Were you ever a Republican? And, if so, what made you change?

[Kalyke]

I think we need to understand how to convince people why their media is failing them and why Big Business is far worse than Big Government.

[proud patriot]

1. nope

[fasttense]

59. I was a Republican from the time I was 18 until the year 2000

However, when I saw the Supreme Court of our land rule NOT to count the votes in Florida, I realized I had been on the wrong side, I have not voted Republican since and you could not Pay me enough to vote for the Republicans ever again.

[Naturyl]

2. Yes, when I was a kid, because family members were.

I grew out of it soon enough.

[Jennicut]

10. Me too. I grew out of it at the age of 12 when Poppy Bush won.

I was disgusted then by the Repubs. LOL.

[Naturyl]

25. I was taken in by Reagan as a kid.

He was the wise and kindly (but firm) father figure for the nation, etc. I was a kid and had no clue about anything, I just knew Reagan was a "great leader" who protected us "from the commies," etc.

It was just in the air in Suburbia in those days.

[lunatica]

3. I don't have the genetic predisposition or the low IQ, so no.

[valerief]

4. Yeah, I was never rich enough nor stupid enough either. nt

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

5. Yes, voted in Rep Primary for Bush over Reagan

The CIA vs The Actor.

Then after 12 years of BOTH of them and the ignoring of the AIDS crisis and the continued coddling of the Moral Majority and religious right....

I left in a hurry.

[old mark]

6. No. I have been smart all my life....nt

[devilgrrl]

7. When a was a kid because of my Grandpa. I loved my Grandpa. Then I grew up.

eom

[Toucano]

8. Never. Not even for a second. n/t

[NRaleighLiberal]

9. Nope - always been a Democrat/liberal and only move more and more left with time.

So many of my friends in college told me "wait until you get a job, and make some money and have a family - you will become Republican/conservative".

Nope....that prediction of theirs is an epic fail!

:rofl:

[kick-ass-bob]

16. I know what you mean. "You're young.

Just wait til you are older," I was told.

I tell them, "well, my dad is 70 and he hasn't grown out of it yet, so I doubt I will either." :P

[NRaleighLiberal]

23. My mom and dad were very liberal - hell, we grew up in Rhode Island

in a pretty blue area. I made my mom and dad proud (my brother went to the dark side)...our two girls are very left/liberal, so now we can be proud of them!

[kick-ass-bob]

28. Both my parents came from repub families

and my dad's parents were RNC delegates. Fucking signed pic of Reagan in their kitchen.

They both rebelled I guess and are staunch liberals.

[ohiosmith]

11. Have never voted other than dem except in 68 when I requested a write- in ballot for

Pat Paulsen.

[Gabi Hayes]

40. HA! I met him that year. he was playing at our school, and

a fraternity brother (that sounds so creepy now) looked almost exactly like him===>his nickname was.....Pat Paulsen. somehow he got word of that, and came to our house. I'll never forget the look on Paulsen's face as he saw my friend: all shook up at the resemblance.

[ohiosmith]

61. My wife partied with him, Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin in Vancouver in the late 60s.

Pat was apparently the funniest of the group.

[Gabi Hayes]

67. was Tommy still with Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers?

they opened earlier that year for the Supremes

my date wouldn't put out. I was

does your wife have any stories?



one of these is tommy. aaahhh

[Gabi Hayes]

74. and, from the same page, check this:

[Gabi Hayes]

75. a hearty handshake if you can ID the ivory tickler here:

[Gabi Hayes]

80. no way!

[Gabi Hayes]

82. veering farther OT, one last. who's the tall guy?

[ScreamingMeemie]

44. My maiden name is Paulsen, and I grew up getting "Any relation to Pat?".

:hi:

[Drale]

12. NO!

before the 2008(my first election) I really didn't care about politics. I'll admit I got caught up in the Obama awesomeness, but after learning everything the Republicans stood for (pretty much nothing thats good for america) I became a stanch democrat.

[grantcart]

13. 40 years ago, the Vietnam War, George McGovern, Richard Nixon

The assasinations of Martin and Bobby, the writings of Malcolm, Gregory and the rest.


When I was a child I spoke like a child and when I grew up I became a Democrat.

[WinkyDink]

58. Awesome line!

[laughingliberal]

14. No. nt

[mrs_p]

15. watching my mother weep

when carter lost set me up as a democrat for life. for realz - i started volunteering for dems in the 8th grade.

