NationStates Jolt Archive

I made a thread like this a few years ago, but there's different posters now, and I'm sure people have changed their beliefs again, so here's mine:

I started out, unsurprisingly, as politically ignorant. All I knew about politics was that "Democrats wanted to help the poor" and the "Republicans wanted to only help the rich" (description courtesy of my dad). So I called myself a democrat and rooted for Gore in the 2000 election despite not knowing either candidates' stances on anything.

Then 9/11 happened, and the war in Iraq which I initially supported and I became a "conservative" in the sense that all I knew was "conservatives wanted to keep things the way they are" and "liberals wanted to change everything" (description courtesy of my friend). So I supported the war...and Bush, despite being pretty much an anti-religion eighth grader...I had no clue what the religious right was and that Bush was a born again, etc etc.

But by the summer of eighth grade as I was going into high school, thanks to time spent on NSG and other forums, I became politically interested and fell into the left wing side of things.

Then, somewhere along the road, I got sucked into the Libertarianism (with a big l) fad. I still had my reservations about privatizing welfare and public education, so I called myself a moderate Libertarian and that was that. I supported Kerry reluctantly in the 2004 election, but nonetheless I preferred Badnarik.

Sometime after that, I gained a much better sense of morality and understanding of politics...and so obviously I dropped the Libertarianism and went back to left-wingedness. And that's where I stand now.

I was never politically active or interested until George W Bush came into the picture. I hated this guy. He was the governor in my state and I just knew his type, had one as a boss even. I'm not that old but I just knew even before that that an even hand was the way to go, none of this extreme left or right. I won't crap on W too much here since it's beating a dead horse, but that's basically how I started opposing the neo-conservative stupidity. Clinton was just some guy who lied about a bj, the first Bush was just some guy who got mocked by SNL, and Reagan was some old guy. That was about the limit of my political interest before W.

not over several lifetimes, as far as i know.

i mean the roots of happiness and unhappiness don't. cultures evolve and their effects on the kinds of worlds people have to live surrounded by do, and sometimes, maybe, it can be and has been argued, that ways of dealing with this are forced to as well.

but not the underlying basic guiding principles. so i'm not sure what changing politics would me in the context of me. i guess what's being asked is things like chainging party affiliation or affiliation with issues of their platforms or what have you.

for me its still and always the kind of strainge, wonderful interestingness that nature defaults to without humans beating each other over the head to all live any one particular way.

that's the part that doesn't chainge, whatever superfiscial chainges of appearent afiliation may be neccessary to remain in tune with it.

the latter of course, takes a certain amount of research to keep up with at times. and i think far too many people fail to do their homework about that, relying on familiar emotional attatchments instead, and i see THAT as being the main reason we have the problems now that we do, that, for example, someone like shrubery the simple, and the perspectives he's been the poster boy for, can be put in nominal charge and figgure head, of the most potentially destructive force humans have as yet mustered on this planet.

i'm all for basically, no one beating each other over the head. i mean besides that it doesn't feel good, its damd inconvenient to creating and exploring, which are what gratify.

First I was a communist, then an anti-American, then an anti-Muslim and anti-communist, and now I think I'm revolving back around to anti-American. And all with a conservative mindset.

To be honest I don't think they have changed all that much. I've always been right-winged on economics, left-winged on civil liberties. And none of the candidates in my constituency have ever appealed to me enough for me to vote for any of them...

I made a thread like this a few years ago, but there's different posters now, and I'm sure people have changed their beliefs again, so here's mine:

I started out, unsurprisingly, as politically ignorant. All I knew about politics was that "Democrats wanted to help the poor" and the "Republicans wanted to only help the rich" (description courtesy of my dad). So I called myself a democrat and rooted for Gore in the 2000 election despite not knowing either candidates' stances on anything.

Then 9/11 happened, and the war in Iraq which I initially supported and I became a "conservative" in the sense that all I knew was "conservatives wanted to keep things the way they are" and "liberals wanted to change everything" (description courtesy of my friend). So I supported the war...and Bush, despite being pretty much an anti-religion eighth grader...I had no clue what the religious right was and that Bush was a born again, etc etc.

But by the summer of eighth grade as I was going into high school, thanks to time spent on NSG and other forums, I became politically interested and fell into the left wing side of things.

Then, somewhere along the road, I got sucked into the Libertarianism (with a big l) fad. I still had my reservations about privatizing welfare and public education, so I called myself a moderate Libertarian and that was that. I supported Kerry reluctantly in the 2004 election, but nonetheless I preferred Badnarik.

