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22 Responses to "QotD: Why Are You?"

1. | Reply gary
   Posted 14 Sep 2004 at 9:56am #
   

   I am a Democrat for many reasons. I am a Democrat because I believe that the Environment needs to be protected. I am a Democrat because I believe that a woman's right to choose what is done to her body is an inalienable right. I am a Democrat because I believe that the workers of American need to be protected from the predatory practices of corporations. I am a Democrat because I believe that it is the obligation of the government to provide a helping hand to the neediest of our society. I am a Democrat because I believe that education should be available to all Americans equally. I am a Democrat because I believe in rehabilitation rather than punishment. I am a Democrat because I believe that it is not the State's right to take the life of a citizen no mater the offense of the citizen. I am a Democrat because I believe that all people are created equal and should be treated equally by the state. I am a Democrat because I believe that all people should be free to practice their chosen religion without interference or influence from the state. I am a Democrat because the Republican Party of the United States fails to meet these ideals that I hold dear to my satisfaction.

2. | Reply mike3k
   Posted 14 Sep 2004 at 10:03am #
   

   I'm a Libertarian because I believe the government shouldn't meddle in our lives. I very strongly object to the Republican's religious-oriented social agenda and attempts to legislate morality & religion. We should have the right to live our lives as we want and believe or not believe whatever we want. The government shouldn't be based on a particular set of religious beliefs. I plan to vote for Kerry, however, because he's less objectionable than Bush and we need a more sane government.

3. | Reply Tyler
   Posted 14 Sep 2004 at 10:28am #
   

   I am a Libertarian because I believe in a smaller government.

4. | Reply John Johnson
   Posted 14 Sep 2004 at 10:35am #
   

   I am a Libertarian because the Democrat and Republican parties have failed to perform their duties. Both parties waste money on conventions, corruption, and poor bookkeeping yet tell us they need more money. Both parties have erected high barriers to third parties and enacted draconian campaign finance laws that make it hard to consider any honest political debate. And the figureheads of both parties have made it clear that they want to close up the loopholes so that they can cherry-pick the issues they want to talk about.

   The Democrats talk about the environment as an excuse to pass rights-eroding laws that end up having, at best, little positive effect on the environment. The Republicans have turned abortion, which ought to be a personal, moral, and spiritual issue, into a political issue.

   Both Democrats and Republicans have created a nightmare out of our health care system, and promise to do even more damage. They have done the same with education.

   If you are a Republican, ask whether you'd rather have Bill Clinton as your moral guardian. Or if you trust George Bush to keep spending under control.

   If you are a Democrat, ask whether you trust George Bush with the environment, or education.

   The fact of the matter is that if we leave matters up to the federal government, then 4-year progress on those matters will depend on one man, who happens to receive the most electoral votes.

   Given the ever-regressing quality of our presidents, I'd rather leave matters up to the states, or our citizens. That's why I'm a Libertarian.

5. | Reply Erik J. Barzeski
   Posted 14 Sep 2004 at 11:17am #
   

   People have told me that, based on what I've said here on my blog, that I may in fact be a Libertarian as well. However, I don't yet know how that really fits into the two-party system we've got here in the US. So, there's that as a matter of clarifying my original statement.

6. | Reply Erica
   Posted 14 Sep 2004 at 11:52am #
   

   I am a Libertarian because of all of the reasons others have cited above. I am a Libertarian who tends to vote Republican, because though I find Republican social policy generally as disastrous as Democrat economic and foreign policies, I find that Republican social policy sneaks through the whole checks and balances thing far less often than Democrat economic and foreign policies.

   I am a Libertarian who does not vote Libertarian because I've seen the party--both from the outside and the inside--and its political priorities are, unfortunately, terribly misplaced. The fail completely to leverage their position in ways that could plausibly either raise visibility or effectively color policy, instead focussing purely on numbers of LP candidates on ballots and in office.