[Kalyke]

26. You and I are close in age.

Ronnie "Tear that Myth Down" Raygun set me up as a Dem for life. I was 10 when he got elected, so you're about three years older than me.

My Mom cried, too. My Dad, sadly, was a Reagan Dem, then a Perotvian, and, now, I just don't know. I know he's turned into a racist, though. We don't talk.

[mrs_p]

73. i was six - so a little younger than you

but it left a heavy impression so that i volunteered as soon as i was "old" enough. our moms and dads sound similar too!

[Pathwalker]

17. I became a Democrat at age 10, when I first heard JFK speak on TV.

I did this in a Republican family, and promptly became the black sheep. Short answer: NO.

[virtualobserver]

18. I was until I read a book called "the triumph of politics" by David Stockman

It unraveled my Republican brain

[mdmc]

19. before I found empathy I dabbled in elitism

[Terra Alta]

20. Yes, because most of my family were Republicans

George W. Bush and his disastrous Presidency was what turned me into a Democrat... Hurricane Katrina was the final straw.. After that fiasco, I decided I was never voting Repuke again.

[Kalyke]

54. Yours is the kind of answer I wanted.

What about the Katrina fiasco turned you off, completely. How would you relate that to others who are mostly brainwashed?

[Terra Alta]

69. The way Dumbya and his administration handled it.

heck-of-a-job Brownie, etc. I had been growing weary of Dumbya for a while, but that was the final straw.

[get the red out]

21. Yes, though registered independent

I got in the habit of listening to my R husband but completely woke up after Katrina. It was like a light went on in my head and I realized that none of my values matched Republicans in any way, and that I was actually afraid of most of them, the religious right. It was strange, something just turned on and I have been openly, virulently liberal since. Our marriage has gone through hell over it, but we have worked really hard on staying together, and still are.

[riverdale]

62. I can see how that would test a marriage

Oddly enough, we never spoke about politics before getting married that I can recall.

[zbdent]

22. I think that I started out as a Republican ...

but then, after I got out of that phase every toddler goes through (the tantrum phase), I started thinking ...

[TroglodyteScholar]

72. Thank you!

I was at work today listening to a couple of co-workers (guys closer to 2x my age than to my age itself) bitching and whining about how high their taxes are, and we oughtta move somewhere with lower taxes, and these bozos in big government just throw the money away anyway...blah blah blah. And if I had been motivated to open my mouth at that very moment, what would have come out is something like, "Well boo-FUCKING-hoo! You are the only two guys on earth who have to pay taxes, too! Don't you think you're old enough yet to quit pouting about something as routine as taxes!? If you insist on having such a huge problem with paying your share around here, why don't you do like you always threaten and move the fuck along?"

UGH.

[ingac70]

24. For 5 minutes.....

to vote for Basil Marceaux in the Tennessee Gov. Repuke primary.

[Kalyke]

56. LMAO!!! I live in Tennessee.

I voted for Ron Ramsey for the same reason.

:rofl:

[Dappleganger]

27. Reagan.

My first election and he scared the shit outta me, so I voted for the dem. ;)

Seriously, the republicans reminded me too much of my over-bearing ultra-religious father who tried to control everything in my life, made "NO" the central part of our family. I rebelled and found love on the flip side.

[ProfessorGAC]

29. No. But, Full Disclosure. . .

. . .my studies in economics in the early 80's had me toying with libertarianism. Then, i read Hazlett and Rand and realized it was vaccuous nonsense.

So, i went back to my roots. My dad was a teamster, my parents loved Adlai Stevenson and JFK, and i cam of age when Nixon was pulling his tricks.

So, i've been a liberal who leaned WAY dem, for all but about a month since 1972.
GAC

[KansDem]

30. Registered "R" in 1972--my family were Kansas Republican farmers...

Quickly switched to "I" for the general election. Voted for George McGovern.

Re-registered "D" in 1992 to vote for Paul Tsongas.

Been here ever since...

[MrSlayer]

31. Yes, when I was young and uninformed.

My dad was a Republican and I figured he knew what he was talking about. Then I became a Union member and as my life experiences grew my social stances took a 180 degree turn. I could see no way to be a part of a party that was actively working for my personal economic decline and that was racist, sexist and homophobic. Now the Democrats aren't liberal enough for me.

[Raine]

32. Yes I was but when the Raygun bunch took over

I was repulsed as was my whole family. We were moderates more in the Rockefeller mold and the CONServatives taking control of the party turned us all into Democrats.