Sometime after that, I gained a much better sense of morality and understanding of politics...and so obviously I dropped the Libertarianism and went back to left-wingedness. And that's where I stand now.

interesting, thanks for sharing. i've had a somewhat similar journey, in that once upon a time, as a spoilt only child of (moderately) rich parents, i was happy being a conservative. but then problems hit and we ended up the other side of the rich/poor divide. i learned that my lofty ideas that anyone can work hard and do well were largely bullshit in a non-meritocratic society. by leaving sixth form i was happily left-wing. in university, i drifted further left and distain for the right grew. i discovered positive rights and Rawls, and found myself learning about the evils of consumerism and the damage it does to us, as people. i became a communist. however, since working in the Real World(TM) i've mellowed a bit. i'm still largely socially libertarian, but economically left-wing, particularly in that i want to see more nationalised industries to provide for a minimum level of positive rights for all people. i've found, since being a student, i'm very happy paying my taxes in the knowledge that i'll be able to benefit from the same things i'm paying others to have should i ever need those services in my life.


woo long posts!

I have become much more libertarian over the past few years. Both major parties have a disturbing streak of totalitarianism, though in different areas. I'm tired of trying to choose which aspect of my life I least object to having micromanaged by some damn suit in DC. Both parties are pretty much a lost cause at the national level, so I will never vote strictly by party. The lesser of two evils is still evil, so I will vote third party wherever possible unless I KNOW one of the major party candidates is a good leader who will follow the law.

I've always been a Democrat, just varied in the kind. I used to be very conservative, as those with my rather rural and poorly educated upbringing are wont to be. As I've gotten older I've mellowed considerably towards liberalism, though I'm still more conservative than the average NSG poster.

When I was in my late teens, I briefly believed in the proposition that there was already a Palestinian state, and that it was called Jordan. I thereby arguably implicitly supported the annexation of the West Bank to Israel and the expulsion of its Palestinian population - though in fairness to myself, this was never explicit; my thoughts on the Middle East weren't nearly so nuanced so as to grasp the broader implications of what I believed, or to think the position through.

These days - a couple of months short of 40 - I strongly support a dual state solution for Israel and Palestine, with Israel withdrawing to its pre-1967 borders. I'd also like to believe that I have a far better grasp of the implications of that position, though I'm no closer than anyone else in having any idea as to how to bring it about in the near future without having yet more people needlessly kill each other.

Otherwise, my political perspectives have remained broadly consistent; I was raised in a political family, and while I've undoubtedly had some minor shifts of opinion (in some cases becoming less cynical and more engaged), nothing really too drastic. Except the above example.

my opinion has always been the same politicians are the cause not the solution to most of our problems.

I've become much less of a communist, and I've also realised that both sides are wrong as regards the whole Israel thing.

I used to be a communist when I was about 14-17, then I read some of Marx's work and realised it was a total pile of balls and read about how the theory had been misused in Russia and elsewhere. Now...well im not quite sure where I am, my economics are quite socialist, but on social issues my positions vary from conservative to very liberal, depending on the issue. Many of my more liberal social positions have also been influenced by feminist and queer theory texts. I think its important to study each issue and make your own mind up rather than subjecting it all to some grand ideological framework which might not fit the case in question.

I used to be a communist when I was about 14-17, then I read some of Marx's work and realised it was a total pile of balls and read about how the theory had been misused in Russia and elsewhere. Now...well im not quite sure where I am, my economics are quite socialist, but on social issues my positions vary from conservative to very liberal, depending on the issue. I think its important to study each issue and make your own mind up rather than subjecting it all to some grand ideological framework which might not fit the case in question.

I think everyone had a Marxist period.

I grew up in a very Republican Christian family, so that influenced my earlier ideas, to a degree.

The first election that I can remember well was Clinton-Dole. That was before I even realized I was in a Republican family, and in my little class election thing, I supported Clinton, my reasoning being "he's already president, so he probably already knows how to do the job."

The next election, at the age of 12, I am ashamed to say I supported Dubya, having now fallen into my family's ideological political beliefs.

I remained fairly Republican at least through the 2004 election (my Junior year of high school), though by that point I merely "hated Kerry more." At this point, not even I was capable of the mental gymnastics to support Bush, but I was still trying to stick to my beliefs despite the fact that the arguments failed to truly convince me, whatever I told myself.

And so, by the end of that year, I began much more to think out my politics for myself. This continued for a while, so that by the time I started college, I considered myself a bit more of a democrat than a Republican. Then I heard that this guy that from DNC 04 whose speech I really liked was running for president. I looked into his policies, read one of his books and thought many of his arguments were sensible, and so decided to support him, even volunteering with other students from the University to help with the campaign.

And that's why I now support Barack Obama, despite being raised Republican. :)

I was a Communist as a teenager, gradually mellowed to a social democrat, and now I think I'm drifting towards some form of leftist anarchism. The best way to describe my trajectory, I think, is that I remain firmly committed to social and economic justice as goals but I'm less and less comfortable with the idea of "the state" as a viable way to achieve them.

