Did you once call yourself a Republican/Conservative/Neocon?

I called myself a Republican before I learned enough about politics, economics, history, etc to form a remotely informed opinion. I know that I was swayed by facts and reality.

There are many that can't be "saved" from their misconceptions and bile, but I think that there are more out there than you think who could be turned to the path of sense with some work :D

So please do tell, were you once a Republican/Conservative/Neocon?

Never, never, never.

:hi:

lol

:hi:

..does that count?

But reality began to set in in the late '80s, and I came back from the dark side.

For a few years I registered as a Libertarian but it didn't take long to figure out that was a screwed up group to associate with, so I went to Independant and then back to Democrat.

No group is perfect, but no doubt, Democrat describes me best.

That was the post-Eisenhower manly-man Goldwater era, back when I went to Mass every Sunday. Republicans had a strong Libertarian strain: fiscal conservative, social liberal.

Communism was a plausible threat, after Hungary, Czechoslavakia, Sputnik, etc. John Birch Society expressed that anticommunism. Tom Dooley was a Catholic martyr in Vietnam.

My family was Republican, and my pretty older sister hung around with the type of Young Republicans who read Ayn Rand and went on to become Atwaters, Roves, and Greenspans.

My sister stopped being Republican long ago, during Reagan, when the Neocons and Religious Right took over. I quit much earlier, over Vietnam and the draft.

At least I never voted Republican; too young.

That's my answer. No, never.

Republicans. I could always use encouragement to argue with them... sometimes it works!

I voted Republican because my dad's friend was commiteeman and would fix my traffic tickets. I always hated that guy.

But a Repug?

Never.

Really, most people who vote Republican do so because thats all they've ever known -- especially I would think among the poor and rural voters.

I came from a family that was somewhat 'wealthy' in our area (although not by the standards people THINK of wealth) and so I knew Ronald Reagan was the greatest man who ever lived when I was still learning to multiply. Most of the family still believes that way, despite having lost every last penny of that so-called wealth.

I ended up moving away and living amongst 'the lowers' (what a NAME!) for years and still it took me like forever to get past what had been drummed into my head. But, eventually, reality and curiosity and the internet intersected and I've been a proud liberal ever since. Going on...8 years now?

Yes, I shamefully voted ONCE for the idiot. I work every day to undo, in what ways I can, the damage that my vote helped cause, and I doubt it can ever be enough. So yes, conservatives CAN be reached...its just not easy and may take a very, very long time. I think my final snapping point was learning what Cognitive Dissonance was, and identifying it in myself. Maybe that will help some of you as you deal with conservative family members, although sadly it hasn't helped much with mine except for those who can research it themselves (i.e., those on the internet).

Never give up! Obama/Biden '08! :)