Hellobee Boards

@lindseykaye: my parents were similar in that they voted republican, but registered as democrats because NJ always voted Democrat.

I am registered independent, which in MA means I can choose which primary I want to vote in for each election. But I generally vote democrat and lean liberal.

Independent. Moderate on economic policy. Socially I'm liberal.

@Ajsmommy: you should also check out the Libertarian party.

I know it sounds good to say I'm bipartisan or moderate or independent.... but I'm not. I bleed blue. I am a solid Democrat, with centrist / liberal leanings (as opposed to progressive / socialist).

I have voted Dem in every election, up and down the ballot, and I plan to do the same in November. I am going to have an election party with white and blue balloons and cake and activities for the kids, every November from here on out. I wear all white and blue every election day. I've even thought of taking a personal day to be a poll worker, but, I'm a social studies teacher so I guess that's my role to play!

I am political junkie and read a bunch of op-eds and political blogs. I livestream Congressional hearings and have all my reps' phone numbers saved to my phone. I donate to candidates and put up signs.

I have 2 caveats:
- I believe in capitalism and free market competition, with regulations and restrictions to encourage fair and ethical competition.
- I favor restrictions on abortions, to probably an extreme point. My views on this point have opened up more as I've gotten into childbearing years, and I understand that the REAL solutions are personal and not political, but truly I think terminating a pregnancy is ending a life. Can it be done ethically? I *think* so, in some cases. But by and large, that's the one issue I'm not solidly Dem on. Also, I never vote based on that issue.

I don’t think fiscally conservative and socially liberal or moderate (me) is an oxymoron.

I wholeheartedly believe in the right to privacy and believe the 14th amendment is to protect people from discrimination. However, I don’t support all entitlement programs in part because I think their is waste and inefficiency in the process. Government regulation is good and necessary and in some cases needs more funding like the FDA and EPA. However, I think government spending has gotten way out of control and we simply do not have the population to tax to keep up with what we spend. There are creative ways to keep government bodies functioning that do not cost the taxpayers. For example, DH is a Federal employee, and the institutions he regulates pays a fee which is how they fund their operational budget. It would be amazing if one day the Federal Government had to deliver a balanced budget just like the states.

@jennlin821: Libertarian in so far as rights and liberties go I guess. But minus being pro-life which is my one outlier. I think the govt should have zero to say about legislating morals or limiting our freedoms. I don’t even think the state should have a role in marriages, I’m a pacifist, etc. Regarding social programming I am in favor of some* of it like universal health care because that makes financial sense but not all of it - like super high taxes for wasteful government programs. Basically I hate government

I am extremely liberal and identify as a democrat. I don’t like govt waste (looking at you defense budget) but I think that by giving people a safety net and a hand up, we create a stronger society. I think healthcare and childcare should be affordable, I believe in social security and making higher education easily accessible. I believe in a woman’s unrestricted right to choose what’s best for her body and her child.

I’m solidly liberal and a democrat. Most of the actual Dems in office, however, are just embarrassing. Political theater makes a mockery of our institutions. I’m so over it.

I used to lean farther left when I lived on the Left Coast tbh. Many of my politics are still very left-leaning but I don’t always buy the nuances of socialism based on some observations from living in Europe. I saw pluses and minuses to the more socialist-trending governments, such as universal healthcare (amazing plus) but a paternalistic, “government-as-omniscient-caretaker” thing that really shapes society in ways that I don’t think are the best for people (scary minus).

Also ideas even more to the left of my own seem to work when they are deeply tied to widespread norms, beliefs and value systems that I don’t see reflected in this country (i.e. legalizing all recreational drugs, eliminating all guns everywhere). These experiences have made me think that our country, in her soul, is healthier under left-of-center leadership instead of the other way, but not so far to the left that we don’t recognize ourselves.

Fiscal conservatism is not something I’ve lived under in this country, so I cannot really say that I endorse it or not. It sounds good but when is the last time it has ever been the implemented by the party in power? I think the insatiable defense budget is directly linked to our country’s love affair with capitalism. If we could dial that back to a dull roar, we could probably balance the budget and pay for programs (healthcare, childcare) that support society and help families.

In the past, I've voted Republican more often but have voted for both parties from time to time. I prefer to pick a candidate by the platform/issues rather than vote a straight party ticket. I'm more conservative fiscally and more liberal socially.