I was initially a conservative Republican and would probably still be if it were not for Bush. I slowly drifted over to the left till now I am quite socialistic, but my knowledge of American politics prevents me from voting for any far left candidates and my conscience forbids me from voting Obama. Also I have started, on social issues, to drift back to the right, but not completely. The changes in my political views are mainly due to my reading and rereading the Bible over the years. I now classify myself as a left communitarian, but I have been also influenced by the LRC, esp, Carl Milstead Jr. so my politics could go from moderate bottomist to moderate topist.

I was initially a conservative Republican and would probably still be if it were not for Bush. I slowly drifted over to the left till now I am quite socialistic, but my knowledge of American politics prevents me from voting for any far left candidates and my conscience forbids me from voting Obama. Also I have started, on social issues, to drift back to the right, but not completely. The changes in my political views are mainly due to my reading and rereading the Bible over the years. I now classify myself as a left communitarian, but I have been also influenced by the LRC, esp, Carl Milstead Jr. so my politics could go from moderate bottomist to moderate topist.
What in your conscience stops you voting Obama in?

I have to say, I don't think the general orientation of my beliefs has changed massively. I was possibly a bit more conservative when I was younger before I understood the issues, but since then I have been a liberal socialist.

What I think has changed in the complexity of my beliefs. Though I am a strong Lib Dem supporter I don't agree with them on everything, and I don't believe that a single perspective is necessarily right on all points. This is why I would love to see a proportional representation system in this country, to allow more perspectives to be aired rather than divide voters into a dichotomous view-point.

I have to say, I don't think the general orientation of my beliefs has changed massively. I was possibly a bit more conservative when I was younger before I understood the issues, but since then I have been a liberal socialist.

What I think has changed in the complexity of my beliefs. Though I am a strong Lib Dem supporter I don't agree with them on everything, and I don't believe that a single perspective is necessarily right on all points. This is why I would love to see a proportional representation system in this country, to allow more perspectives to be aired rather than divide voters into a dichotomous view-point.
Aye but your problem with PR is with its instability and the necessary evil that is grand coalitions. Bleh.

Aye but your problem with PR is with its instability and the necessary evil that is grand coalitions. Bleh.

Yeh, but at least you have a choice. Everytime I look to the Westminster elections, or even the US I cringe. I know people would like to vote for the Lib Dems except they've the perception (rightly or wrongly) that they're 'throwing away' their vote for a third party - this is especially true in the US.

For all it's evils, PR does at least give you a choice..... kinda.

Yeh, but at least you have a choice. Everytime I look to the Westminster elections, or even the US I cringe. I know people would like to vote for the Lib Dems except they've the perception (rightly or wrongly) that they're 'throwing away' their vote for a third party - this is especially true in the US.

For all it's evils, PR does at least give you a choice..... kinda.
Aye but your choice is just as artificial in PR - all parties will renege on promises they made when campaigning to form coalitions, the likelihood of getting a 50% majority is low, a 67% majority for real lawmaking clout is basically impossible in the UK at the moment, so people will compromise, and that will lead to a watering down of the policies you voted for.

-snip-
Can't disagree with you there.

Aye but your choice is just as artificial in PR - all parties will renege on promises they made when campaigning to form coalitions, the likelihood of getting a 50% majority is low, a 67% majority for real lawmaking clout is basically impossible in the UK at the moment, so people will compromise, and that will lead to a watering down of the policies you voted for.

That's the essence of any democratic process; I'm butchering Dewey here, but the way "majority opinion" is derived in any democracy is a process of co-opting and compromising between groups of minorities until one tent holds a majoritarian body. The advantage of PR is that the legislature, as a deliberative body, holds a spectrum of opinion leaders that more accurately reflects the spectrum of opinion in the public. The process of compromise in the leglislature then better reflects what public "consensus" can be constructed.

I was all for Nixon until I came to the understanding of what it means to bug the national democratic headquarters in order to cheat in an election.(Watergate.....the original "Gate")

Then Ford pardoned him.

I knew the country was doomed when Reagan's movie career beat Carter and ever since then Republican has = disaster.

I've always been what the American right would call a bleeding heart liberal* and I've voted Green ever since I can vote (17 years now).

The only thing that has changed and, I very strongly assume, ever will change is that I'm becoming more cynical as I get older. But that doesn't change my fundamental convictions.


* actually, these days, they'd probably call it pinko commie scum or at the very least ZOMGsocialist!11!!.

What I think has changed in the complexity of my beliefs. Though I am a strong Lib Dem supporter I don't agree with them on everything, and I don't believe that a single perspective is necessarily right on all points. This is why I would love to see a proportional representation system in this country, to allow more perspectives to be aired rather than divide voters into a dichotomous view-point.