[Poboy]

33. Born and raised republican. Entire family for the most part were/are racist fucks.

Its been a long journey, with a stop at libertarianism along the way. I managed to 'see the light' when I was about 26-28.
I know how these people think, and it isn't pretty. I couldn't stand the puritanical, strong father, flag waving, USA #1 bullshit.
I was very much enamored by libertarianism though. Personal freedom was/is paramount. Big fan of the founding fathers and especially Jefferson.

So what changed me? Going to college/getting educated (I was the first person to graduate college in my entire extended family).
Moreover though, it was what you bring up in your last few words.

Big Business is far worse than Big Government

I can no longer be a Libertarian. They refuse to see how DANGEROUS and how much a threat big business is.
In fact, that IS my 'single issue', if I had one. Everything proceeds from that premise. BIG BUSINESS IS DESTROYING THIS COUNTRY.

As I age, I also see how we need a safety net, and support structure, if nothing else, to protect us from those corporate scum fucks who are killing us all.

[w8liftinglady]

34. even worse,I was a Randian Objectivist

Caring for sick people,having my own kids changed my mindset quickly.I thought I was smart and progressive.I was WRONG.(I,of course,am right ...now )

[waddirum]

35. My embarrassing past

I was never a Republican per se, but I did go through about a 1 year period on campus where I was anti-choice (having been influenced by graphic material). I also had a brief religious dalliance around the same time. And I remember being "moved" by HW Bush's "1000 points of light" speech. (how embarrassing)!

That said, I have never cast a single vote for a Republican in my 23 years of voting. And I have never missed an election.

[Blue_In_AK]

36. I was never a Republican,

but I have voted for a few in my lifetime, most of which I don't regret under the particular circumstances of each race.

I voted for Jay Hammond for governor and Ted Stevens a few times because he didn't have any credible opponents. I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that I voted for Gerald Ford in 1976, but I did come to my senses and vote for Carter in 1980 and have voted for the Dem in every presidential election since.

[AnArmyVeteran]

37. I'm glad republicanism isn't an airborne virus!

Can you imagine a country full of creatures infected with republicanism? I'd rather catch Ebola. Yeah, I'd have blood oozing out of my eyes, but at least I would have a heart, mind and soul. When I see a tea bagger event I always think of the mindless zombies in the movie The Night of the Living Dead.

Note: I deeply apologize to any real zombies out there. Nothing is worse than a republican, NOTHING!

[seabeyond]

38. my husband was. i glanced above seeing low IQ. offensive bullshit and stupid and not the way to

understand. he has a masters in statistics. mellow. socially liberal. non confrontational. gun totin, from oil, texan.

what made him change was hearing me yell, rant, rave in 2000 over stolen election, bush stupid, and republic corrupt. being totally defenseless to my rants because he knew nothing. so doing his own research and watching the invasion of iraq. iraq really did it. he voted kerry, and has voted dem since even though he still considers himself republican. he cannot stomach the dishonesty. the lies. the bigotry. the hate. the homophobia. and yes... even the sexism. and cant stomach the stupid.

but

he became informed out of self preservation.

when i started seeing him gathering FACTS himself, i left him alone and let him do his thing. kept mouth shut. and found du to rant on.

[Ruby the Liberal]

39. Yes and Iraq.

2003. Haven't looked back.

[DLine]

41. Yes, and within the past 6 years, I thought I was conservative

Got interested in politics when I was approximately 20-21. Spent the next 5 years or so thinking Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, and Sean Hannity were doing me a favor by exposing the truth. My transformation came slowly. It started just before the 2004 elections. Iraq had already been going on for a while. I remember asking my dad what he thought. My dad is an old military man, a retired officer in the Navy. I really respect his opinion. He said Iraq was one of the biggest mistakes this country could have ever made and he thought it from the start. He was also disgusted how Kerry was being "swift boated". Obviously all of this contradicted people like Rush and Hannity. they would have called somebody who thought like him an idiot. But I knew he was no idiot. Now I didn't come around overnight. I basically opened my eyes and ears and instead of just listening to what I should think, started thinking for myself.

I didn't completely switch over until the 2008 elections. Sarah Palin was just so dumb i could not bring myself to find anything I liked about that ticket. I completely wrote off Republicans during the healthcare debate last year. How we lost the media and talking points war with that i have no idea.

