Former Republicans/conservatives here: What 'converted' you?

[begin_within]

I'm always interested to know what was it that changed someone from conservative to liberal, or from Republican to Democrat. If this describes you, what was it? Was it a single issue? Was it a specific event? Was it a particular person? Was it a relatively fast convertion, or a slow, gradual change?
Thanks

[seabeyond]

1. for my husband, going into iraq had him voting kerry

what made him walk from republican party for good...... katrina. made him sick. he spent a lot of his time and influence during the first days sitting up drops for contribution, ect.... that disgusted him. now i say you republicans and he says, not me.

[begin_within]

3. That was probably the deciding factor for a lot of people.

[bperci108]

2. It was a "perfect storm" of many things...

First I read Franken's "Lies and the Lying liars..."

I really ruminated on Matthew chapter 25.

I took a job that had me traveling the country; I got to see what the world was like for the "have-nots" on a regular basis.

I listened to the BBC and read the European and Canadian press.

I read much about the Labor movement and the history they don't teach you in school: The Haymarket Massacre, the massacre of the miners and their families in Colorado, Sacco and Vanzetti, Mother Jones, The Mingo Massacre, the coal wars, the Robber Barons, Joe Hill.

I read Howard Zinn, Chomsky and Krugman.

I became class conscious.

IOW - I went from an apathetic, moderate Republican to a activist, unapologetic, unrepentant Pinko Lefty (and damned proud of it, too...). :)

[begin_within]

4. Wow, that is a cool story.

[leftofthedial]

24. you rock!

:yourock:

[ObaMania]

41. Excellent story.

Heck, It would be worth it to follow your steps just to reinforce my committment to liberal/progressive causes.

[distantearlywarning]

5. I was never a Republican.

I have some conservative viewpoints (gun control, for instance) and a lot of socially liberal ones, but I was basically neutral about Bush and Co. until Abu Ghraib. That really shocked and upset me - not so much that it happened at all but their response to it, which was basically *shrug* and "oh, well, shit happens". Then I heard all the RW talk show morons in the next month going on and on about how it was just fraternity pranks and what not. That just floored me. I couldn't believe that AMERICA (or at least her representatives and their media mouthpieces) was attempting to justify torture EVER. It was a huge blow to everything I believed about them and about us as a nation. BAD GUYS torture, not Americans. Not US. Not me or the country who acts in my name and claimed to have gone into Iraq and Afghanistan carrying the banner of freedom and goodness. And those dickwads wouldn't even apologize for it and blamed it all on the little guys (yeah, right). It was shameful. I'm still really angry about that. All the talking points in the world won't and haven't moved my position on that issue one iota - they will NEVER convince me that torture is something American troops should have anything to do with.

Well anyway, that was a major turning point for me. I started to pay a lot more attention to what I heard on the news, and started noticing a lot of little things that disturbed me. One that I remember is hearing about how the Bush administration was making up fake news programs and distributing them as real news. That upset me a lot. It reminded me of the kinds of things totalitarian governments do.

I voted for Kerry in 2004 - the first time I ever voted for a major candidate who wasn't a Libertarian. I just thought it was important to try to elect someone, ANYONE who wasn't the current evil fascist. And the 2004 election was the last straw for me. I do a lot of work with social science statistics, and I knew something wasn't right with some of the reported numbers. I did a lot of my own research after the election about some of the EV anomalies and other poll problems, and came to the conclusion that BushCo had made a concerted effort to steal the election from Kerry. That research is how I found DU, actually.

I don't know that I will ever be a die-hard liberal (although my positions on some things have changed a little to the left since coming to DU and reading the all the arguments here on various issues). But I will be a die-hard ANYTHING that's anti-Bush until he leaves office and all his evil cronies go out the door with him. Right now the only real option is the Democrats, and I'm happy to support them in the interim as long as they are doing something to try to get rid of that bastard and his ilk. BushCo are the worst thing that's ever happened to America, IMO.

[begin_within]

11. Thanks for that! I should let my NRA-member friend read that.

[judaspriestess]

67. NRA - National Republican Army??

close enough and all the same

[NeedleCast]

6. The party abndoned many of us

I was a fairly moderate Republican for the better part of a decade, now converted to Independat (Libertarian). In essence, the Republican party abandonded the center, and ran as far right as it could. I couldn't stomach it anymore. Turned in my card, walked away...happier for doing it. I think a lot of moderates feel the same...we didn't abandon the party, it abandonded us. This is not my father's Republican Party, it's some wanna-be theological free market. Big biz can abuse the hell out of the common worker (so long as they sell approved merchandise of course).