This is another aspect of my political transformation. I feel my leftist beliefs are much more justified than they were when I first was introduced to them at a young age. I've also opened my eyes to a whole cast of other issues rather than just gay marriage, abortion, recreational drug use, etc etc.

I've always been what the American right would call a bleeding heart liberal* and I've voted Green ever since I can vote (17 years now).

The only thing that has changed and, I very strongly assume, ever will change is that I'm becoming more cynical as I get older. But that doesn't change my fundamental convictions.


* actually, these days, they'd probably call it pinko commie scum or at the very least ZOMGsocialist!11!!.
More or less this. I went from politically ignorant and apathetic to liberal and I've been here ever since.

I made a thread like this a few years ago, but there's different posters now, and I'm sure people have changed their beliefs again, so here's mine:

I started out, unsurprisingly, as politically ignorant. All I knew about politics was that "Democrats wanted to help the poor" and the "Republicans wanted to only help the rich" (description courtesy of my dad). So I called myself a democrat and rooted for Gore in the 2000 election despite not knowing either candidates' stances on anything.

Then 9/11 happened, and the war in Iraq which I initially supported and I became a "conservative" in the sense that all I knew was "conservatives wanted to keep things the way they are" and "liberals wanted to change everything" (description courtesy of my friend). So I supported the war...and Bush, despite being pretty much an anti-religion eighth grader...I had no clue what the religious right was and that Bush was a born again, etc etc.

But by the summer of eighth grade as I was going into high school, thanks to time spent on NSG and other forums, I became politically interested and fell into the left wing side of things.

Then, somewhere along the road, I got sucked into the Libertarianism (with a big l) fad. I still had my reservations about privatizing welfare and public education, so I called myself a moderate Libertarian and that was that. I supported Kerry reluctantly in the 2004 election, but nonetheless I preferred Badnarik.

Sometime after that, I gained a much better sense of morality and understanding of politics...and so obviously I dropped the Libertarianism and went back to left-wingedness. And that's where I stand now.

I say jolly good show old bean!

Myself I have socialist/anachist tendancies.

I started out as a very right wing antigovernment militia-esque person, which is understandable given that I grew up in rural Michigan in the early 90s. When I joined the Army I turned quasi-neocon and then slowly mutated into a libertarian. However, my experiences in Iraq in 2003 turned me rather left wing and I've turned into a social democrat and sometimes democratic socialist, although I've kept the antifederalist and pro-gun tendencies of my youth.

I would have been very much a civil and economic Libertarian as a kid-to-mid-teens. Basically, freedom to me was the basis of all society. The best goal to aspire to was, and I quote myself here, "to enable everyone to do as they please". I think this was largely in response to the civil conflict that existed in Northern Ireland that meant that going against certain opinions in the wrong place and time would get you killed.

Of course, outside of a period of strife, your priorities change. It's easier to keep track with politics on an international level when you're not listening to the radio to alert you to bomb threats or the death of your friends and family. Similarly, looking outside the box and challenging cultural assumptions and religious organizations on the nature of society and human interaction isn't so frowned upon (although in terms of academic thinking, Northern Ireland is a mess right now).

But the big change was that the new order in Northern Ireland carried a distinct sense of economic Libertarianism as a means of establishing regional identity. The general Unionist sentiment was that businesses would be free to set up shop in Ulster and use it as they saw fit with minimal corporate taxation - this would make it a globally renowned capital paradise. And something about this totally appalled me, as I thought it over for a while. Out went the economic libertarianism, and I'm currently broadly in favour of a controlled social economy. That is, I'm in favour of the idea of economy being controlled, assuming that the ones who would be controlling it could be trusted to control it in a fair and effective manner - an assumption that as yet has proven totally unfounded in any sort of reality.

When I was younger I thought politicians weren't doing enough of the right things, now I am older I think they are doing too much of the wrong things.

* actually, these days, they'd probably call it pinko commie scum or at the very least ZOMGsocialist!11!!.My American bleeding heart liberal family members use the term "treehuggin' pinko commie liberal".

I've gradually grown more liberal over the years.

My American bleeding heart liberal family members use the term "treehuggin' pinko commie liberal".

I call my flatmate that :p She just calls me a "Sum kinda freedum' hatin' eb1l devil-idol worshippin' feudal overlordy kinda thing" (imagine this all in a mock redneck accent, it's the only way to insult someone). That's pretty much how the evenings pass in my place...

My politics havn't changed over the last few years, but up until around five years ago they were dramatically different, as my ex was a (very politically active) marxist. When we split I began to question those beliefs, especially that "the state would wither away" and that would lead to a better anarcho-communist world. I became more in favour of a real and effective state and top-down hierarchical organisation and allocation of both resources and policy, informed mostly by historical precedent rather than some untested, theoretical future.