   I am a Libertarian who does not vote Libertarian because, though I believe there are other ways to run a functioning military (or something that looks, walks and quacks like one, and replaces the essential functions of one), I think that right now is not the best time to rock that particular boat. (Particularly when the whole handling the military question is possibly the most divisive issue in the party.)

   ...sick of hearing from Libertarians, yet?

7. | Reply Jo-Pete Nelson
   Posted 14 Sep 2004 at 6:01pm #
   

   I am independent of any party for two reasons. First, because the major parties don't fit all my political values. Second, because I dislike strictly partisan voting. Some things should be voted on based on their merit rather than because of what "party" a congressman belongs to. I used to say I was part of the republican party (mostly just because my parents both are), but during the Clinton impeachment, I was disgusted that you could predict the vote based on the numbers of party members rather than what individuals perceived to be the right thing to do.

8. | Reply Grayson
   Posted 14 Sep 2004 at 6:49pm #
   

   I am a liberal because I believe that there is still social injustice that needs correcting, the government exists to support the people as a protection against tyranny, and that society works better when we work together as a whole rather than isolate ourselves.

   I am a conservative because I believe that we must control government (and government spending) lest it be tyrannical, that our freedoms are sacred, and that we must respect individuality for fear of losing it.

   I vote Democratic even though the party does represent all of my beliefs but the Republican party line is even more opposed to them.

9. | Reply Clint Ecker
   Posted 14 Sep 2004 at 7:07pm #
   

   I have no party affiliation and I vote on the candidate that best represents my ideals and values. Locking yourself into a specific party seems short-sighted to me.

10. | Reply Jared White
    Posted 14 Sep 2004 at 11:42pm #
    

    I'm a nothing, but I'm registered Republican and will vote Republican because I believe in a unborn child's right to live, and I believe in a government that allows people to help themselves rather than shove socialist rhetoric and expensive "programs" down people's throats. However, I'm also a major advocate of organic food, natural/alternative medicine, and environmental conservation, and therefore am quite disappointed in the Republican party on those counts. On the other hand, the anti-Christian bias of the current Democratic party really turns me off, so if I'm anything, I am a Republican.

    Cheers,

    Jared

11. | Reply Niels Hansen
    Posted 15 Sep 2004 at 11:13am #
    

    I am a Moderate Republician. I believe that the goverment should stay out of people's lives. I believe that goverment should only be here to provide only the necessary services and defend us from enemies that want to hurt/kill us.

    However I've been REALLY turned off by the right wing extremist that have hijacked the party. The whole anti-gay thing really bothers me because everyone should be treated fairly.

    Also, I could never be a Democrat because how the extreme left have taken over that party.

    I believe most Americans are in the middle and the media has done a terrible job to show that if your a Democratic you think Bush is a Nazi and if your a Republican you think Gay's are going to hell. This is so stupid! America needs to take their parties back from the extremist!

12. | Reply Tim Buchheim
    Posted 15 Sep 2004 at 1:59pm #
    

    I'm a registered Democrat because I find myself more in agreement with that party's views on the following topics (in no particular order):the environmentcivil rights, particularly for gay persons (I have a number of gay/lesbian friends, and I don't see any reason why they should be treated differently.)health care (Bush's "those drugs from Canada are dangerous" thing is just stupid. The drugs are made by the exact same companies, in the exact same factories, in most cases.)abortiongun control (you don't need an AK-47 for hunting, people)separation of church & state (It seems to me that the Constitution and the many relevant Supreme Court rulings have been pretty clear on this point, but a number of Repubicans don't seem to get it.)taxation (specifially, I'm in disagreement with Bush's current "eliminate any tax which only rich people pay" attitude)I was at one time registered as a Republican. I voted for Dole in 1996. There quite a few Republicans whom I like, especially in CA state politics, but there are also a few in Congress, such as McCain. But with the rise of the far right in the party, there's just no way I could support it now.