Long time lurker, first time post.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Welcoem to DU

[begin_within]

12. I felt the same way about the Democratic party a few years back, that

the Democrats abandoned huge swaths of their own constituency in their lurch toward the center (thanks to the DLC). The Democrats simply assumed that these people simply had nowhere else to go, and that they could do just about anything and still keep them voting Democratic. However, enough of them voted for Nader in 2000 (including me) to swing the election over to Bush. (97,000 Nader votes in Florida in 2000, far more than Bush's supposed margin of victory there.) Now it seems like the Democrats are inching back to the left, but only grudgingly.

[NeedleCast]

13. Interesting

Your thoughts on this are interesting. As a left leaning moderate, I feel like the Democratic party is pretty far out on the fringe right now too. Certainly not as far as the right has gone, but further than I'm comfortable voting in many ways. Since Bush took over in 2000, I think many of us in the middle feel a lot like I do...that we've been left without much of a clear choice. That's why I converted to independant.

It's a process that continues to exagerate itself. Everytime the Republicans take a step towards the right, the Democrats take a step toward the left. Unfortunatly for those of us who are even somewhat liberal in our views, the far left seems much more fractured than the far right. These boards are a good indication. Look how many people squabble in late breaking news. Go to a very conservative website and you'll see that the far right is a pretty tight knit group, sitting around the campfire, singing Kum-by-Ah, roasting smores and eating red, red meat.

[distantearlywarning]

17. The few times I've been over to that "other site"

that's not really what I've seen. I think they squabble just as much. It's just over different things. One problem the Republican party has right now is that they are trying to fit fundies and neo-cons into one very small area of the political spectrum, and it's just not working that well. I've seen that - the fundies care a lot about some stupid religious thing and the neo-cons don't and then they squabble about it for pages and pages. Just about the only thing those two people have in common is that they love Israel and hate the "dirty pinko commies". One of these days the religious types are going to figure out they've been used and they'll abandon the right-wing in droves.

I think the problem on DU is a little different. I think that a lot of people here are like me - Bush haters, but not necessarily in lock-step with traditional liberal values, and they joined DU well after 2000 when the Bush administration started screwing up, not because they were liberal all along. That causes a lot of tension when topics come up where both types of people can't just get along because of their mutual hatred of the asshats in the White House. The "old-school" liberals think their party is being hijacked by all these moderate types, and the moderates think that they are liberals just because they hate Bush.

[NeedleCast]

20. I see your point

and admit that I'm one of the Johnny-come-lately's who is more moderate. I still feel far more liberal than I do conservative, but I guess it's all a matter of prespective...the further out to the left people are, the futher out the "center" is for them. I'm sure the neo-cons would consider me a liberal because I support gay rights, am for a "fair" free market system where businesses are held accountable and for my limited support of social programs. On the other hand, I'm sure there are plenty of far left liberals who would think I don't support gay rights enough, that capitalism sucks, etc.

A lot of moderates out there in my shoes.

A lot of us wondering which party is for us, and often choosing neither.

(Plus the fact that I think the two-party system is a total sham anyway...)

[liberaldemocrat7]

55. I'm Jewish and those Republicans who say they support Israel over there

would eagerly cut the social security pensions of elderly Jewish granddmothers over here.

As for business and capitalism, I love capitalism, I just strongly disapprove of how most Republicans support and enable irresponsible business practices and don't want government to help the poor or unemployed or disabled people or keep workplaces and products safe.

One can support capitalism but make sure that businesses function so everyone gets along well in society.

This Ayn Randian philosophy leads me to tell those libertarians to go to their own private island and build camp libertarian and then see how they like living without government.

Don't forget 49 million people who work and pay taxes voted for kerry and want government totake care of the poor.

Somehow libertarians and Republicans who don't like the government to use "other people's money" to help the poor have no problem using "other people's money" for their own priorities.

I also say that most Republicans in my view do not follow the teachings of Christ and I do not consider them Christians. AynRandians and Torquemadans yes but Christians no.