The idea of working class control of the means of production went out of the window. Management by committee never works (ISS, Eurofighter Typhoon) and class warfare is only destructive and no good will ever come of it. I tend to favour a social and economic pattern that favours stability over change for change's sake, adapting only when necessarily, feasible and ultimately beneficial, and doesn't put trust in the idea that because the general population think or do something, it is inherently right.

Mixed bag of changes.

I pretty much started with standard US Democrat liberal ideals until college.

My degree in poli sci, and certain associations in college, effected a change to the right on economic and towards realism on foreign policy.

For many years I considered myself Libertarian, and still do in several aspects.

Over the last several years, I've swung to more of a very slightly left/centerist/moderate right economic policy (depending on where you're viewing it from).

On the Political Compass quadrant system, my placement has gone from near center lower left quadrant to middle lower right quadrant to the border between the lower two quadrants.

I started out fairly conservative because I liked the idea of consistency and avoiding unnecessary change. Sometime in my early twenties, I started to oppose those areas of conservatism that opposed social freedoms, and after that - started to oppose those elements of conservatism that deregulate trade, and argue in favour of the idea that people are responsible for their own wealth or lack of it. The 'blame the poor' mentality.

I've never been wealthy, and I've worked hard. The arguments that one job 'deserved' $100,000 per year, while I was working jobs that had me putting in a hundred or more hours a week... just didn't seem to add up.

I am happy to contribute part of my check to helping others. If I knew that everyone would be fed and housed, and everyone would have at least the same access to education and other opportunity... I'd be happy to watch a much bigger chunk of my check go to taxes.

I've always more or less been political and interested in government and the world.

I used to be much more Conservative and extreme when I was in my younger teenage years, but have since mellowed out alot after reading alot about the philosophy (notably political philosophy) of the European Enlightenment and simply studying alot of politics, talking to different people with different ideas and travelling. Also, I have really taken a liking to Goldwater and have realized, as he did, that some issues just shouldn't be political ones. So in this sense I've became much less socially conservative than I used to be, and I've realized that people who really are extremely socially conservative, usually are very religious, uneducated people, White Nationalists (or any other kind of racial nationalist, at that) or people who are simply not interested in the progression of society. None of these groups appeal to me so I've tried to distance myself from that.

On the other hand, I've always been a believer in capitalism and a small government with checked powers. I have a firm belief in that, that my readings into political philosophy of the Enlightenment, the views of my political role models and my family and friends have only helped to solidify.

Having said all that, if there is one thing I've become more right wing about it's multicultural issues/immigration. My travels, going different places, speaking with different people, dipping into various cultures, have only helped to reinforce the views that I started out with (which were, back then, based on limited knowledge, I admit).

Oh and although now I'm ashamed of how extreme I used to be in my early teenage years, I am still very proud never to have had a "Communist stage". :p

Ive always been interested in politics. In Middle School and early high school I was really far right. We're talking gay hating, bomb them a-rabs who hate merika, poor people are lazy, I <3 Jesus far right. You know, the kind of people I constantly rip on here. All though I never denyed evolution.

Then I grew up. I also started to understand history and how the world works. I also stopped having an imaginary friend. Then I went really really far left. Now, after a few years in college, Ive mellowed out a bit. Im still far left, but my economic views have gone from far, far to left to slightly more towards the center. Only slightly.

I started out as an apathetic progressive liberal. But, after watching the Iraq War get pushed through, and seeing the economic struggles of my parents as working class parents, I started seeing the Democratic Party as just slightly more mild Republican.

I floated around the Green Party for a little while before finally deciding to follow my instincts, and jump into democratic socialism. With each stage of my political development I've become more left-wing and more anti-authoritarian. Now I'm an anarcho-syndicalist, (have been for almos three years) and I don't think there will be any going back.

Ive always been interested in politics. In Middle School and early high school I was really far right. We're talking gay hating, bomb them a-rabs who hate merika, poor people are lazy, I <3 Jesus far right. You know, the kind of people I constantly rip on here. All though I never denyed evolution.

Then I grew up. I also started to understand history and how the world works. I also stopped having an imaginary friend. Then I went really really far left. Now, after a few years in college, Ive mellowed out a bit. Im still far left, but my economic views have gone from far, far to left to slightly more towards the center. Only slightly.
I never would have guessed...


(Said without sarcasm. I know it's hard to tell over the internet:p)

I never would have guessed...


(Said without sarcasm. I know it's hard to tell over the internet:p)

I think that will shock most people;)

Ive always been interested in politics. In Middle School and early high school I was really far right. We're talking gay hating, bomb them a-rabs who hate merika, poor people are lazy, I <3 Jesus far right. You know, the kind of people I constantly rip on here. All though I never denyed evolution.

