Opinions about our country, the world, politics, and some other stuff that that doesn't fit those categories
In July, on a message board I have since left, I asked a question to all the American members. I was curious in finding out if an how one's political beliefs have changed with time. I asked because several messages I came across were stated that such and such person voted for Bush in 2000 but wouldn't be voting for him in 2004. Likewise some said they voted for Gore in 2000 but would not be supporting Kerry in 2004. About fifteen minutes ago I read a comment by Gideon mentioning why he wasn't a democrat anymore, and again I became curious.

At the old message board I frequented, almost all of the members that responded were between the ages of 21 and 35, and many didn't even vote in all the presidential elections for which they were eligible. Fortunately the crowd appears much more diverse here, and more poltically conscious.

So now here are my questions to all previous voters:

A. What is the year of your birth?
B. What state do you live in?
C. Which presidential candidate did you vote for in each election over the course of your life?
D. If you've had a major shift in political beliefs, is there any particular reason for it?


I will answer first, so here I go.

A. I was born in 1970

B. I live in Illinois

C. 1988 Election - Michael Dukakis
1992 Election - Ross Perot
1996 Election - Bob Dole
2000 Election - Pat Buchanan
2004 Election - George W. Bush (with great reluctance)*

D. When I was in college, I was a teaching assistant for a very very left wing history professor (who has since died). I didn't choose him, I got stuck with him, by the way. His beliefs were basically no matter what it was, whitey was responsible.

I had always gotten a certain kick by taking a dig at the establishment while I was in high school, so I'd occasionally spout out diatribes against whitey in history essays or group projects. And this was coming from the most WASPy guy around. Here I am, a protypical Anglo-Saxon specimen; blue eyes, blond hair, Protestant heritage, bad-mouthing other blue-eyed, blond, Protestant, Anglo-Saxons. I guess it was always a sort of Devil's Advocate thing for me. I'm not sure I really believed it in my heart. When the professor demonstrated to me that he actually believed his drivel, I felt obliged to contradict him. It almost cost me my tuition deferment.

Since then, The LA Riots, the Chicago looting in the Aftermath of the Bulls Championships, and the social disorder that arose in my neighborhood from the influx of illegal aliens from Mexico and Central America changed my views on a lot of things.

Then finally my marriage and the birth of my kids permanently molded my social beliefs.




* I don't really criticize too harshly people who voted for Kerry in the 2004 as part of the "anybody but Bush" sentiment. I voted for Bush simply because I
thought Kerry was worse. I didn't know the procedure for write-ins, and the only other name on the ballot was Badnarik (I'm not really into the Libertarian
thing), so I settled for Dubya. It really wouldn't have mattered, since Kerry won easily here.

Comments (Page 1)
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on Feb 17, 2005
A. What is the year of your birth?

1978

B. What state do you live in?

Arkansas

C. Which presidential candidate did you vote for in each election over the course of your life?

1996 - Bill Clinton
2000 - Ralph Nader
2004 - John Kerry (I wanted to vote for David Cobb deep in my soul, but I joined "Greens for Kerry" and besides, Cobb wasn't on the Arkansas ballot, which means I didn't do enough as a Green to support him. I'm guilty about it.)

D. If you've had a major shift in political beliefs, is there any particular reason for it?

Despite my vote for Clinton in 1996, I was a fairly conservative person through my early college years. I always felt Clinton was a pretty centrist Democrat, he supported the death penalty and fiscal responsibility in the government. I was annoyed by his sex addiction -- but I wasn't surprised. I mean, the guy had been our governor for almost 20 years. My Nader vote in 2000 was a protest against the Al Gore status quo and what I felt was a lie -- the "compassionate conservatism" of Bush. As the Republican party has moved more into the land of being a moral judge for all Americans, I have moved furthur left. I don't want the government to be in people's bedrooms. I don't approve of the "war on drugs." And the Bush policy of preemptive war leaves a rotten taste in my mouth. The Republican party of my youth decried big-government Democrats, and then supported a huge expansion of government power under Bush. I can't abide that. Environmental issues have also become very important to me, and so I call myself a "Red-Green" which is to say, a Green Party member with very socialist tendencies.