Tomas de Torquemada led the spanish inquisition. Right wing religiosos even makethis specious false to facts excuse that Jesus never meant for government to help the poor. Bleah.

[madmusic]

18. NeedleCast, what issue to too far left?

Serious question. What liberal issue do you think is too extreme and off center? And do you think it's possible the center has shifted to the right and is only readjusting?

It would be interesting to hear your thoughts.

And welcome to DU.

[NeedleCast]

26. It's not any one issue

Thanks for the welcome.

First let me say that it's quite possible the center has shifted. Its very easy for me to sit here and say "I've been here all along and everyone else is moving!" Still, having thought about it, it's not that I think the center has shifted so much as I think the line got longer and the two ends are further away from the center. Why? I remember back in college (this being 13+ years ago now) when my buddies in I would sit in our dorm common area, play endless games of super techmo bowl, and jibber-jabber about this and that, including politics. I went to school in central Texas and there were a huge range of people there from both conservative and liberal farm-boys, Austin liberals, Dallas conservatives...you name it. We could sit there and debate for hours, but the point I'm getting to is that, for the most part, we all still liked each other. Seems like these days that you can't disagree with someone and still respect their opinion. If someone disagrees with you, they're a idiot, or ignorant, or a redneck, or (a word I see slung around WAY to much here) a nazi/fascist. Friendly debate seems to be a thing of the past. I guess that's why I think things are more "extreme" these days.

As far as the issues go, I don't know that any one issue is too extreme or off center. I should say in advance that I am for a minimalist government. The less the better. I contract to the government (DoJ) and get to see on a daily basis how much of a trainwreck they can turn even the simplest process into.

I guess I am of the "give them an inch and they'll take it a mile school." I think a lot of moderates fear both the neocons and the far left basically want to rule by legislation instead of letting the people rule themselves. They think "why make it a suggestion when we can make it a law!" The neocons don't want to open your mind to the possibility of intelligent design...they want to MAKE you accept intelligent design. The far left doesn't want to inform you why an electric powered car is a good thing, they want to make it illegal to drive anything else.

So, it's not really the issues, it's the rheotric used to get those issues across.

People don't say "Vote Kerry" anymore. They say "Vote Kerry or you are a stupid, redneck, warmongering elitist."

They say "Vote Bush or you are a stupid, hippy, pacifist traitor."

[Egnever]

32. Wow welcome to DU

This paragraph is just excellent!

"They think "why make it a suggestion when we can make it a law!" The neocons don't want to open your mind to the possibility of intelligent design...they want to MAKE you accept intelligent design. The far left doesn't want to inform you why an electric powered car is a good thing, they want to make it illegal to drive anything else. "

Well said! I hope you stick around you can clearly add to the debate here even if you think most of us are loony tune liberals :)

[bperci108]

38. Be careful what you wish for...

"I should say in advance that I am for a minimalist government."

We are well on our way there right now.

The part of government that serves the common good is being systematically dismantled by the Radical Right ideologues.

However: The part of the government that spies on it's citizens and funnels profits to the extremely rich and big business is growing exponentially.

Government is not a bad thing - how can it be?

It is us!

"We the people...", remember?

It's time we took it back and made it work like it was supposed to. :)

[madmusic]

43. "give them an inch and they'll take it a mile school."

Excellent post, and we agree on a great deal. Frankly, I didn't realize what power bureaucracies have until recently, and didn't know that the checks and balances were negated within them. If that is what the Republicans always had against them, then they were right. A bureaucracy is the judicial branch, the executive branch, and the legislative branch all rolled into one. Many people who have run into the bureaucracy of the local motor vehicle department head-on (apply directly to the forehead!) will know what this means. Sure, they are granted this power through state or federal legislation, but they run with it and get power hungry. They can be the police, judge and executioner all in one. There are ways to appeal their decisions and move the issue out of their total control and into the regular legal system, but is difficult and rule laden. Lately, it seems, both parties are perfectly happy ruling by legislation, if it serves their purpose. There doesn't seem to be much difference between the two anymore.

My major gripe with the right on that issue is their "leave it up to the states" stance, when many of the Framers knew tyranny was more of a risk from local and state government. That's why I support a stronger 14th Amendment applied to the states. That, I think, would be truer to our Framers intentions, and would only make for bigger government if the states try to repress their citizens Bill of Rights.

