What I found hilarious is when tried and true conservatives talk at me until they are blue in the face about how liberal economic policies are detrimental to the economy. And no matter how many times I try to intercede during this lecture to explain that, in fact, I agree with what they are saying, they are convinced that simply because I will be registering for the Democratic Party this means I subscribe to every single platform. Get off my back. I'm a Democrat because I value liberal social policies over any others, but I don't agree with everything so stop assuming. And stop rattling off all of the greatest Republican presidents in the history of this country. A few smart cookies does not a bakery make.
This brings me to my second point. Republicans are always quick to remind us liberals that during the Civil War it was a Republican president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves while it was the traitorous Democratic states that tried to secede from the union. This is where labels go wrong, so let me just clear something up: it was a LIBERAL president who freed the slaves and CONSERVATIVE states that seceded. Abraham Lincoln valued human rights (or he had other motives depending on your level of cynicism) above keeping the status quo, which is a liberal ideology. And this rubbed the southern states the wrong way because they didn't much care to give up their source of free labor. And who has traditionally valued labor over human rights, tradition over change? If you said conservatives, get yourself a cookie.
Sometime around FDR's New Deal the ideologies completely shifted around, so when we are talking about Republicans and Democrats of the 19th century we need to be careful to understand that they are not the Republicans and Democrats of the 20th and 21st centuries. Spread the word, tell your friends, and don't even TRY to convince me that if Lincoln were alive today he wouldn't be the most active member of the Democratic Party.
Boo-ya!
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2 comments:
that felt like kind of an awesome ass-kicking. you are great.
"I don't like to identify myself as a Democrat anymore. I'm an Economics major and consider myself a moderate when it comes to economic issues because they are so much more complicated."
Yes! Economic issues are too complex to be left in the hands of politicians: economists are concerned with how to make this country prosper; politicians are concerned with how to stay in the job.
"Rent control leaves more people homeless and many welfare programs hurt more than they help. "
Yes to the second statement; a definite NO to the first. How in the world can rent control leave more people homeless?
Regarding Democrats vs. Republicans and liberals vs. conservatives, there is only one politician in this country who left his party when the party platform deviated from what he considered the right (as opposed to wrong, not as opposed to left) and decent position. It was Joe Lieberman - one of a handful of politicians who do not bend over backwards to whatever the party tells them to do. Another few of these are Colin Powell, FDR (not that he knew what he was doing, but at least he tried hard), and Ahnuld (Schwartzenegger).
And most importantly, if tomorrow Republicans started to support abortion, gay marriage, and irresponsible spendings, more government, etc - guess what? the day after, the Democratic party would oppose these very features of our society and economics, which are today touted as "Democratic values".
Which is why I will never join any party: it's naive - not to say silly - to bind yourself to the party line when you disagree with so many items on their agenda that are so important to them - and to you.
Register non-partisan! And please don't vote for Obama. Better just don't vote for a president. And McCain will not overthrow Roe vs. Wade: federal government has no business dictating what its subjects are to feel about abortion, and there is no agreed-upon definition of life. It's definitely not for politicians to decide. And he will bring the troops home, if you are so concerned about it.
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