Former conservatives, what did it for you?

When did you decide to leave the Dark Side? Was it gradual or immediate?

I changed when I first saw this forum a couple of years ago. The smart, witty commentary made me think for the first time in my life. Thank you, DU!

It was instant. I couldn't believe those morons were going to nominate a nut case like him. I was a pretty reluctant Dem with Mondale and Dukakis, but I voted for them. Clinton, with his conservative economics, was just right.

I was never much of a conservative, actually. I liked Barry Goldwater just for his decency and his contrast to LBJ and Nixon, both of whom I despised for the Nam policies. I liked some of the moderate senators on both sides, like Baker and Muskie, and was pretty middle of the road. Reagan and El Salvador death squads and nuns with guns and all that crap sent me screaming to the left.

Interesting. I'd never heard anyone say that before. Thanks.

I wasn't a full-fledged conservative, I was an anti-war libertarian, with a great belief that "victimless crimes" would be legal by now.

But it was obvious to me that the GOP wasn't actually going to get the government off of real people's backs, just corporate "persons." (Plus I realized that social costs actually exist, such as the environment, even though libertarians' accounting systems didn't recognize them.)

I don't know if that's a reasonable answer to your question. I haven't always voted Democratic, but I've voted for more third party candidates than Repukes. (The last Repuke I voted for was Bill Weld, when he first ran for governor of Massachusetts, and I did so because (1) the Dems nominated John Silber, tyrant of BU, and (2) Weld's last previous action in government was to tell Ed Meese to stuff it.)

well, except in '76 when I was 10 'cuz my parents voted for Ford :eyes:,

but, anyway, I wanted to say -- that is so cool that DU converted you!

:toast:

politics, but I was raised by Republicans.