Good questions.
on Feb 17, 2005
. What is the year of your birth? 1947
B. What state do you live in? california
C. Which presidential candidate did you vote for in each election over the course of your life?Democrat all the way from 1968 till 2004.
D. If you've had a major shift in political beliefs, is there any particular reason for it? When I saw the left hijack the democratic party and what they had to offer{ Hanoijohn kerry,} I switched to another party {republican} voted for bush this last election.

The reason is I felt betrayed by the dems and hanoijohn in particular {1971 testimony before congress}

on Feb 17, 2005
Interesting concept. It will be fun to see how it turns out.

A. What is the year of your birth: 1963

B. What state do you live in: Wisconsin

C. Which presidential candidate did you vote for in each election over the course of your life: All Republican

D. If you've had a major shift in political beliefs, is there any particular reason for it?

My most basic shift has been moving from the idea that the Republican party is the only real party, to "Vote Your Conscience" and a wish that our system would be closer to the Constitution. The stranglehold the major parties has on our government is disgusting, unconstitutional and much more distructive to our freedom than pretty much any other domestic problem we may be facing. Since "third parties" are kept out of the debates, the major parties control the discussion. Blogging has had some affect on our system, let's hope it has even more in the future.
on Feb 17, 2005
A. What is the year of your birth? 1980.
B. What state do you live in? You'd be shocked, but it's easily the most conservative state of the union: Idaho.
C. Which presidential candidate did you vote for in each election over the course of your life? 2000: Al Gore. (reluctantly. I was tempted to vote for Nader in this election, acutally.) 2004: John Kerry.
D. If you've had a major shift in political beliefs, is there any particular reason for it? My parents raised my very socialist and very Catholic all at the same time. While there's been no big shift in political paradigm, I find growing increasingly liberal (admittedly, probably through my own youth) all the time with certain things such as abortion. While I believe it is still wrong, I also believe, as a man that I cannot dictate honestly what should go in a woman's body.
on Feb 17, 2005
Reply By: SolnacPosted: Thursday, February 17, 2005A. What is the year of your birth? 1980.B. What state do you live in? You'd be shocked, but it's easily the most conservative state of the union: Idaho.


oh I love idaho, I used to hunt and fish there alot, even had my own place on wells bench road over orofino, could look down on eagles and watch the clearwater wind its way underneath me, {lived at the 3200 foot mark} over a valley that was at the 1100 foot mark, hunted elk, deer, and wild turkey, fished for steelhead, largemouth bass,salmon, brookies, cut throat and dolly varton, used to smoke squafish {garbage}
on Feb 17, 2005
A. What is the year of your birth? 1960
B.What state do you live in? NJ
C. Which presidential candidate did you vote for in each election over the course of your life? 1980- Carter 84-Reagan 88- Dukakis 92- Clinton (Might have voted Perot if he stayed in) 96- Clinton 00 Gore (2 reasons, 1. Hate Bush, 2. Lieberman was VP) 04 Kerry
D. If you've had a major shift in political beliefs, is there any particular reason for it? No, but I voted Reagan in 84 beacuse he did a good job, and I didn't like Mondale.
on Feb 17, 2005
1949

Arizona

Republican candidate each time

I am more moderate now than I was in my 20's & consider myself a social liberal, but still a "policy" conservative. Although I couldn't vote for him in '64, Goldwater had the greatest influence on my thinking, then and in later years as one of my Senators.

Cheers,
Daiwa
on Feb 17, 2005
A. What is the year of your birth? 1970

B. What state do you live in? Nevada

C. Which presidential candidate did you vote for in each election over the course of your life?

1988- Bush #1 (because it looked like a good idea to stay the course)
1992- Perot
1996- Dole (would have voted for Clinton, but him and his wife personally cost me my dream job, long story.)
2000- Bush (could not bring myself to elect another China puppet, would have voted for Bradley in a minute)
2004- Bush (would have voted for any other Dem except Dean or Kerry)

D. If you've had a major shift in political beliefs, is there any particular reason for it?

Not really. I'm independent and believe all political parties should be banned. If anything I have moved a little to the right in the last few years. Mainly because I'm an internationalist (one of the things I did like about Clinton), strong defense, and strong Intel advocate. All three of which most leaders of the present Dems are just bashing away at.

