Why are you a member of the party you are?

[Earth]

What draws you to being in the party you currently identify with?

Is it worth it?

Do you stick with the party even if you disagree with consensus?

Would you consider a different party if the situation wasn't to your liking?

What would make you make the switch?

Do you think affiliating with the party helps you understand politics better? Does it, for lack of a better phrase, "give you a better perspective"?

[Lief 🗽]

I support freedom and justice for all.

[Earth]

Does the Democratic Party's track record lend itself to that ideal?

[Meeker]

I hate unborn babies.

[Marokai Backbeat]

"If you want to live like a Republican, you have to vote Democrat."

[Lief 🗽]

Does the Democratic Party's track record lend itself to that ideal?

More so than the Republican party, yes.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I hate unborn babies.

Well that goes without saying.

[perdedor]

Without political parties, people would just be unorganized, opinionated blowhards. Unorganized political action is generally ineffective. I'm a leftist, so I picked the more leftist of the bigger two parties. Organization is key to getting anything accomplished. Can you imagine 435 independents debating in the House?

Kill me.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Because the Republicans were too socially conservative & economically leftist.

[Torie]

I don't like tort lawyers and teachers' unions and protectionism.

[Nixon in '80]

I ask myself this every day.

Because the Democrats are worse.

[Ronnie]

I don't like tort lawyers and teachers' unions and protectionism.

Tort lawyers like John Edwards are absolutely miserable.  They do nothing but hurt the economy.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I don't like tort lawyers and teachers' unions and protectionism.

Tort lawyers like John Edwards are absolutely miserable.  They do nothing but hurt the economy.

I'm pretty sure there are bigger threats..

[Ronnie]

I don't like tort lawyers and teachers' unions and protectionism.

Tort lawyers like John Edwards are absolutely miserable.  They do nothing but hurt the economy.

I'm pretty sure there are bigger threats..

Of course, but that doesn't mean that tort lawyers don't hurt the economy.

[Daniel Z]

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

[Keystone Phil]

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

[SPC]

The LP seems to have learned its lesson (for now).

[Torie]

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

You need to get out more.

[Daniel Adams]

Because, however imperfectly, it generally reflects the conservative principles I espouse, socially, economically, and in defense policy.

[Matt Damon™]

Because out of the two big parties, the democratic party is the least offensive. I'm a blue dog democrat. However, the pre-Reagan GOP is a party I'd have been a solid member of. I'd be a Rockefeller/gypsy moth republican.

[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.

[Padfoot]

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.

[Torie]

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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?

The balance of the list is also tendentious to a substantial extent, but enough already.

[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]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

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.