeth Edwards is a strong and accomplished woman
8. Elizabeth Edwards is also a smart and intelligent woman like Teresa. She and her husband will be an important part of a great team
9. I believe Kerry is willing to work as a team and willing to build this country back into the United States of America that Obama talked about.
10. Kerry has shown by his actions and all the people who have been brought together for this convention and all those who spoke and had a part in presenting to all nations a wonderful team who will help us heal the wounds of these past 4 years and the damage done in the other 12 years before clinton.
11. Because we have a winning team

[genius]

2. Because I'm not a bad guy

[JohnnyRingo]

3. I came from an union auto worker family

That should be enough reason alone.....But growing up I realized my dad was doing better than some families.

When I came to age I followed my dad into the same job....That was 32 years ago.

I also would not have done nearly as well without the solidarity of the union....nor would I have been able to retire with a full pension at 49 yrs old.

Now that's the great American dream to me.

All my life I've heard republicans carp about how the unions were ruining America.

The choice was easy for me.

[TexasSissy]

4. I forget why I originally registered as a Democrat, since my whole

family is either Republican or apolitical. I probably originally liked a Democratic candidate, so registered with that party. But I have remained a Democrat because I agree with that party's platform more than I agree with the Republican platform.

Basically, I believe in more government than the Repubs do, particularly in areas where it involves safety in the workplace, or regulating utilities, and the like. Things that are not choices for people, but necessities. If government doesn't step in, history has shown us that corporations will work children twelve hours a day, fail to put safety guards on dangerous equipment, and blackmail entire states by gouging them with high utility bills (as happened to California last year). Also, government must protect the environment and other things that enure to the benefit of all of us; it can't be left to corporations to decide what to do with an environment that belongs to all of us. I believe that only the government can protect us from some things. But not all things. We are individually responsible for many things (like our children doing well in school - I don't believe the government can fix that. But parents can.)

I am more moderate than many Democrats, though.

[Seabiscuit]

5. Because my mother...

always opposed my father, who was the last of the McCarthy-ites.

She got me started in 1952 rooting for Adlai Stevenson during my grade-school.

Then again in 1956.

She was the one who first mentioned "John Kennedy" in our house in 1960.

Unfortunately, I was ineligible to vote in 1960.

But I voted for Johnson vs. Goldwater in 1964 and look where that got us.

I voted for Eugene McCarthy in 1968 simply because RFK was assassinated that year, along with MLK. And despite Humphrey's civil rights record, he supported Johnson's Vietnam war BS 100%.

Since then I have consistently voted Democrat.

Except in 1980, when I voted for John Anderson, as a protest vote.

The Repukes have *ALWAYS* sucked, and opposed every progressive social program we still have today.

They're 10,000 times worse in 2004. This is the most crucial election of our generationS!!!

If you don't vote for Kerry/Edwards, you are casting a vote for four years of guaranteed fascism.

[cyclezealot]

6. Because it has members such as

Dennis Kucinich, Maxine Waters, Russell Feingold,and the late Paul Wellstone..There are no other vehicles for fighting unfair trade and pushing for a National Health Plan.

[Seabiscuit]

8. Paul Wellstone

is my hero!!!

[AP]

7. Democrats believe in the value of unlocking the full potential in

EVERYONE (and that we're all better off when our neighbors have the best lives they can possibly have), and that a society as wealthy as ours should give everyone a dignified life during our brief time on earth.

[eridani]

9. Because Dennis Kucinich asked me to be

A 60s baby boomer, I thought of politics as something you do in the streets. I have always resisted joining political parties (parents both independents), and have intermittently supported the Greens since the mid-80s. For the last 30 years, I have mainly done single issue stuff--gay rights, NARAL, Take Back the Night, Health Care for All. I'd write letters to representatives, and occasionally send them money if I liked their voting records.

I voted Nader in 2000, but would have wussed out had WA state not seemed a lock for Gore. Nader asked me for money and to go to his super-rallies. I did, but that was it.