13. | Reply Jeffrey J. Hoover
    Posted 15 Sep 2004 at 6:45pm #
    

    I am a Green Party member because the enviroment needs more attention than we are giving it. Having said that, I tend to vote Democratic for the same reasons.

    Ralph Nader is not Green, even if he claims to be.

14. | Reply Alexander Payne
    Posted 15 Sep 2004 at 9:12pm #
    

    I am an independent, no-party voter because partisanship and party platforms are the downfall of effective, citizen-serving government and intelligent political debate.

15. | Reply Mark
    Posted 15 Sep 2004 at 9:41pm #
    

    I am a Democrat and a liberal because I like the illusion of control and freedom those stances provide me. I believe there are two major frames, or reference points, in the world today: paternalistic (Republican) or deterministic (Democrat). Rather than be told what to think, how to act, what to believe, I prefer to determine those things on my own.

    Or I could be wrong.

16. | Reply DPH
    Posted 15 Sep 2004 at 11:25pm #
    

    I am an anarchist because I believe that all my decisions should be free from coercion. Group cooperation arises from consensus.

17. | Reply Bah!
    Posted 15 Sep 2004 at 11:44pm #
    

    Yes, with 10 years of a Republican Congress and 4 years of a Republican Executive, the government has gotten so much smaller, not to mention the size of the National Debt. Not that any of the other political parties would be any better. The problem with politicians is that they all like "pork" since the bigger and better the pork for their constituents; the more ensured they are of reelection.

18. | Reply Nates's Brain Dump
    Posted 16 Sep 2004 at 12:52pm #
    

    Question: Why are you (Democrat || Republican)?

    My answer is "None of the above." Click though to see why.

19. | Reply David
    Posted 16 Sep 2004 at 4:28pm #
    

    I am unrepresented.

    My views are complex -- just like everyone's are and no party platform ever represents me. I care about the character and ideals of each politician more than I care about what party they are with.

    Examples: The democrats don't particularly like me because I am Christian. The republicans don't care enough about the environment and they keep supporting Bushs.

    Note: Elephants rock so if this was based on mascot alone I'd be with the republicans.

20. | Reply Justin
    Posted 16 Sep 2004 at 8:12pm #
    

    I have abandoned party affiliations because I believe no political party in the United States has a vision for this country that matches my vision of how this country should be.

    I believe in individual freedom, which rules out both the Republicans and Democrats. I believe our military should be for defensive purposes only, except for extreme situations, which again rules out the Republicans. I believe government law cannot cause people of different races/creeds/nationalities/etc. to play nice with each other, which rules out the Democrats. I believe the government should be financially responsible, which again rules out both the Democrats and the Republicans, for different reasons.

    I've considered the smaller parties in addition to the giant two, and again found them to only partially overlap with my areas of interest.

    And ultimately, I've found that adhering to a party line leaves me to accept, at times violent, contradictions between party platform and party practice, and to close my mind to the practical problems of the real world.

21. | Reply Brian Howenstein
    Posted 17 Sep 2004 at 12:34am #
    

    I am Independent because I like to think for myself and do not believe in the platforms of any political party.

22. | Reply codepoet
    Posted 17 Sep 2004 at 8:26am #
    

    I am an independent because all parties have taken on so much platform baggage from large supporters that they contradict themselves to significant degrees. Small government, large enforement! Large government, small enforcement!

    I would be bits of Republican or Libertarian for the sake of their domestic policies and a Democrat for their international policies. I am for a moral America, but do not believe law can enforce that. I am for an equal corporate playground, but do not believe law can enforce that. I am for a smaller government because large governments tend towards the abusive. I am for all personal freedoms except the supposed freedom to murder children. The freedom of speech is core to America and all parties are taking it away as they find it offends them in one way or another. For that reason, and others, I will not associate with them.

    Which leads to a curious non-willing non-voting status for the office of President. I'd vote if there was someone I didn't feel guilty about voting for. (I'm not wasting my vote on a "little man" just to say I voted; either my vote means something or I'll watch the election on TV and cry myself drunk over the state of America.)