Then I grew up. I also started to understand history and how the world works. I also stopped having an imaginary friend. Then I went really really far left. Now, after a few years in college, Ive mellowed out a bit. Im still far left, but my economic views have gone from far, far to left to slightly more towards the center. Only slightly.

I still have a hard time imagining the Knights of Fucking Liberty as a right wing extremist...

You have come a long, long way.

I still have a hard time imagining the Knights of Fucking Liberty as a right wing extremist...

You have come a long, long way.

Really, once I started to learn a lot of philosophy and history about Western Civilization, it became hard to hold many of my views. The benefits of a classical education go a long, long way.

Also, meeting some gay people and having one of my aunts become unemployed and poor helped to actually show me that the world doesnt work the way my then pastors tried to paint it.

The final nail in the coffin was when I had a discussion with said pastor about topics of history that I had a hard time reconciling with many of his and the bibles messeges. His answers showed me he had no freaking idea what he was talking about.

I also went to a high school were roughly half of the students were low income latino immigrants. And I quickly realized that they in fact arent evil brown people who just want to take hard working americans jobs.

Growing up in the heart of rightwing thought in the IL, and in the town that spends more capita per GDP on churches then anywhere else in the country is BOUND to be a mindfuck.

I started out as a very right wing antigovernment militia-esque person, which is understandable given that I grew up in rural Michigan in the early 90s. When I joined the Army I turned quasi-neocon and then slowly mutated into a libertarian. However, my experiences in Iraq in 2003 turned me rather left wing and I've turned into a social democrat and sometimes democratic socialist, although I've kept the antifederalist and pro-gun tendencies of my youth.
Whoda thunk it. Interesting. I'm glad I only got here in 2005, then. :tongue:

My American bleeding heart liberal family members use the term "treehuggin' pinko commie liberal".
That seems to cover all bases alright.

I've gone from mostly Democratic (but would vote for a Republican if he was one of the reasonable ones) to left-of-Democratic (would never vote for a Republican, but would vote third-party if I didn't like the Democrat) to rabidly anti-Republican (I want that party not just defeated, but absolutely destroyed, so we can form some new parties).

I voted for Ross Perot. Twice.

*prepares for a quick escape*

I've gone from mostly Democratic ... to rabidly anti-Republican ...
That pretty much sums up the last 2 months for most people.

That pretty much sums up the last 2 months for most people.I was eight years ahead of most people, then. I knew even before the Florida debacle that Dubya was going to be an absolute disaster, and started loathing the Republican Party (far beyond any prior feelings of mere policy disagreement) for putting him up as a candidate.

I voted for Ross Perot. Twice.

How did the platform of Ross Perot A differ from Ross Perot B?

How did the platform of Ross Perot A differ from Ross Perot B?

You mean how did the 1992 Ross Perot differ from the 1996 Ross Perot? Well, by 1996, most people came to realize how annoying his incredibly loud voice was, but it wasn't until shortly after that when he realized that the Reform Party(which he created) was attracting people like Pat Buchannan and gave up on politics as a lost cause. :tongue:

PLENTY. I used to be some kind of a little socialist. Then, my mother became a Christian, and I became a gay-hating republican who thought gays should be thrown in jail. (Thank God I no longer am that intolerant). I slowly turned to a bit of a milder stance, just banning gay marriage. A little republican. As I became more of a paleoconservative, I came on here. Around this time I began reading the Libertarian Promise, by Harry Brown. And that's where I am today.:D

I wasn't really intereseted in politics at all untill 2000 when I was in seventh grade, and then basically I was just a republican because of my father who whorshiped the ground Reagan walked on.

A combination of things changed that. It started with Bush Lying about the weapons in Iraq and the terrible way he managed Afganistan. I started studying Reagans policies around the same time and found out I despise the man. the way Bush began running the economy and destroying social security seemed very much like Reaganomics. It made absolutley no sense to me seemed like a return to Laissez Faire, or at least heading in that direction.

Growing up in Chicago probably helped change my views from my republican family as well, since the vast majority of my friends where liberal. Now I lean to socialist policies, and my ultimate political enemy is Laissez Faire.

I've gone from mostly Democratic (but would vote for a Republican if he was one of the reasonable ones) to left-of-Democratic (would never vote for a Republican, but would vote third-party if I didn't like the Democrat) to rabidly anti-Republican (I want that party not just defeated, but absolutely destroyed, so we can form some new parties).

I agree 100%

I wasn't really intereseted in politics at all untill 2000 when I was in seventh grade, and then basically I was just a republican because of my father who whorshiped the ground Reagan walked on.

A combination of things changed that. It started with Bush Lying about the weapons in Iraq and the terrible way he managed Afganistan. I started studying Reagans policies around the same time and found out I despise the man. the way Bush began running the economy and destroying social security seemed very much like Reaganomics. It made absolutley no sense to me seemed like a return to Laissez Faire, or at least heading in that direction.

