I used to sport a red avatar, and I am technically still registered D in North Carolina, but I no longer call myself a Democrat because:
1. The party at-large has no idea what it stands for anymore other than being anti-Trump.
2. Civil liberties issues are very important to me and the party has not shown a serious desire to curb government surveillance or radically transform our absurd, outdated, and discriminatory drug laws.
3. I'm also relatively pro-gun although this isn't a very important issue to me.
4. I don't like the fetishization of Obama and the Clintons and believe we need fresh faces.
5. The Dem leadership sucks and I am concerned that certain said leaders are more worried about holding their own power than they are winning elections.
6. And this is kind of a big one. See, although I might sound like a raving SJW at times, I actually hate political correctness in all forms. Two decades ago liberals were speaking up for controversial people like Ice-T and Marilyn Manson (whom the Right wanted to censor); now this has gone down in priority for the sake of "not offending people." Because I do not trust either political party (or institution, for that matter) to defend my freedom of speech, I choose not to affiliate with one.
7. I don't think either party has the right answer on education issues. Ideally, liberal arts majors would get all the learning they need from high school and colleges would only serve people in specialized fields, but the modern economy practically requires you to have a diploma (and take on a boatload of debt) in order to get ahead. I support the notion of college being free, but I also question the expectation that all people have a degree. I also think the US should experiment with aspects of Finland's education program.
8. I'm very non-interventionist; Democrats not so much unless a Republican is dropping the bombs.
9. An array of culture/messaging issues, but those probably speak more about me than they do the party.
10. Not enough economic populism, but that'll probably change as millennials take over the party.
11. Various issues that no one wants to touch (i.e. overpopulation, sustainable economies)
I don't know. Maybe three/four/more years from now I'll go red again, but as of now I just don't feel comfortable identifying with any party at all. I voted straight Democrat in my last two elections (plus one Libertarian), so I can't call myself a genuine independent, but my own values and priorities simply don't align with those of the Democratic Party. Hence, I choose to go orange.
also oranges are really good and we should be eating more of them
Good points, and I mostly agree, except that I vote more 3rd party and am not really pro gun, but it's not important to me, either. Also, the Democrats are very wishy washy on climate change. Promoting fracking around the world isn't being good on climate change. As for ignored issues, I'd say air pollution and the fact pedestrian fatalities are rapidly increasing.