There are many environmentalists who will gladly offer links to why electric cars, or alternative energy cars, are so important. They will also argue that it is big business through self interest who claims there is no danger to the environment. I don't claim to know much about that debate, but it does seem logical that given a finite planet, there has to be a point of no return.

You makes a good point about fascism, and Bush is using it now. It's a loaded word and one I don't use lightly. My major reason for using it (see my sig below for a link) is that we are in many ways reliving the Progressive Era, or at least I think so. For some reason a lot of American's do not know that Hitler borrowed his eugenics plan from us, and if not for him going to the extreme he did, the many elite American's who had control over politics and law nearly sold the country on our way form of Nazism. The irony is, the most liberal state, California, led the pack: Eugenics and the Nazis -- the California connection. That could not have happened without support from the left and the right.

This possibility was beyond belief to me a couple of years ago until learning about it here at DU. Everyone has their fight, and this is mine. Sometimes I'm as bad as a "Bible thumper."

As to the name calling, at the risk of sounding like a hypocrite (because I do it too) it was Newt Gingrich who started that. Before his "Language, A Key Mechanism of Control" congresspersons from both sides used to wine and dine together. It's only gotten worse since then.

But I agree we over react too often, or at least I do. Even with extreme views, and even when suffering from fiery passion, the tone of our posts, if we hope to reach anyone, really matters. That's advice I should listen to.

edit typo, and probably still missed one.

[Leopolds Ghost]

50. Wasn't it Huey Long who said: "When Fascism comes to America it will be

called 100% Americanism."

Applies to both conservative authoritarians (neocons) and liberal authoritarians (sometimes known as neoliberals, i.e. people who want free trade and big business coupled with socially progressive "urban" values -- defined primarily by the transnational upper class -- and a stratified, litigous society composed of "retrained" service industry workers, generally ruled over by "socially liberal", affluent techies and real estate/stock moguls.)

Thomas Frank, middle american Populist (The Baffler, What's the Matter With Kansas)
and Michael Lind (Up from Conservatism) a former George Will conservative think tank guy turned Democrat who wrote about the "two parties of the overclass" are both excellent resources for ex-conservative populists and libertarians.

[liberaldemocrat7]

57. The Republicans never really believed in states rights.

States rights appeared the temporary strategy to get rid of a liberal federal government. Now that THEY have power you can see that the REPUBLIKLAN congress has done some things to stop states from executing their own laws.

Medical Mariujuana, not that I believe in using marijuana. Death with dignity, not that I beleive in it, however these appear just 2 examples of how the states rights hypocrites only cried states rights in order to seize power.

Similarly the Republicans used the fiscal responsibility meme also to seize power. They really did not give a damn about fiscal responsibility but just wanted to throw a hammer into the liberal congress. When they seized power, they built up deficits by design to weigh down future governments so they will not increase social spending.

Reagan did it, Bush one did it and Bush the chimpenfuhrer did it. The Republiklan party will deliberately build up defecits by design and I will tell you they suceeded in their ideology. Not only do the Republicans want to drown government in the bathtub but they drowned over 2,000 people in New Orleans by waiting 5 days before they did anything and their cuts in federal levee programs made sure that the Army corps of engineers could not build CAT 5 levee strength in New Orleans.

The next Republiklan administration will also build up deficits by design. Amazing how Republicans cry about Democrats raising taxes but people get taxed by other means when Repuiblicans don't increase federal taxes or cut them. Property taxes go up, state taxes go up, gasoline prices go up, heating fuel prices go up, health care costs go up. Each of these tax a person's income. Republicans do not care a whit about those increased costs, only that they cut federal taxes for votes in elections.

Where Republicans tread innocent people end up dead.

[NeedleCast]

60. Good Points

Working where I do (DoJ Office of Immigration) we see a LOT of the politicing that goes on with a (any) bureaucracy. As contractors, we have to deal with two, OCIJ (Office of the Chief Immigration Judge) and IRM (Internal Resource Management). One office deals with the judiciary side of the branch, the other with the court staff. So the judges in each court fall under one house, and the court staff fall under another. That's even an over simplification because it does not include the Immigration court of appeals (first level appelate court) or Department of Homeland Security (who took over for Department of Immigration). Naturally, OCIJ and IRM do not like each other and the head honchos of both sides are near sociopathic in their thinking that the other side is "out to get them" and due to this thinking, both sides literally are out to get each other now. People get caught in the political crossfire all the time. We recently had a software trainer (which is what I do) visit the Arlington VA for the sole purpose of sitting in on some hearings so she could better do her job. She was accused of being "an IRM flunky" by the OCIJ office who though she was there to gather information on what their judges were doing. This is the environment we work in.

