How many here used to be conservatives?

[Archae]

Like me?

I was a Reagan conservative, mainly because at the time (1980's) I thought liberals had no idea what they were doing.

Just look who they ran against Reagan in 1984.

[BainsBane]

8. He's not a conservative now

That's what counts.

[BainsBane]

11. I missed that

As I Minnesotan, I have to agree. Sure, he's not the most dynamic politician, but he's a decent man.

[Smarmie Doofus]

17. Actually he was the strongest candidate we had that year.

For that reason I voted for him in the primary.

Gary Hart was McGovern reincarnated and would have actually done worse against Reagan.

Let's face it..... no DEM could have come close that year.

[TimberValley]

14. What does "eom" mean? I've seen it several times on DU. nt.

[npk]

16. end of message.

So people don't have to click the link to read the body, when there is no body to the post.

[Smarmie Doofus]

21. It's nt's evil twin. n/t ; eom.

[Smarmie Doofus]

2. Up til about 9th grade. Maybe 10th.

1969 was a big year. I remember reading about the Chicago trial every day that spring. Didn't really understand VN 'til that trial.

And then there was the Stonewall rebellion in June.

Time to change sides.

[Archae]

6. I changed sides in 1988...

When Bush elder called atheists "unpatriotic."

[Smarmie Doofus]

19. God should strike him dead. n/t

[hobbit709]

3. I'm a Democrat because there is no viable Socialist party.

I was brought up in a Socialist family background.

[PDJane]

4. Never. Never have been, never will be, in spite of family members' efforts.

[NoGOPZone]

5. I may have voted for Bush instead of Clinton in the 8th grade mock election nt

[RZM]

13. We must be the same age

I voted Clinton and he actually came in third, which surprised me.

[Old and In the Way]

7. If you still don't think you were right about your choice 1984...you might still be one.

I get it though...we're a whole lot more saner here than the nutbags that over -ran your Party. Which has pretty much returned back to hell since Ike left office. A lot of us knew back then that Reagan was a product of corporate image management. Ron played the Gipper Presidency well - he read the script and hit his marks like the Hollywood pro he was...but others did the heavy lifting in his name. He was "out of the loop".

[Archae]

34. I know I was wrong, now.

Reagan was a senile old bastard with no credibility, no sense of decency, and no class.

But at the time, I just didn't see any real "meat" to Captain Peanut and the Boy Whiner.

[bluestate10]

9. I was a Liberal. Now, I am Moderate-left, with emphasis on Moderate.

I changed after seeing too many people with good ideas but no concept of how to make them a reality. Even when I was more liberal, accountability was important to me, rightly or wrongly, I ended up feeling that liberals sometime made excuses for bad behavior. I know that I can never be a conservative or moderate-conservative because of the negative mindset that sets in on that side of the political spectrum.

[Buzz Clik]

12. I was.

I voted for Nixon in '72 and Reagan in '80. Went through a libertarian phase before I evolved.

[zbdent]

18. Not me, but I had to laugh about why a RW writer for a local weekly was a "conservative" ...

He said he was an "Alex P. Keaton" conservative ... because APK was "cool" on TV ...

(The show was supposed to be about the parents, but Michael J. Fox stole the spotlight. You could see "Mallory" just plodding through the cue cards in the latter seasons)

[RebelOne]

22. Never in my life.

When I was of legal age, I voted for JFK. And I have been a Democrat ever since. And I have brainwashed my two children and their kids to vote Democrat.

[northoftheborder]

23. Nevah.. 3rd or 4th gen. Democrat

[kentuck]

24. The 80's were a strong era for Reagan propaganda...

It's understandable why many young people, in their formative years, would believe that conservatism was the answer to all our problems. In fact, it was the cause. Even prominent politicians of a certain age had to cope with that also...

[Shankapotomus]

25. I was a conservative by default

Last edited Wed Apr 17, 2013, 01:12 AM - Edit history (2)

not by chosen conviction so it doesn't really count, in my mind. The rest of my family was conservative so I was just brought up believing that crap and had to mentally claw my way out of it by myself. Now that I've just typed that out, it's amazing I'm even here at DU instead of at Freepersville. I had no one around me helping me to see the light. No influences beyond a reading assignment in a community college politics class where I read "Looking Backward" by Edward Bellamy which didn't really leave much of a dent in my idiot mind at the time.

I had a brush with a few Buddhists online that I think mentally prepared me to be open to different views later. But before anything, in high school, I had a good grounding in Native history and their treatment at the hands of American settlers and soldiers. I think that helped. I went to the library one day and the first book I took off the shelf was a biography of Crazy Horse.