That's My Two Cents
on Feb 17, 2005
Year of birth 1955

State I live in: Pennsylvania (or is that state of confusion?)


Which presidential candidate did you vote for in each election over the course of your life?

Democrat until George HW Bush came along. There after republican.


If you've had a major shift in political beliefs, is there any particular reason for it?

I didn't like the road the dems were taking us down and didn't care for what they were doing to the military.
on Feb 17, 2005
(because it looked like a good idea to stay the course)


"Let me sum up. On track, stay the course. Thousand points of light."
"Governor Dukakis. Rebuttal?"
"I can't believe I'm losing to this guy!"

One of my favorite moments in SNL history. And after just viewing the Michael Jackson special on ABC, I'd include any time Norm MacDonald said Michael Jackson is a homosexual pedophile.
on Feb 18, 2005
1970
I live on the border of Nevada/Arizona/California, but I was born and raised in California and until a few years ago had lived my entire life within miles of where I was born.

* Bush père
* Clinton (I was going to vote for Perot till he flaked out -- I voted for Clinton only to get rid of a horrible president)
* Clinton
* Gore (probably same reason I voted for for Bush père, residule holdover from a beloved previous prez -- also I hated Daddy Bush so much I was convinced his son would be just as bad or worse)
* Bush fils

There's been no major shift in my political philosophies.
on Feb 18, 2005
A. What is the year of your birth?

1984

B. What state do you live in?

Oregon

C. Which presidential candidate did you vote for in each election over the course of your life?

2004-Bush

D. If you've had a major shift in political beliefs, is there any particular reason for it?


I used to be fairly republican like, but after getting sick and tired of the bureacreacy of both main parties [Demis-Repubs]
i started to lean towards American Patriot Party/Constitution Pary...A bit weird yes, but i'm prolife,[not a christian, buddhist] anti capital punishment, middle of the road when it comes to same sex marriage [conflict of "interests"] etc.... so this would be me..
on Feb 18, 2005
A. What is the year of your birth? 1963
B. What state do you live in? Iowa
C. Which presidential candidate did you vote for in each election over the course of your life?
1984- Mondale
1988- Dukakis
1992- Clinton, considered Perot
1996- Clinton
2000- Gore, though I hated him
2004- Kerry
D. If you've had a major shift in political beliefs, is there any particular reason for it?
I have become less liberal over the years. In the past I thought you just threw money at all the problems. My sister and William Proxmire changed that.
on Feb 18, 2005
A. What is the year of your birth?--1967

B. What state do you live in?--Indiana

C. Which presidential candidate did you vote for in each election over the course of your life?--1988: Bush; 1992: Bush; 1996: Clinton (thought Dole was too old); 2000: Bush; 2004: Bush

D. If you've had a major shift in political beliefs, is there any particular reason for it?---Not really, since I've been a conservative for about as long as I can remember. However if I had to point to something in my formative years to account for it, it was probably the candidacy and presidencies of Ronald Reagan.
on Feb 18, 2005
While my politics have changed over time, my core principles have not.

A. What is the year of your birth? 1970

B. What state do you live in?

Texas (in 1996 & 2000, Wisconsin; in 1992 & 1988 Oklahoma)

C. Which presidential candidate did you vote for in each election over the course of your life?

1988 - Dukakis
1992 - J. Quinn Brisben (Socialist Party USA)
1996 - Bob Dole
2000 - Al Gore (last second change of heart; anti-Bush vote)
2004 - Michael Badnarik

D. If you've had a major shift in political beliefs, is there any particular reason for it?

I have not had a serious shift in beliefs, but have had a shift in party. From 1988 until 1991 I was a registered Democrat; from 1992-94 a Socialist; from 1994-2002 an Independent; and from 2002-present a Libertarian. The reason I am no longer a Socialist is too lengthy to go into in great depth in this reply; suffice it to say I do not believe in macrosocialism (forced socialism on a large scale) for a number of reasons, but I do believe in microsocialism (small cell, voluntary socialist societies within a government of free enterprise), and believe that the LP is the best political means to achieve it. I have always been a minarchist at heart, believing in the abolition of superfluous laws, of which we've had an abundance.

So, while my core beliefs haven't changed radically, the path I take to achieve them has.
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