Does believing that one should be able to own slaves disqualify a person from being a Democrat?

[Baltimike]

A true Democrat, that is, not a legally registered one.

Just wondering what beliefs are outside the realm.

I, for one, don't believe in a person's right to own slaves, that slaves are persons and therefore have legal (and moral, for that matter) rights... but I AM in favor of the death penalty in particular circumstances.

Seriously? Seriously.

[Walleye]

1. Opposition to capital punishment was one of my very first political convictions

I wrote an essay in ninth grade about it. That was before I really knew I was even a Democrat at that point. However I respect your position. I would not respect your position if you were against a woman’s right to choose or if you were for people owning people.

[marble falls]

4. I changed my opinion about the death penalty by arguing against it in debates. Totally, 100% ...

... against it now, 100% junior Republican for it up until then, around 9th or 10th grade.

[Walleye]

8. Sounds like your political awakening was similar to mine.realized Democrats were for women's rights

[marble falls]

10. I was a progressive Republican - I always believed in equal rights. As a Lutheran, I didn't ...

... see abortion as specifically a women's right's issue. At the same time, I felt if men got pregnant, there'd be free birth control machines on every corner, and abortion clinics at the mall, sex education would start in pre-school.

[Walleye]

11. In those days we had moderate Republicans in Delaware who were pretty good people

Governor Russell Peterson was in office in the late 60s early 70s and a staunch environmentalist years later he switched to being a Democrat I remember because I covered his re-registration. He wanted people to know about it. He is now deceased and they have named a big new nature center after him. We passed many environmental laws before other states did. We are a very small coastal state.The last moderate Republican in the state possibly in the country was Mike Castle. He was a really good guy, nine times elected to Congress twice to governor and the stupid Republicans, with help from Sean Hannity, beat him in a primary in 2010 to run Christine O’Donnell against Chris Coons. Destroyed the Delaware Republican party

[marble falls]

14. Those were the days. And there are very few of those left, I can't think of one now except ...

... for maybe two or three in the House.

[Walleye]

19. Me too. I think Mike Castle was the last moderate Republican in the Congress

[LeftInTX]

2. Should disqualify them from being American!

[FakeNoose]

3. Well slavery is illegal and immoral, so it's a moot point

Am I right? I've never known a Dem or liberal/progressive person who ever would own a slave or support slavery of any kind.

As far as the death penalty issue, at this time it's legal in many states, but it's under discussion. The morality of capital punishment needs to be debated in this country.

[marble falls]

5. Has to be a "he", so - he can believe it, but he can't act act on it and probably needs to keep ...

... it to himself. Other Democrats might not take his right to his own opinion very civilly.

[Klaralven]

6. Yes, since the party split in 1860

[iemanja]

26. The Southerners were Democrats too

the split doesn't erase that.

[sop]

7. It should disqualify a person from being a Republican, an American or even a human being.

[orwell]

9. I really don't care what you believe...

...as long as you pull the "D" lever.

I believe in the Democratic party. That does not mean I agree with every Democrat.

That is the essence of the Constitution. You have a right to believe anything you wish, as long as your belief doesn't morph into the coercion of others action. Witness the unconstitutional power grab in Texas.

We all agree on limits to freedom for the common good (the stoplight or seatbelt analogy.) But what we should share as members of the constitutional United States is the allowance of belief we find abhorrent.

It is not what you believe, but how you act which is important.

[Hortensis]

13. This.

Democrats are the "all men are created equal" people. At least most are. So certainly such a person would be a...very unusual Democrat -- including among conservative Democrats.

But, no matter how hostile or aberrant, we don't get to keep someone from identifying as Democratic. And as indicated, everyone's right to vote and have his vote count is a core principle that needs to be respected and must be protected, regardless of how it would be used.

"Do we contradict ourselves? Very well, then we contradict ourselves. We are large, we contain multitudes." ~ Paraphrasing Walt Whitman

"...as long as they pull the "D" lever." ~ Orwell

[orwell]

32. Thanks...

...I've thought a lot about this recently. I am surprised that people on both sides are willing to embrace the notion of thought police.

That is literally what we ran from over 200 years ago when we started this experiment.

[brush]

12. Why does this even have to be asked?

[Demsrule86]

18. This is the second post like this...the first one concerned abortion.

I have no idea what point they are trying to make.

[maxsolomon]

21. It is mocking the 1st post.

Going over a lot of heads - needed a link and a

[Demsrule86]

22. Oh wow, I feel kind of stupid now; I was kind of surprised by the post...but I didn't realize

it was mocking the first one...hahah. I don't know how I missed it. Thanks.

[Demsrule86]

16. We have a platform, not a litmus test. I sincerely doubt that white supremacists would wish

to join the modern Democratic Party. This is the second post I have seen like this...and let me say again...I find it somewhat silly, and I don't believe in litmus tests. So what point are you trying to make we should be gatekeepers and only allow certain people to be Democrats?

[JI7]

17. We don't control what party people want to register as

We can decide who to support and not support.

[struggle4progress]

20. At present, it will disqualify anyone from any real role in American politics

[iemanja]

23. WTF is this?

If you knew history, you wouldn't ask this question.

[Baltimike]

27. a similar question was posted here, about women's autonomy

I was pointing out the obvious...of COURSE there are some stances that are against our party, and against our party's platform. It's high time we started getting as outraged at that as we are at this.

Because if women are forced to incubate unwanted zygotes, they ARE slaves. They are slaves indeed.

[iemanja]

28. I understood the parallel

but think your particular choice of subject is extremely odd precisely because of the history of the Democratic party. That said, I wrote this in response to similar threads. https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215828472

BTW, I am strongly pro-choice, outraged by Texas, and donate monthly to Planned Parenthood.

Anti-choice isn't part of the party's platform, though we've seen some anti-choice candidates endorsed by certain pols. Fortunately, they have all lost, if I recall correctly. We were told they were more "progressive" than the pro-choice candidates. In fact, I recall a push on this board (but fortunately not in real life) after the 2016 election to jettison choice from the Democratic party agenda.

[Baltimike]

33. Good.

I don't think it's odd at all, considering that our party changed, evolved and progressed.

But thanks for that.

[brooklynite]

24. What does slavery have to do with this discussion?

Are you aware of a Democrat who advocates for it?

[Mr.Bill]

25. In my view, thinking it's alright to own slaves

would disqualify you from living in the United States. It's illegal here, you know.

[cinematicdiversions]

29. Slavery is illegal for individuals.

The state can and does allow slavery. It is in our constitution. I mean, who do you think makes all our office furniture?

[Mr.Bill]

30. People lose lots of rights

when they are convicted of crimes and incarcerated. That's completely different from slavery.

[cinematicdiversions]

31. Well they due use the S word in the constitution.

Penal labor in the United States is explicitly allowed by the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." ...