Why are you a member of the party you are?

[RI]

I find that although there are many areas that I disagree with the Democratic Party, they are at least tolerant (more so than the Republicans), and they do not engage in the business of nation-building nearly as much as the Republicans.

I would consider being a Republican if they learned tolerance. Until then, I shall always be a Democrat unless a third party comes along that is tolerant, moderate, and fits my views even more closely than the Dems.

[RI]

It seems like the only things the Republican party cares about these days is abortion and Gays.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

The fact that their platform is so heavily tied to these issues is one of the major reasons I am a Democrat.  I refuse to support a party that wants to put discrimination back into the Constitution and legislate a woman's sex life.  Here are some others:

1. Republicans are reckless stewards of the environment and promote irresponsible use and extraction of natural resources.  Democrats promote protection of the environment and emphasize conservation and low impact methods of resource extraction.
2. Republicans still think the Iraq war was a good idea.  Democrats have realized it was not.
3. Republicans politicized 9/11 and used it as a scare tactic to erode our freedoms and violate the Constitution.  Democrats generally are opposed to the "anti-terrorist" policies Republicans have enacted.
4. Republicans are the most vocal opponents of euthanasia.  Democrats usually are more supportive.
5. Republicans want to teach creationism, an idea that requires the suspension of scientific thought, in science classrooms.  Democrats oppose the teaching of religious philosophies in public schools.
6. Republicans believe abstinence only sex-education is an appropriate way to combat teenage sexual activity.  Democrats realize this is the best way to increase the number of teen pregnancies and teens infected with STDs.

I largely agree with that, save perhaps on abortion.

[RI]

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That is interesting. Putting aside that I am not particularly interested in having some per se stricture inculcated in teenagers against sexual activity (in fact I would oppose that actually come to think of it; one size does not fit all), it would seem to me that if one wanted to combat sexual activity, the only way to do that would be by abstinence. Is there a way that one can be both abstinent while engaging in sexual activity?

I don't think that the goal is to fight sexual activity, but rather unwanted pregnancies, which is the cause of abortion.