Growing up in Chicago probably helped change my views from my republican family as well, since the vast majority of my friends where liberal. Now I lean to socialist policies, and my ultimate political enemy is Laissez Faire.

Then I'm afraid we must destroy you. *Readies French cannons*:p

I voted for Ross Perot. Twice.

*prepares for a quick escape*

Not so fast! Explain yourself! *pies LG with the Pie of Truth*

I agree with what many here have said. An earlier poster asked why I couldn't vote for Obama. Well, to be honest, I think he is a spineless crook, sure not as bad as the idiot we have now, but that does not take much. If you combined the character of some of the Republican candidates with Obama's ideology, that would be the man/woman I would vote for. I too have noticed that my politics have increased in complexity as I have taken more principles into consideration and learned of additional dimensions of socioeconomic/political thinking that have greatly nuanced my beliefs. Thus, at my most extreme, economically I am a socialist, politically- states' rights and democracy; strict interpretation and application of constitution and laws, and social- generally conservative in personal ethics but also "live and let live" when it comes to others choices, but if laws are broken there should be strict, impartial punishment of the errors.

Not so fast! Explain yourself! *pies LG with the Pie of Truth*

What can I say? I was young and stupid. In 1992, I was broke and in college and here was Ross Perot who cared not a whit about wars and social issues. He cared about economy and education and the things that resonated with me at the time. Most of all, he didn't come off as a politician which to me was a huge plus. I didn't realize how nuts he was. Factor in that the major candidates were Bush Sr. and Clinton and he seemed a delight by comparison.

In 1996, I knew exactly how nuts he was, but I was in the military and Clinton and Dole were both out for varying reasons. In my anguish, I decided that being nuts wasn't so bad by comparison.

Now, when I think of Ross Perot, all I hear is Dana Carvey parodying him:

http://www.boomspeed.com/looonatic/carvey_perot_listen_larry.wav

http://www.boomspeed.com/looonatic/carvey_perot_save.wav

:D

The root of your insanity has been found methinks.

Now I lean to socialist policies, and my ultimate political enemy is Laissez Faire.
I don't really mind - but from your post it sounded like you're equating Reagan's economic policies with laissez faire policies. They aren't the same thing. If you were ready to reconsider your stance somewhat (even if it just means opposing economic liberalism for what it is, rather than what you think it is), I'll explain the difference to you.

I was extremely socially conservative as a teenager - no abortion, believed strongly in censorship, death penalty advocate, anti-welfare, pro-mandatory national service.

I have since changed quite a bit. I believe very strongly in a flat tax rate, am pro-choice and anti-death penalty, in fact the reverse of most of the former positions. In my country though, I think there needs to be more reduction in welfare, or a difference in how it is currently applied.

As a child I was extremely Liberal. I use to volunteer at community service centers.

Now I'm a bitter teenager who thinks kids who drink and drive should be flogged in front of the school...

I've always been a Democrat, just varied in the kind. I used to be very conservative, as those with my rather rural and poorly educated upbringing are wont to be. As I've gotten older I've mellowed considerably towards liberalism, though I'm still more conservative than the average NSG poster.
Pretty much this, although I can't say I had a rural and poorly educated upbringing. Liberalism is the status quo where I live, and so I went through a very brief conservative lash out against the Man, but have since seen the light. Even now, though, I am less opposed to conservatism as a political philosophy as I am to the actual actions and policies of the Republican Party.
I think everyone had a Marxist period.
Not me! I was too cool for Marxism and went instead with Institutionalism, which is to Marxism as indie rock is to heavy metal.

I used to be the epitome of a good ol' Republican. Now, as far as I am concerned, they can all go to hell.

I support Obama over McCain, but I am quite sure he will be horrible leader, just not nearly as bad as "McSame"

Parkus Empire, I see no difference between Obama and Dubya. This is NO compliment towards either man. I happened to watch speeches made by President...(Um...Methinks the mods do not like excessive pejoratives;)) and he sounded as eloquent and intelligent sounding as Obama, in fact what the two had to say seemed rather similar. This to me is a scary thought, a leftist version of King George IV, I'm not sure which will prove to be worse. Btw, I AM a leftist, NOT a neocon psycho.

Parkus Empire, I see no difference between Obama and Dubya. This is NO compliment towards either man. I happened to watch speeches made by President...(Um...Methinks the mods do not like excessive pejoratives;)) and he sounded as eloquent and intelligent sounding as Obama, in fact what the two had to say seemed rather similar. This to me is a scary thought, a leftist version of King George IV, I'm not sure which will prove to be worse. Btw, I AM a leftist, NOT a neocon psycho.

wha????

