President Punxsutawney Phil
TimTurner
Atlas Politician
Atlas Legend
Posts: 41,398
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« on: July 13, 2017, 05:38:45 AM » |
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« edited: July 13, 2017, 05:53:24 AM by Acting Southern Speaker TimTurner »
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I don't think I can identify as a Democrat per se partly because I have a fairly large number of idiosyncratic stances and partly because my stances on cultural issues are traditional-y enough to make me seriously out of step with it on some matters (like abortion, one stance I am closer to the GOP than the Dems; though I oppose defunding PP).
Nonetheless I am a partisan for the Dems because I hate the GOP's agenda, and dislike both the traditional rich suburban GOPer wing of the party and Trumpist wing (for dissimilar reasons). I believe in the ideal of a fair shake for everyone, not just rich people, and concern myself quite a bit with how we can help the poor and downtrodden, and the great families and communities that compromise the bulk of this country.
We need an America that works for the citizenry; policy that generally follows the maxim of 'the greatest good for greatest number' and that doesn't overtly hurt families and social cohesion in this country. I don't think the GOP can bring that. They only seem truly interested in helping the top 1% unfortunately, rich people in places like the Park Cities in metro Dallas, which compose a very tiny minority of the people in the country. The Democrats are better by default.
I very much hope to see what the next Democratic administration will accomplish...when that comes. Who knows how much damage the Republicans would have been able to do to this country by then, though. It's not really comforting.
The Democrats are the only party of the two right now that's willing to operate within existing constitutional norms to, via pragmatic steps, actually improve the lives of the common man, and treat poor downtrodden people with even the slightest modicum of much-needed fair treatment. It's far from being flawless, but it's got a better sense of protecting the families of this country, dare I use the term ' family values' than the competition. The GOP only seems to talk 'family values' when it takes to restricting abortion or other stuff that fires up its base. On the other hand the Dem stimulus from 2009-2010 provided strong support for many communities across the country, and Obamacare saved lives by slowing the skyrocketing costs of medical care, helping many poor people.
I'm not convinced one iota by how often Trump and his predecessors tried to posture as protectors of families and traditional values. It's clear that they have done truly damaging things in office and that makes them the true enemies to social cohesion in this nation. Hardline immigration policies tearing undocumented families apart. Tax cuts to rich families making hardworking poor people just making even at the moment even more impoverished. Poor minorities in rural and urban areas suffering thanks to cuts to welfare justified thanks to untrue ideas about their daily lives and situations.
It looks very hypocritical in my view for a politician and/or political party to talk up standing up for life then treat people like this. The practical effect, as much denials may come from the right, is that protecting the fetus stops at childbirth.
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