Lately, I don't feel either major party represents me. They both seem to be more and more extreme, with fewer moderate candidates (which is what I consider myself to be). Even in the major elections, including the last presidental race and our state's election for governor, I feel forced to vote Libertarian because neither major party candidate is someone I can support.

@jennlin821:

Oh my gosh, tried to make a minor edit and lost the whole post! Thank goodness I saved it- I am reposting!

So I'm a long (long) time lurker and registered just to respond to this post, first because I think it's a great topic and very timely,but also because I feel like there is a lot of confusion and some misuse of terms.

There is nothing at all inconsistent about being socially liberal and fiscally conservative. Many, many people fall into this category, and it can mean a variety of things depending on the person. For example, some people are strongly in favor of things like abortion rights, gay rights, secularism, etc, but are opposed to the behemoth that is the modern federal government with its bloated and unbalanced budget and labyrinthine administrative agencies. Many people are opposed to the never-ending war machine or billions in aid to countries that squander and steal it, or to the welfare state. Other people are strict Federalists and see the enormous and enormously expensive modern federal government as a betrayal of the foundations of what our State/Federal balance of power was intended to be. There is no internal inconsistency there.

Liberals- true classical liberals- value the individual and the rights of the individual. The right to contract, the right to freely associate (or not), the right to speak freely, the right to labor and keep the fruits of ones labor, etc. I think people forget about pesky things like property rights, religious rights, bodily autonomy rights not related to abortion and yes, gun rights, when we discuss liberalism and "rights."

I think there is a lot of confusion because some people in the US use terms that aren't exactly accurate and aren't used that way historically, nor today in the rest of the world. An example of this is the Left/Right. Looking at a political axis and perhaps even taking a political axis test can be very helpful in determining where exactly you fall.

I am in my early 40's and have voted a straight Democratic ticket for my entire life. I have mostly been registered as an independent, but have never cast a vote for a Republican. That said, I am officially, 100% DONE with the Democrats. I wouldn't cast a vote for another Democrat if I had a gun to my head.

I don't know if you're familiar with the terms "Illiberal Left or Regressive Left" but it's very accurate in describing my issues with the Dems, I believe the role of government is to protect the rights of the individual and ensure they have equal status under the law, not to correct every perceived inequality. This is neither possible, nor rational. Among other very serious issues (including a lack of focus and vision, increasing authoritarianism and intrusiveness, and a woeful misunderstanding of the present global moment), I see inflammatory rhetoric, a terrifying assault on free speech and on facts that they find unpalatable, runaway identity politics, and, just recently, a statement that suggests that they see Socialism as the "future of the Democratic party."

Which leads me to....socialism vs. capitalism. Capitalism, along with the Enlightenment, are the greatest things that have ever happened to humans. Capitalism has lifted the majority of humanity out of the most dire, miserable circumstances that we spent most of our existence suffering under. Capitalism is the reason that we have the abundance and affluence that we have in the modern Western world. And you know what? Even if those things weren't true, it is still the most *ethical* and *morally just* system that exists. No economic system is perfect, but capitalism is the best we've stumbled across. And I believe that protecting it is one of the most pressing issues of the day.

I won't put too fine a point on it,but Bernie Sanders confused SO MANY PEOPLE on this issue. And I am not sure if that was done intentionally, or because he simply doesn't understand what he's talking about himself. But he made it seem like the Scandinavian nations have socialism when nothing could be further from the truth! These are CAPITALIST nations! Yes, they have generous social services, but they are very much market economies. Bernie's mischaracterization of the Scandy economies actually prompted the Prime Minister of Denmark to come out and make a statement to remind everyone that Denmark has a capitalist economy!

I find it so, so worrying that people like Ocassio-Cortes (who, btw is just ridiculously ignorant of economics and politics) and Bernie Sanders have confused so many Americans, that they are actually calling themselves "Socialists." I mean, if you just want a generous welfare state that's fine (I would likely disagree with the extent and nature of that) but please for the love of God, don't call yourself a Socialist (or Democratic Socialist) unless you actually want a planned economy and state ownership of industry! I mean, it's right there in their platform!

I don't know if you're familiar with Dave Rubin, but his trajectory has been very similar to my own, and you might find it interesting. He talks a lot about his own journey, but he also has FABULOUS guests on his show whom I never would have come across if I hadn't been so disgusted that I went actively digging for people who felt like I do. He talks about how he "didn't leave the Left, but the Left left him." I agree.