I guess I have to attribute my political conversion to W. Bush. Before he was even nominated, I could see, right away, the quality as a leader was clearly lacking. There was no way I was voting for that guy. And then after that, it was about two years straight of political epiphany after epiphany firing off in my brain on one issue after another, nobody coaching me, nobody backing me up, until one day I was a liberal. And here I am.

I feel like I have to add a bit more for clarity: Never voted for Reagan, was too indifferent to politics then. My only vote for a Republican, even as a "republican" was for the first term of H.W. Bush, which I deeply regret. Never listened or liked any right wing talk radio as a default republican because I thought it was low brow, knuckle dragging entertainment, not politics.

[Blue_In_AK]

26. Never.

I've been a leftist since I was quite young.

[rightsideout]

27. I used to be Conservative

That's why my name is "Rightsideout." I kicked the "Right" out of my life. Like a bad habit.

Even when I was a Republican I tended to vote Democratic. I voted for Clinton twice when I was a Republican. I finally changed over for a number of reasons:

1) I was helping a Democratic friend run for County Council so I changed parties to vote for him.
2) I got into solar energy and electric cars and the Republicans kept dissing the technology. You shoot yourself in the foot if you are promoting alternative energy and you are a Republican
3) I didn't like the way the Republicans went after Clinton.
4) My kid's elementary school principle flat out said if you care about education you won't vote Republican

[Luminous Animal]

28. A JFK-LBJ Democrat as a child and youth. A socialist through my teens & maturity and...

an anarcho-syndicatalist in my middle years.

Never a conservative. Not even in my nightmares.

[Demo_Chris]

29. Used to be more Libertarian than "conservative"

And as a proud Liberal I still agree with them on some issues.

[broiles]

30. Never, I've always been on the good side of history.

[Liberalynn]

31. When I turned 18 I voted for Reagan

That was the first and last time I ever voted for a PUKE for the Presidency or any other national office or state office. I voted for a few Republicans in local elections for a few years after that, but from the 90's on I have been a straight ticket Dem as my conscience would no longer let me vote for a PUKE for any office.

You see I attended two very liberal colleges and had wonderful liberal professors who taught me how sexist, racist, selfish, warmongering cretins the Pukes are. My major was History and I had a minor in Political Science.

Then through my job I had this displeasure of meeting several RePUKES who were the epitomy of the neandrathals my professors had taught me they were.

I would rather cut my arm off before ever voting PUKE again.

As for Reagan I now refer to him as 666.

I am frustrated with some of the Dem party right now, but I am hoping the FDR Dems will find away to take our party back. And the worst Dem is still better than a PUKE.

[Marie Marie]

32. The last time I leaned conservative was when

I was about 3 years old and another child took my toy. It was mine - all mine. Daddy worked hard to give me that toy and I didn't understand why this other kid couldn't pull himself up by his bootstraps and get his own damn toy. After I got over that little tantrum, I've been a Socialist Democrat ever since.

[rustydog]

33. me for one. right wing radio,Fox news and republicans

Using the exact same catch-phrases within hours of flowing from Rush-bo"s mouth sickened me early in the eighties. Seeing Newtered Gingrich and the GOP heard impeach Clinton while they were in personal scandals made me switch
I am still fairly conservative, but I"'ll NEVER be a Repugnant again.

[Archae]

35. I know, I used to enjoy Rush Limbaugh even!

He could be really funny at times, now mind you, this was back in the 80's and early 90's.

But his radio show and TV show got shrill, boring, (I mean, how many times did that druggie run that Clinton video?) and flat-out stupid.

No wonder his TV show went belly-up.

Nowadays I no longer listen to *ANY* talk radio, and I'm in love with Rachel Maddow!

[Zorra]

36. Meh. LOL...considering how badly your boy Reagan totally fucked up the US and

the rest of the planet, it wasn't the people who ran Mondale who had a cognition problem, it was unquestionably the conservative idiots who voted for Reagan that had absolutely no idea what they were doing.

I'm just sayin'...

[octothorpe]

37. I grew up in a conservative family and having to hear Rush on the radio...

Even at 9 years old, I thought the guy was a jackass. I'm sure my upbringing affected me in some ways, but since I've been my own person I've always been more liberal in my views than conservative. I've always been socially liberal though, even when I was a teenager. I used to get annoyed with my parents for not being able to give a coherent reason why gay marriage should be illegal.