I got Prayer for America in an email, and was one of the 20,000 people who emailed Kucinich asking him to run for president. He asked his supporters to join the Democratic party and to take an active role in precinct and legislative district politics. He had a platform that made it worth doing--hadn't heard a Democrat say such things within my recent memory. Our state Green Party kicked everyone who became a PCO for the Dems out of the Greens. (I understand that I no longer should have a voting voice, but they were non-receptive to the idea of non-voting memberships.)

I have since come to the conclusion that the Greens are not likely any time soon to have the institutional weight to get policies I favor enacted. They have tried to be a political party and a general social movement, but have seriously slighted the former. So I'm on board as a Democrat, pledged to the Kucinich agenda, building support starting locally, at the bottom.

I'm supporting Kerry as the nominee, but I expect to be on his case directly after the inauguration.

[JSJ]

10. christ if i know but i am n/t

[Screwjack]

11. Democrat by default

I'm actually a bit more...well...far more liberal than most "norm" democrats are these days. I'm a registered Democrat from Wisconsin so I can continue to vote for Gov. Doyle and Sens. Feingold and Kohl (mostly Feingold). I believe that the Republican Party, and even some Democrats (namely Zell Miller) are doing nothing for the future of the American people.

I was able to make my own choice in politics, albeit it wasn't an expected one by the people surrounding me. My father is an independant, but he votes for Republican candidates. Although I don't agree with his choices, I wholeheartedly agree with his method. He votes on the person, what they say and stand for, and not why the party lines are. My mother is a registered Democrat, and save for Clinton, had never voted for a winning president since she was 21. I was brought up in parochial schools (Lutheran) for Kintergarden through my Senior year of high school. I'm currently in a parochial-esque college, but it's a liberal arts school, and fairly liberal altogether (although our President donated to the Bush campaign).

My personal beliefs led me to liberalism, and namely the Democratic Party. I'm pro-choice (even though I was adopted), support stem cell research, universal health care, support the United Nations, for ending the embargo on Cuba, support gay marriage, I do not support any of our military actions abroad, I think the military upper echelons should be tried from war crimes and crimes against humanity for their use of Depleted Uranium weapons in Eastern Europe, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Etc. etc. etc.

Anyways, I'll at least vote for the party that espouses some of my beliefs rather than none of them.

That's my two cents.

[LocalGuy]

12. Why I'm a (D)

Mostly because my parents were Dems, but it's really the way they raised my family (8 kids--yeah, we're Catholic!). My brothers, sisters & I were raised to respect for others, to be tolerant, to value volunteering for community service, to love our country -- to name a few reasons.

I got the political bug from my Dad who served as a campaign manager for his best friend in a Philadelphia City Council race a long time ago. I recall meeting Joe Biden over 20 years ago in a VFW hall in the Philly neighborhood of Frankford and was amazed at this eloquence and dynamic personality.

I've lurked here for about a year before I posted. I thought John Edwards speech was a masterpiece last night, as was BC's early. Today I contributed to a presidential campaign for the first time ever (through DU site). I've enjoyed reading your comments on this site and look forward to victory in November.

[mdguss]

13. Good Posts:

I'm glad to see so many diverse posts in this thread. Thanks to everybody who posted for posting.

[flpoljunkie]

15. Welcome to DU, LocalGuy! Enjoyed reading your post. On to victory!

[WI_DEM]

14. I'm a democrat because we are a more inclusive party

and I'm voting for Kerry/Edwards because they are the nominees and the only logical vehicle to get rid of the nightmare which is George W. Bush.

[skygazer]

16. Good question

My parents were Goldwater Republicans. I was born in 1961. Vietnam was part of my childhood. I remember the riots in Boston over bussing and the segregation of schools. It all seemed crazy to me. I'm a Democrat because I believe we really were all created equal, that we really do have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I believe that a government has the moral responsibility to care for its people, to ensure those rights are attainable. I've never seen anything in the Republican Party that supports those goals.