Not me! I was too cool for Marxism and went instead with Institutionalism, which is to Marxism as indie rock is to heavy metal.

More pretentious?

First I was a Liberal, Then a Communist then I jumped around between a bunch of different things. Now I refuse to label myself to a single party, but I am somewhere on the left.

Not so fast! Explain yourself! *pies LG with the Pie of Truth*
Perot's accent is hilarious, so hush.

I used to think 'politics' were important. Now I realize that David Icke was right. They are all satan worshiping, blood drinking, lizard people from Draco.

Mostly I am preparing to sit out the coming global war these days.

Whoda thunk it. Interesting. I'm glad I only got here in 2005, then. :tongue:

I think I showed up here in late '05 originally, but I was already a damned dirty liberal then.

Parkus Empire, I see no difference between Obama and Dubya. This is NO compliment towards either man. I happened to watch speeches made by President...(Um...Methinks the mods do not like excessive pejoratives;)) and he sounded as eloquent and intelligent sounding as Obama, in fact what the two had to say seemed rather similar. This to me is a scary thought, a leftist version of King George IV, I'm not sure which will prove to be worse. Btw, I AM a leftist, NOT a neocon psycho.

Obama intends to cut military spending.

I think everyone had a Marxist period.Not all of us. Some of us instead had a period when Friedrich Nietzche and Ayn Rand sounded profound. In my case, I got over that at 14, but sometimes it lasts longer.

Intending to cut military spending is good. Does he intend to raise taxes? I hope so, since that is the only way we are going to afford many of his programs. What is his plan for getting rid of our budget deficit and cutting down the national debt. I know that right now traditional economics says lower taxes, but what do you do when taxes were already lowered and we are risking government insolvency because we took out so many massive loans that I fear we cannot easily pay back. What I propose is to get rid of the concept of private banking firms in a pseudosocialized system and fully socialize the financial industry, greatly increase taxes, and workout an effective payment plan with the Chinese and other foreign governments. Once we have a plan in place to rebalance the federal budget and have put the bank executives back in line, we should have the new system's first task be reformatting the loan agreements so that they can be paid off relatively quickly (30 years sounds about right). As far as oversite of this socialized system- the administrators would have to be approved by Congress to make sure they are qualified, then Congress should refer the candidate list to a popular vote so that the bankers are held accountable.

Intending to cut military spending is good. Does he intend to raise taxes? I hope so, since that is the only way we are going to afford many of his programs. What is his plan for getting rid of our budget deficit and cutting down the national debt. .



If he follows his tax plan and it gets passed overal income from taxes will increase because he intends to raise the tax rate on the wealthiest of America who control the majority of its wealth I believe well over 80% of it. As for cutting the national debt I have not seen any one put a good plan out, but I do think Obamas tax plan coupled with his cut in military spending will make it easier to do. I know this is over done, but the billions spent in Iraq also would be cut over time which would also add to Obama's bugdet.

I used to think 'politics' were important. Now I realize that David Icke was right. They are all satan worshiping, blood drinking, lizard people from Draco.


Siggable.

Originally, I was really dumb. I supported Bush (2000 election) because he was the governor of Texas (and I spent the first few years of my life there).

Afterwards, I was apathetic for awhile. Then, near the end of my elementary career, came the Iraq War. I had always known that Saddam sucked, but I also knew that Al-Qaeda != Saddam. So that really polarized me against the Republicans in general.

Since then, throughout middle school and highschool, I've grown more and more liberal in terms of government social policy. I guess some of my own values are in conservative in comparison to what I considerable acceptable behavior in a society. Over time, I've also grown to disagree more and more with Republican foreign policy, and I think Democrats have been a bit cowardly in challenging them on it.

For economics, I haven't really come up with a solid opinion, economics is just too complex, and who do you listen to? The corporate dog preaching free market or that anarchist on the street? Ultimately, I don't feel like I know enough about economics to really have my opinion considered highly, but I do think that both a completely free market or a "socialist utopia" are bound to fail.

I haven't really had much shift, I went from unknowing/apathetic to liberal.

My politics are still evolving as I grow older.

I was pretty damn conservative when I was younger. I've gotten a bit more moderate as I go along. I'm probably socially liberal and fiscally conservative, except for the fact that deregulation gave me the willies.

When I was in early middle-school I thought (quite foolishly, because I was doing what I was told by the school system.) that whatever the president did was what I should support. Later on in middle school I became an extreme leftist, believing that people were completely incapable of making their own choices. So basically at this point I wanted a fascist, communo-dictatorship.

Throughout high school I've been paying more attention to the wisdom of philosophers throughout the ages and independent news, and now I can say I will end high-school a libertarian, or moral anarchist. Ventura 2012!

Meh. I've always been a leftie. But I do have a conservative point--I'm anti-abortion.