[Populist_Prole]

38. I was, but the definition was different then too

I came of voting age during the Reagan years and bought all the flag-waving horseshit. I didn't enthusiastically agree with the whole supply-side economics thing, but I was young, impressionable and figured the powers that be knew what they were talking about; certainly more than me. So, you see, that was the problem. I had so little experience in the real world that the republican agenda made sense to me, plus I was more socially conservative ( not by today's standards ) then too. Talk radio, ( Bob Grant, Neal Boortz, Rush ) neatly and slickly packaged it, though I always chafed at their pro-globalism and anti-labor rhetoric. I liked Tom Clancy books. Also, and very important: In hindsight, the Clinton / third-way movement most surely didn't help. At the time, they represented the absolute worst of both worlds to me.

I guess it was around the year 2000-2001 or so, my movement to becoming more liberal ( or much less conservative ) began. RW Talk radio became downright toxic. I ditched Rush et al. I began to sneer at the whole flag-waving USA! USA! culture of bullshit wars and the post 9-11 authoritarian meme. Asking us to spend and buy while simultaneously attempting to un employ or under employ the whole damned country, either that, or lock them up. The whole anti-everything massive rightward surge with it's resultant domination of the religious right sealed the deal.

I look back and can't believe I was so damned fucking stupid...................

[Taverner]

39. Once, a long time ago, when I thought wrong

[tabbycat31]

40. I never was but I was apolitical for awhile

I honestly do not remember the Reagan years at all (I was a baby when he took office) and it was when my 2nd grade teacher defined liberal and conservative that I decided I was liberal.

I was apolitical in my teens and early 20s. I woke up in 2004 and now have made electing Democrats my career.

[Glitterati]

41. Not me, born and bred liberal

Grandfather and Father were union organizers.

It's in my blood.

[TheKentuckian]

42. Yeah, in my youth I was just this side of "sensible centrist".

[The Straight Story]

43. I was in may ways (registered independent) and it taught me a lot

Like the republicans today are not worth a damn. As I have noted before my grandfather was a republican mayor, my uncle was a democrat mayor.

That there were dems who, in the 90's, were calling for things repubs hated and then embraced and suddenly dems hated.

When I was 18 I was not into politics. So I registered as an independent. I didn't follow a lot of things, but some I did (was young and we didn't have the net back then as you know).

Republicans I knew growing up were pro-worker, so were dems. It was different on the local level in so many ways. Was a fundie for some years over my religion, but was open minded and learned from my mistakes. I was a hater on many levels because of not only the churches and people I associated with but also because I was just plain ignorant of things.

As I have gotten older I am seeing more and more how the parties are alike and less apart in actions when it comes to national levels (again, local is so much different, especially in small towns).

I think this is evident here in Ohio a lot where you can elect republicans on the one hand while voting for a dem president. Folks at a local level can be perfectly sane and reasonable but as they move up they become more about the party whole and not about the people who put them into office.

My ideas don't always map well to either party - your body, your choice is fought by both. Outcome based education (dems)/No child left behind (repubs) - hated both and they are the same.

I stand more for ideals than party, but side with the dem party when it comes to election across the board since they best reflect my ideals and hopes (thought not all in the party do).

[octoberlib]

44. Raised to be a Democrat.

My grandfather was a politician. I disengaged from politics for a while in my 20's because I was tired of it.

[Rex]

45. I could spot bullshit and evil early in life.

[MNBrewer]

46. Before I came out of the closet, and was a self-hating homosexual, yeah!

I was "conservative", a college Republican.

Then "I learned to love the cock"

it was the "bomb"

[sabrina 1]

47. I was born a Liberal. So it as natural for me to never be fooled by deceivers and liars and cheaters

and criminals like Reagan and the Bushes.

[AverageJoe90]

48. Was a conservative Bushie until about 2005 or so.

I've been socially liberal ever since, but it took me until about 2009-10 or so to catch up to the rest, TBH(went thru a libertarian phase, then a socialist one).

[Starry Messenger]

49. When I was 10 years old.

After that I knew better.

[Hekate]

50. From the time I worked on Eugene McCarthy's campaign I never looked back

That election was the year I turned 21 and could vote for the first time; several of my friends and I worked for McCarthy in town, not on campus. Our end of the county went for McCarthy in the primary, even though he lost the state (California).

Conservative? Never. Desirous of running candidates who will win? Oh hell yes.

[question everything]

51. It was Reagan that cured me of supporting the Republicans

the party that used to be "live and let live."

It was Reagan that let the religious wrong dominate the Republican party. It was Reagan with his "voodoo" economics that ushered the ear of "greed is good." OK, Reagan and his handlers. Like Bush Jr., he never had an original thought, had a poor vocabulary but, boy, did he know how to play a president.

So I started supporting Democratic candidates. And whenever I am unhappy with the Democratic candidate I look at the alternative and any doubts disappear.

[cliffordu]

52. Not me, like, ever.