[Kalyke]

57. Love you - hug you into the fold.

:hug:

On edit: Hubby is a vet - linguist attached to the Rangers in the US Army. He's a liberal, too, and has never been anything but a liberal. I was the one, being a former reporter, who was middle-of-the-road. I changed, myself, after Dubya got elected.

[crim son]

42. Yep. Raised in a conservative household

and never really thought about it. Then I went to college, started reading history on my own and suddenly the light went on. Once I started paying attention there was really never any question about voting republican, though I did understand and appreciate the concepts of minimal government and fiscal responsibility. Turns out republicans have nothing to do with either one!

[Altoid_Cyclist]

43. I was in my younger days.

I looked up to my oldest brother who just happened to be an officer in the county Young Republicans. Other than that, I never really followed politics for far too long.

Two terms of Raygun and three terms of the BFEE made me start paying a lot more attention to what these bastards were doing to the average American.

Sad to say; I once was a sinner but now I have found the true path in life. The right is wrong and the left is right!

[Roon]

45. I was raised in a very conservative town by conservative parents

I listened to rush limbaugh and voted for H bush.

Then I came out of the closet and I changed my political views almost overnight.

I knew someone who grew up very conservative and voted conservative for most of his adult life,then he developed a nasty meth habit and getting treatment and quitting pretty much started him leaning left.I don't know if that's good or bad, I think he just gained a lot of insight and empathy.

[ScreamingMeemie]

46. I wasn't a Republican, but I was 18 in 1988... and stupid.

I voted for Bush because it seemed like "everybody was doing it". I am still an Independent, who will never vote Republican.

[madinmaryland]

47. No. Never. nt

[Solly Mack]

48. Fuck no

[madamesilverspurs]

49. Uh huh.

Raised by Republican parents and Republican grandmother. Voted Republican until I was talked out of doing so by none other than Ronald Reagan - and my fundie brother hates it when I tell that story. Sorry, Bro -- s'truth.

[Libby2]

50. No, never.

[TheKentuckian]

51. No, goodness no. I used to be a touch or more "pragmatic" though.

[TuxedoKat]

52. No, never ever. (nt)

[TuxedoKat]

53. No, never ever. (nt)

[Odin2005]

55. Oh FUCK no!

[AspenRose]

60. When I first became a Christian, I toyed with it

because the Christians I hung out with at the time were conservative - but I never, ever, EVER voted Republican, thank God. I could never bring myself to do that. And the more obnoxious and hypocritical the religious right got, the more I decided I wanted nothing to do with them. Their racism wasn't helpful either. So I returned home to my liberal upbringing.

[philly_bob]

63. Yes. Vietnam draft plus sex drugs & rock 'n' roll. (nt)

[HughMoran]

64. No, but I voted for a Republican once 30 years ago

[Zoeisright]

65. Yes, when I was a kid, because my family was.

I changed when I got to college, grew up, and started thinking about it. I would never EVER go back. Repukes are ignorant, uneducated, selfish, mean, greedy, and stupid. And yes, I mean my family.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

66. Never a republican

I grew up in a dem family, but my hometown is loaded with republicans.

[johnfromokc]

68. Yep. I used to be a Conservobot.

But a few years ago became a radical Independent leaning left and Religious Agnostic. I acquired some European and Australian friends and spent a lot of time having reasonable rational discussions about things like universal health care, the living wage and other social issues. Visited friends and family in Australia and discovered they have one of the best health care systems on the planet with 100% coverage. It saddens me now to hear the mindless conservo-religious drivel from my in-laws and other family at get togethers. Saddens me more than anything that I used to agree with them.

[AndrewP]

70. Never. But I was/am a big Bill Clinton supporter, so some will probably say I am!!

LOL :)

Just a little election night humor. I'm getting loopy following all of these races on 10 websites and 2 TV's.

[readmoreoften]

71. Not for one minute of my life.

Although now I'm not a Democrat. I did vote for 3-4 Democrats on the ballot. I would never in a million years vote for a Republican or conservative. Not even when they switch parties and start calling themselves Democrats.

[lukasahero]

76. Just registering my "hell no" here

I voted republican once or twice (google John Chaffee RI and you'll see RI grows their repubs more liberal than Kansas grows it's dems...) but never, ever registered repug.

[cynatnite]

77. Yep, I was. Went Dem when Newt unveiled his "Contract with America"...

That contract with America struck me as narrow and bigoted. It left out more Americans than it included.