I'm glad you're aware of your words, or at least try to be. You're so right in saying that our tone is often reflection of how people will see our argument. There is a difference in saying "TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ, NOW!!!" and "I think we should pull our troops out of Iraq, here's why..." One is combative and makes me want to tell you to go fuck yourself even if I agree. One makes me say "okay, I'll listen."

As far as fascism and calling the other side nazis...I'm nearing my tone deaf point. Both sides are using it and it's effectiveness has just been completely diminished on me. It's like the old Dr. Pepper commercials ringing in my head..."I'm a Nazi she's a nazi he's a nazi we're all nazis wouldn't you like to be a nazi too?!?" Also the fact that the accusation is used incorrectly more often than not. I don't think Bush is a nazi. I think he certainly displays totalitarian characteristics, which I am vehmently against.

The name calling I think goes way past Newt. It's just a matter of escalation now and both sides could argue back and forth about who did what first. I don't know if there's any answer not so obscured in party rhetoric that it could convince me of "who REALLY fired the opening salvo."

[begin_within]

21. The Republicans are good at having everyone point in the same direction.

That helps them win elections, but I think it harms diveristy, dissent and freedom of speech, which are vital to a democracy.

[557188]

27. No offense

But you sound like you lack an education in Politics. The Democrats party being on the fringe? The party still has a very right wing slant to it and if THAT is left fringe to you...yikes!

[NeedleCast]

30. Not the Fringe

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the Democratic party is on the fringe. Not at all. Nor do I think the Republicans are on the fringe. However, there are people who claim association with these parties who are.

[longship]

22. Welcome to DU!

:kick:

[myrna minx]

31. Welcoem to DU, NeedleCast.

:hi:

[smtpgirl]

47. What is sad, is why would anyone choose the Rebublican Party??

Since Nixon, or even Hoover???? My parents converted in 1971. I went to a Vietnam protest at University of MD with my mother in 1971. That put the idea in me, when I was 11 years old, that I did not want to be affiliated with a party that sent innocents to an unwinnable war.

Does any of this ring true in 2006????????????????????????????????????????????????

What is EVEN beyond the pale, is how do you believe that rhetoric "stuffed" down your throat for 6 YEARS!!!

Eisenhower (R) was a good president IMO, he spoke of the military industrial complex. Of what the US could be, my haven't we made some wrong turns, gee aren't we in a military industrial facist state now???

[phylla]

8. The witch hunt on Pres. Clinton opened my eyes...

I went from being sort of aware of politics and voting for Repubs to horrified at the state of things.

Wes Clark's entry in the 2004 race made me an activist.

I hold a state level office now in Democratic politics.

[Seedersandleechers]

9. When I was 5 years old I sat in front of my black and white TV

in awe, and watched the 1960 Democratic National convention, and the Republican National convention. That is when I decided to be a Democrat....

[Cha]

36. That's a sweet

story.

[Democrat 4 Ever]

39. Me too! I sat up all night in front of the TV waiting for the returns to

come in so I would know if Kennedy or Nixon won in 1960. I remember my Mom letting me stay up all night(I was all of 10 years old) but went to school happy the next day because I knew that Kennedy had won. I watched the gavel to gavel coverages of the conventions and just decided that I had to be a Democrat no matter what. (Even as a 10-year old I knew Nixon was a crook - no matter what he said!) Back in those days the conventions were must see TV.

I can't explain it to anyone who wasn't there at the time but with the Kennedy win people we were better for it. It was the expectation of great, grand things to come. We believed in ourselves, wasn't anything we couldn't handle (even nukes - we were "protected" while we huddle under our school desks during Civil Defense drills - ha!)and that people of the world loved and respected us.

Our word meant something, our actions has consequences and we stood for something important - democracy. The repugs have always been the gloom and doom party - they have always lead by fear and loathing. With Kennedy we had positive, upbeat, we can tackle it and win. I will always believe that if Nixon had won in 1960 this country would have never have gotten to Civil Rights, women's equality, medical care for the elderly and a host of things that made our country so much better until much, much later. Isn't it ironic (or not) that we have seen serious losses in all of these areas in the repug years?