Incidentally, my father is still a rabid Republican - we have some pretty spirited debates!

[mzmolly]

17. Yes, I am a Democrat. And I am so because Democrats are simply

more effective, and reasonable than members of any other party.

They care about the issues that matter to me, and are realistic about their approach to the problems facing Americans:

And, most importantly - Democrats share my values:

Children getting an equal start
Health Care
Not running our nation into massive debt
Not engaging in frivolous bloody wars
Educational opportunities
Not trying to run peoples lives, demanding that EVERYONE think alike
Preserving a womans right to choose
Environmental caretaking

etc.

I support Kerry/Edwards because they share the values I noted above.

:hi:

[chelsea0011]

18. It's simple. The repubs stand for so little I want from government

[leeman67]

19. 5 words: Separation of Church and State

[bigwillq]

20. Why I'm a Democrat

The first reason is because I was basically raised that way.

My parents were (are) middle class people who have worked for everything they have gotten. Both of them came from the parents of immigrants, who like my grandparents, instilled in me the lessons and values of hard work. Neither of my parents have a college degree but by working hard they made sure that me and my sister had the opportunity to get a college degree (which we both did).

I am also a Democrat because I believe in the democratic values.

Like:
Education
Health Care
The environment
Human and Civil Rights
Pro-choice and the power of freedom and choice in everything that I do.

I am voting for Kerry-Edwards because of their work for people who need it. They believe what I believe in, that with hard work anything is possible. K-E will stand up for the issues and values that I feel strong about. This is why I'm a Democrat and this is why I'm voting for Kerry-Edwards.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

21. I Am A Democrat Because....

I'm pro choice....

I'm pro affirmative action....


I'm pro gay rights.......


I'm pro multilateral foreign policy


I'm in favor of a strong social safety net....

[marlakay]

22. Because the country has more issues than....

Money for the wealthy and abortions. As far as I see it those are the two biggies that repubs vote for. The radical christians that think abortion is wrong and the wealthy seem to be their base.

I believe we should have a choice and I think the rich ought to pay their fair share of taxes. So I guess with those views alone I am to the left.

But then throw in that I have always hiked and I love the mountains and Bush & Co are set on destroying it...

My parents are dems. My dad is gone now but he worked for the Navy and was in the Army Air Core during WWII. I think the repubs will be surprised by how many in the military are voting democratic this time! My son-n-law is a officer in the air force and when they first went in 3 years ago were total Bush people. Now...they are voting for Kerry!

[ulysses]

23. love the "pacifist/realist" dichotomy.

:eyes:

Why am I a Democrat? Because I hate conservative ideology, even though some members of my party embrace parts of it. Because I believe that government has a positive role in civic life, even though some members of my party embrace the idea that it doesn't much. Because I believe in economic justice, even though some members of my party, and many in its leadership, embrace little outside the marketplace. Because I believe in public education, even though some members of my party embrace vouchers. Because I believe in the pursuit of peace, even though some members of my party embrace preemptive warfare.

Why am I for Kerry/Edwards? Because Bush has to go and I have no viable other choice.

[Garage Queen]

24. Why? Because I have a brain and a heart.

That's the answer to BOTH questions, BTW...

[mzmolly]

25. Excellent response.

:hi:

[Andromeda]

26. You know what being a Democrat is all about.

There are many "shades" of Democrats but we're all brothers and sisters under the skin.

A lot of Republicans appear not to have a soul, a conscience or an ounce of compassion. I couldn't imagine myself ever being a Republican.

I am a Democrat because we are the party of tolerance and inclusiveness. Democrats want to right the terrible wrongs in our society. For the most part, Republicans just don't care.

Democrats believe everybody should have a chance in life regardless of race, religion or gender. Republicans only cultivate a pseudo concern for minorities in order to get their votes and they don't follow up with their promises.

[childslibrarian]

27. I was a social worker and now I'm a teacher

Anyone who cares for people and sees that everything is not trust fund city would have to be a Democrat...