[Luciferous]

78. Nope, but I grew up with an extremely outspoken liberal mother...

maybe that has something to do with it?

[Kennah]

79. Yes, in fact, I was, or thought I was

For years, because of the gun issue, I was very confused about my orientation. I have a concealed pistol license, I carry a concealed handgun, and I'm a life member of the NRA. Other than from their origins, I've never had any love of the NRA's Republicanism.

After decades of a steady leftward political drift--or perhaps just acceptance of the inevitable truth--I've finally ventured fully out of the closet as a pro-gun progressive.

When I dropped off my ballot Friday, I voted straight Democratic Party ticket including a vote for Senator Patty Murray. Some in the gun rights community weren't exactly happy with me over that, but I expect we'll kiss and makeup in time.

I would split the credit for my coming out between Dubya (60%) and the Tea Party (40%). Dubya did the heavy lifting (and I voted for the idiot twice), but the Tea Party pushed me over the top.

I evolved through a spectrum of Seattle AM radio: 570 KVI (Tea Party radio), then 1000 KOMO (straight news), and finally NPR and 1090 Progressive. I really liked "The Commentators" when I thought it was a good balance, but then John Carlson started to sound like an intellectually disarmed boob--whom I voted for as Governor in 2000. The more I listened to Ken Schram the more I agreed, and I could do with listening to more Schram and no Carlson.

I started listening to 1090 when I thought others weren't around to know I was doing it, then I stopping caring if others knew I was doing it. I love replays of Bill Press, but never get to listen live during the week. I catch Stephanie Miller sometimes, and would listen more if I got my butt up and awake sooner. Mostly I listen to Thom Hartmann, Ed Schultz, and Nor-man Gold-man. They have helped clear up my mind on lots of issues. Ed, Norm, I love you both, but Thom is the master who has moved me the furthest left. You three guys are my ideological shrinks.

Sidebar: On the flip side, even though I'm very Green, "Landrover Liberals" caused me to remain in denial about anthropogenic climate change for a long time.

Further sidebar: My wife doesn't embrace the Tea Partiers, whom she views as racists, but she still clings to Republicanism. There has been more than a bit of tension between us at times over the months leading up to this election. I have tried to sway her, sometimes tactfully, most times not, and I really had no illusions that she would do anything other than vote straight Republican Party. However, to my shock and delight--and I had to quickly STFU out of fear I would jinx it--when she filled out her ballot she voted almost entirely straight Democratic Party ticket. Perhaps this was the divine intervention of Gaia herself because I know it wasn't me.

Republican "successes" include failed economic policy, failed foreign policy, and failed environmental policy. And those were relatively sane Republicans!

To undo their "wins", here are a few things I would like to see come about: repealing the Reagan tax cuts, getting the hell outta Iraq and Afghanistan now, raising the CAFE standard to 50 MPG (or more) by 2020, universal healthcare (I cede all decision making on this point, just pick a friggin' European country and go with it), raise the federal minimum wage, massive tax overhaul to punish outsourcing, and I guess that will give us a decent start on resetting the direction of this country.

The tea infused Republican Party are a group of lunatics, and Tea Party brownshirt thuggery is frightening. However, this can be overcome, and it doesn't mean giving some in the Tea Party what they want--a shooting war.

Sidebar: Any Tea Party brownshirt thugs lurking, listen up. I'm a pro-gun progressive, I'm well-armed, I know how to shoot, use a knife, and use my hands and feet. I'm not a 110 pound woman, and armed or not I'll be a bit more difficult to get on the ground if you want to stomp my head, so bring friends. No disrespect to 110 pound women out who are asskickers.

If the 2010 elections become 1994 all over again, then I think there is good reason to believe, and not just hope, that the 2012 elections will swing the pendulum back, just like 1996, only more progressive.

The dyslexic mix of the Tea Party includes establishment neocons, religious fundamentalists, libertarians, and the unemployed and Social Security recipients who have more in common with the 99ers than the Tea Party. I can't see how these groups will work together and accomplish anything, besides gridlock, for the next two years and that might be the best thing ensuring the re-election of Barack Obama in 2012.

Maybe I'm delusionally optimistic about the future, even though the parallels between the Tea Party and the Nazi Party scare me shitless, but at least I'm seeing and thinking clearly.

[scarletwoman]

81. Never ever ever. Raised a Dem, stayed a Dem. (nt)

[AsahinaKimi]

83. Never .. Zettaini arimasen

Both my parents have always been Democrats.