[meldroc]

10. I've never been a card-carrying Republican,

but I was pretty apathetic, until my Dad, who is pretty conservative, went on a huge rant about Bush & the clusterfuck in Iraq, and said he would vote for Kerry even though he dislikes Democrats. I didn't think it possible, but it popped me out of my state of apathy and got me looking more into what Bush & Co. are actually doing. The latest thing that set me firmly and strongly into the liberal camp was reading Conservatives Without Conscience by John Dean.

Now that I'm certain that our country is run by a big bunch of sociopaths (Okay, right-wing authoritarian/social dominators if you want to be technical,) I will be pushing hard to throw as many of them out as possible this November.

[BIG Sean]

14. It was a long process for me...it still is.

Well, for me it was a long process, and as odd as this may sound, I was quicker to leave the Republican Party, than I was to embrace the Democratic Party. From watching “Crossfire” I clearly understood that I didn’t agree with the party I had supported, but I grew up in a Republican family, the only ‘liberal’ I knew was my brother, and we just wrote it off as a phase he was going through…you know…he was just a college kid, what did he know about life?

Then my brother came out of the closet, announcing to the family that he was gay. It was great in that not one person in our family had a problem with it, we are a family, we love him, and more than accept his life. But this did leave issues with our party. My brother is a good man, and who are gray haired old bastards in Washington to tell him how to live?

At the age of 18 months, my second son was diagnosed with PDD, which is on the autism scale. I was racked with fear, and I started to do a lot of reading. I learned that the people that ran the Republican Party were just flat out cruel. I was enflamed to read that tacked onto the “Patriot Act” a provision was added making it illegal for parents of autistic children to sue the pharmaceutical company that makes the preservative Thermisol.

I work for a Wall Street firm, I put down my Wall Street Journal and started to read the New York Times every day. I still have what many of you would consider conservative view points on some things. I had the stigma of voting for “W” in his first election.

I was in the World Trade Center 15 minutes before the first plane hit.

I lost friends that day.

My nephew was sent to Iraq and wounded.

Life is a process and I am still learning.

BIG Sean

[Maat]

16. Fascinating story, Big Sean!

Thanks for the post!

[Egnever]

34. Interesting stuff.

I think a lot of people support the republican party based on old platforms and catchy bill names. Old platforms such as fiscal responsibility and less government intrusion. things I can get squarely behind, and catchy phrases such as Clean skies initiative, Patriot act, Death tax, and other such nonsense. unfortunately when you get past the catchy names and nostalgia for what the republican party once was and actually look at what they are doing. I think sensible people like yourself begin to see the cruelty and deception for what it really is. Unfortunately I don't think enough people take the time to actually look past the catchy names.

My heart goes out to you and I wish you the best with your son. My son has diabetes and watching this administrations attempts to gut all kinds of diabetes support alone has given me a disdain for them that will likely never be repaired all in some seeming attempt to placate the religious fundamentalist fringe.

I only wish we could get away from the righty lefty garbage and debate issues on the merits instead of the partisanship. We definitely need a third party at least in this country.

[begin_within]

40. Thanks for contributing

[K8-EEE]

54. So Interesting!

btw I have the most beautiful 12 year old daughter with autism! She is doing so good -- reading a blue streak and communicating more than I ever thought possible when she was younger. I hear ya on the Thermisol outrage and what is weird is there are posters here at DU who ONLY post these scathing "it wasn't the Thermisol stupid!" rants whenever the subject comes up....only one or two but it's really bizarre.

[liberaldemocrat7]

58. 15 minutes before the planes hit? Oh my.

I will express my views about 9-11 in this graphic and I will let you draw your own views Sean.

[Maat]

15. I entered the social services profession in 1991.

I enjoyed daily contact with poverty-stricken families.

I realized how the System had been stacked against them.

I have become progressively more 'progressive' ever since (and, fortunately, so has my husband).

I saw the Light!

[OregonDem]

19. Bush winning the Republican Party primary was when I changed parties

I still believe in things like small government and fiscal responsibility but these are values that the Republican Party has long ago abandoned.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

23. The Clarence Thomas nomination & Poppy Bush

I'm ashamed to admit that Reagan didn't do it - but that was while I was in college and not really paying too much attention.