I will never, ever vote for a Republican either, so what do people like us do? I don't know. Pray for viable 3rd party or Independent candidates, but our system is so screwed that it seems extremely unlikely. And if my only choices are Dems or Republicans, I would rather watch the whole thing burn. I used to truly believe the Dems were the lesser of two evils, but no more. They are equally evil. I don't want the future either of these two parties advocate.

Some other excellent speakers who have videos on YouTube are Yaron Brooks, Milton Friedman, Jonathan Haidt, Claire Lehmann, Amy Wax, Heather MacDonald, Ben Shapiro, Stephan Molinaux, Jordan Peterson, Douglass Murray, Brett Weinsten and his wife (both of whom were the victims of an almost comically absurd situation at Evergreen State University where they were long-time professors).

While I definitely don't agree with everything that all of these speakers say, I do find them unfailingly rational, truth-seeking, coherent, respectful and willing to be corrected when they're wrong, which is something I haven't found on the left in a long, long time.

An excellent book is "Factfulness" by Hans Rosling which walks through the pertinent facts and statistics and really detonates the notion that things are terrible and people are suffering like never before under horrific and brutal circumstances. It is super illuminating and may help alleviate some of the anxiety and rage that have been stoked by certain factions. You might also find some of the #WalkAway videos on YouTube interesting.

This is getting super long, but I am happy to answer questions about the specifics of my political and social beliefs.

I just want to throw in that Fox News is ruining our country. I want a billionaire to buy it, make all of the stars have non-competes and then shut it down. Like 35% of the country just believes FN venom and not real facts.

I’m legit confused w what @Modern Daisy means with 8 years of Obama doing nothing for the economy and causing race-baiting. The economy was in free fall when he took office. The stock market doubled while he was in office

Anyway, I like HB for parenting advice. News makes me crazy enough as is. I don’t need to start making my BP rise on HB.

@ChitownRo: Don’t even waste your breath re: MD, she is who she is and you’re not going to change her mind.

Moderate liberal over here, but I never vote straight party. I prefer to vote based on individual candidate. I’m hoping John Kasich runs againa. We need more leaders who are willing to work together to do what is best for us as a whole, not what is best for either party (and I believe that they are all becoming too polarized and extreme).

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: agreed. I won’t say all republicans are bigots, either. However, Trump is openly racist and misogynist. That means all trump voters either also feel that way, or are ambivalent to it/prioritize other things over that. Neither of those things is good.

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I deleted it. I don’t want to make anyone upset especially here where we come together as struggling parents (or at least I feel that way). But it really is how I feel, for the record, and I won’t be bullied into voting for democrats because of a message that I am a racist because I’m a republican. that couldn’t be more wrong and I’m ashamed for our country that so many people have bought into this rhetoric.

@Adira: Thank you for this, I was thinking the same thing this morning. The guy who watches his friend have sex with a super-drunk woman, who cheers him on and maybe takes a few photos, is not actually a rapist but he doesn’t have a problem with rape. That’s how I feel about anybody who voted for Trump. You might not be a racist, but you don’t have a problem with racism.

@Adira: @RonjaL7: this is what makes me upset is that I’m getting taxed at a high tax bracket but still basically living paycheck to paycheck because we have student loans and it just seems like such a broken cycle. Idk who or what can fix it but I wish the ultra wealthy got taxed way more then they do currently. It makes me crazy when I see presidential taxes or other wealthy people and they have a 14% tax rate because they hvs write off and donations and all these loop holes and the rest of us are out here getting screwed

@Adira: isn’t the goal of democratic socialists to end capitalism? Democratic Socialists and Social Democrats are two different things.

@Adira: See, the reason you and many liberals don’t understand where I’m coming from is that I actually completely disagree that our current president is racist. I’ve never heard anything racist come out of his mouth and I don’t agree that border security equals racism. So the argument that I’m condoning racism because I’m “willing to vote for a racist” is completely untrue and not based on facts. It’s a gross misrepresentation of my beliefs and in my opinion a bullying tactic to shame people into supporting the democrats. What about when Obama supported Trayvon Martin by saying “if I had a son he would look like Trayvon” after NBC was found guilty of actually editing the 911 call to make it sound racist? To me that is a clear example of presidential race-baiting. Meanwhile Trump is meeting with Kanye West on Thursday to talk about prison reform. Just saying.