[tjwash]

25. Reaganomics. nt

[SharonAnn]

63. Reagan - because of the Environment, R-W Religion, and Sexism

He named James Watt Secretary of the Interior to destroy our environment.

He empowered the "Christian" Conservatives

He gutted the EEOC and put Clarence Thomas in charge of it.

All three of these things are extremely important to me. So I finally woke up and said "These are not my people".

I was considered myself Moderate, Iowa Republican, like my family. Fiscally conservative and socially liberal. Stuck with the Republicans for many years, until Reagan. Finaloly woke up and became "Independent".

At the end of Bush I's term, I realized that the Democratic Party reflected my beliefs and my priorities. So, I started voting only for Democrats, but it took a few more years to call myself a Democrat.

[Ron Green]

28. I think for me it was leaving home in the 1960's.

Escaping from a small redneck town and family into the larger world of thought and experience took away my membership in the Young Republicans and showed me that we really ARE all connected, and that government is part of the way we work together.

[Jed Dilligan]

29. Former apathetic nihilist

Converted by psychotic gleam in Bush's eye when he spoke of the military and war during the 2000 debates

[begin_within]

45. Well put!

[Lindacooks]

33. I went to college and started thinking about it.

Growing up in a repuke family, I was a repuke. (Gag)

But then I met my dh, who was more liberal, but still a repuke. We started talking about it, and, having learned critical thinking in college, realized that repukes are BAD BAD BAD, and that they were against everything I really stood for.

The change happened over about a year.

[K8-EEE]

53. That's Why They Make College So Hard To Afford Now

I honestly think they don't want people to have any kind of analytical thinking skills at all; as when they aquire them, they can't swallow a lot of this BS any more!

[Lindacooks]

59. Yes, I agree.

Critical thinking is the repuke's enemy.

[Dob Bole]

35. September 11...

I've been a "born-again" Christian since I was 17. When I was 18, I voted for Bush, my only time voting for a Republican...and it was for basically the same reason. Bush was the "Christian" president, and I bought it. (I was aware that Gore was also a Christian, but at that time I based my decision on abortion and the death penalty...both supported the death penalty, (and I do not) but Bush used "pro-life" words, so I went with him.)

After September 11, one of my college professors handed out flyers for a meeting that was to take place, to pray for peace. I attended the meeting, at a Christian community outside of town. I started going there regularly, and they really opened my eyes to what the Bush administration was doing. My advisor in college was one of Jimmy Carter's former campaign managers, and I studied the history of the Third World.

But the big kicker was the Iraq war. Before that point, I had begun to consider myself a liberal, or even socialist, Republican. After I heard the state of the union address before the Iraq war, I severed my ties with the GOP completely.

[begin_within]

44. That's really interesting - and the first time I have read the term

"socialist Republican"

[Leopolds Ghost]

51. Wow, great story... there are so many people out there

who I would call liberal evangelicals... most of them (especially in "red states") try not to talk about politics, if only because they a) don't want to affend their fellow parishioners and b) don't want to get into a fight with non-religious liberals who they actually agree with on bread and butter issues.

I'm not an evangelical but I consider myself a Christian populist...
I grew up in a devoutly anti-Reagan household, but it was really my (liberal) pastor where I developed a social conscience. I eventually decided I was a radical populist. :-)

[LaPera]

37. Hotter babes are Democratic-Hated the greedy skank republican toads!

[begin_within]

46. To me, Republicans try to conform to externally determined identities,

while Democrats are more likely to be just whoever they are. I don't see too many Stepford wives, or slicked-back-hair like funeral directors among the Democrats.

[mwooldri]

42. Thatcher, Poll Tax, Conservative "management" of the economy...

What else do I need to mention? Local politics played a role in it too.

I became a card-carrying member of the Liberal Democrats.

Enough said.

Mark.

[Hamlette]

48. I have three stories, none of them mine

My Dad left the GOP when Reagan started talking about the possibility of limited nuclear war. My dad was in the military and worked a civilian job on the nuclear subs. He believed in a strong military but as a deterrent. He thought it was irresponsible and insane to seriously consider using nukes. He never voted for another Republican.

Guy in my office, teased me about being anti Iraq war. After Abu Ghraib I said to him (only the second time I talked politics to him) "so how you liking that war in Iraq now?" Abu Ghraib had sickened him. He voted for Kerry and tells me he'll never vote for a republican again.

Woman in my office used to stiffen when we bashed Bush, at one point saying she was a Republican. The new welfare rules came out a couple of months ago turning my office into turmoil. A welfare mother of two gets $380 month in welfare and under the new rules she has to work 30 hours a week to get it. No time for education, training. This woman has to bring the office up to the new work requirements. (We work for the state welfare office.) She is disgusted by the new standards, thinks they are petty and mean spirited. Last week after a difficult meeting trying to figure out how to get people to work 30 hours for $380 a month, I said: "we'll make a Democrat out of you yet." She said, "My husband says he doesn't even know me anymore, but I'm educating him, now."

[salitine]

49. Because the only republician conservitives are democrats.

I am a believer in the republic. I'm not against big business, but the small business owner dosen't stand a chance these days. That's bad for everyone. I am a conservtive. I hate waste, on jobs, and at home. I hate things that ruin peoples lives. People can be wasted(insert joke here) by life and circumstance. One day I realised that job layoffs were occuring more often than job hirings. That's bad business. People need work, need to work, to justify themselves, and their lives. Well, not really, but it makes us feel better having a job, and that's good for america, and americans.

[Leopolds Ghost]

52. Hear, hear

If Bush did anything good, it was his crew of neocons adopted and
thereby discredited the triangulating, neoliberal ideology of big
business and totally unrestricted free trade (never mind America
was built on tariffs)
coupled with job retraining for the rest of us and distracting
Americans by harping on social issues.

The neoliberals did it in the 90s and enabled Bush's rise to power.
I don't see much difference between the neoliberals and the neocons.
They're elitists who want to remake America in the image of some
kind of vast, transnational organization run by technocrats, that
caters to multinational businesses and quashes the little guy.

You can't even start a small business most places without having to avoid zoning and other requirements engineered to benefit large companies. Modern market research techniques used by developers and municipalities pretty much try and eliminate competition between businesses. And manufacturing jobs are pooh-poohed, and banished overseas on the basis that in "the future" we will all be programmers. And when everyone is a programmer, everyone will be paid typist's wages.

Both movements have been discredited, but they are still trying to maintain control of the two parties. At best, they may end up controlling substantial organs of society. Neocons may end up running the military-industrial stuff, regardless of whos president, and neoliberals already have taken over many municipalities and local governments, banishing progressives, that are basically run as bureaucratic fiefdoms benefiting real estate interests.

[Irreverend IX]

66. "Modern market research techniques..."

"used by developers and municipalities pretty much try and eliminate competition between businesses."

I've never heard this before. Can you elaborate? Thanks.

[blondeatlast]

65. Well said! I'm a yella dawg Dem, but I find this thread

interesting on so many levels.

If anything good can come of the polarization of the nation, it's that both major parties may discover their raison d'etre and learn how to make the government work for the people through compromise, deal making, etc--in other words, politics.

Welcome to DU! :toast:

[Raine]

56. I was a registered repug

but had enough when Raygun took control of the party. I remember in 1976 my family supported Ford over Raygun in the CA Primary. My mother (who was active in repug politics) came home very upset one day cause her 'friends' in the party called her a 'traitor' for supporting Ford.:mad: That was a wake up call, we realized the party was being taken over by RW extremists. The last time anyone in my family voted repug was Ford over Carter. When Carter ran for re-election against Raygun we all voted Carter and had become registered Democrats.

[begin_within]

62. That's cool. Was Nixon's resignation the point at which RW extremists

started taking over the GOP?

[Raine]

64. The whole Watergate thing

turned the GOP bitter and hateful. They felt betrayed cause Nixon had been moderate and worked with Democrats, to this day many have not gotten over it.

[radfringe]

61. I've been pretty much a crazy liberal all my life

Until a few years ago - I never belonged to a particular party.

I voted in the majority of elections (state/local/national). Until 2000 - I had never voted for a major party candidate for President. On local/state elections my votes were pretty much all over the political spectrum - depended on the issue and which candidate I thought could get the job done.

Never had much use for either the Dem or Repubs, and saw the 3rd parties as wanna-be's-but-can't-quite-do-it.

I voted for Gore in 2000, not because I particulary liked him, but he was a hellava-lot-better than bush. After 9-11 and then the war-drum banging to invade Iraq I went and registered as a DEM.