Kick this if Bernie brought you into the Democratic Party

[retrowire]

AND, you stayed and voted Hillary when he said that was the best decision after the primaries.

I'm just trying to collect anecdotal data to figure something out for myself. Obviously, I kick this.

[demmiblue]

1. You may want to pose this question at a political site that skews younger. Way younger.

The vast majority of people here, including myself, have a lifetime record of voting for Democrats.

Me: Gen X, proudly voted for Bernie in the primary, voted for Hillary in the General.

[angstlessk]

3. Sugar, I'm 60+ and love me some Bernie, being a Democrat all my life

even before I was able to vote...Kennedy!

[demmiblue]

4. My point was that most of us here are established Dem voters.

retrowire is a younger voter who may have more luck collecting anecdotal data from voters that are closer in age to his own peer group.

[NCTraveler]

5. That is what they just referenced about this community.

We're overall solid in that respect, no matter who any of us have supported in an individual primary.

[retrowire]

6. In a way I'm also kinda feeling out

How much of my generation is here.

[angstlessk]

8. I remember wood burning classes

but don't remember if it was at reform school or a psych hospital...I just remember the smell.

[George II]

14. Then why not say what generation you're from and ask how many others are of that generation?

[retrowire]

18. Because it's not my main goal and

That's kinda ageist.

[Rhiannon12866]

59. I remember a poll here awhile back that asked DUers what generation they were

And I agree that DU does skew somewhat mature, but that doesn't mean we don't have - or welcome - younger members. When I first joined, we had a pretty active - and informed - high school crowd. I learned quite a bit from them.

[demmiblue]

19. Close to nil.

And if they were here, they would have been driven out last year. The political atmosphere/DU was brutal toward young voters. So incredibly short-sighted (next time, perhaps we should attempt to bring this demographic into the fold instead of alienating them).

I am glad that you are here, though.

[NRaleighLiberal]

28. I am 61 and the atmosphere drove me off for months

[demmiblue]

36. I stuck mainly to GD (much nicer), with an occasional foray into GDP.

I was disappointed that the admins didn't bring back GD: Politics after the election, as that forum in the past seemed to shunt off some of the worst drama llamas from GD (and because a lot of interesting topics/stories are lost due to the day to day political news stories and tweets).

[brooklynite]

38. By "alienating", you mean: insisting that people at a Pro-Democratic website support Democrats?

[LeftInTX]

20. Some posted a poll a few weeks ago

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=9235310

Maybe more people will respond.

I'm 61. I've been a Democrat for a long time.


Obama converted my kids

2 of them voted for Hillary.
1 of them didn't vote. (My dad died just before the election and my son didn't like Hillary)
Neither of my kids were crazy about Hillary, but I was proud of the two that did their patriot duty.
They are glad that they didn't vote for Trump.

[BlueCaliDem]

34. GenX here. My Millennials voted HRC in both primary and G.E.

Then again, they're politically up-to-date and ask questions rather than listen to their fellow Millennial friends.

The forces from all sides were against HRC BIG TIME. It wasn't easy having to not only correct the false narratives flying all over FB and other social media outlets, but we also had to back up corrections with documented facts.

Hard work.

About 70% of my Millennial group's friends - at least - voted Sanders in primary then voted HRC holding their noses, thanks to Putin's propaganda and the deluge of attacks coming from ALL sides that painted a horribly false image of HRC.

Longtime friends of hubby and me, dyed-in-the-wool Dems, began to hate Hillary, thanks to U.S. Press/Media LIES that were propagated by the other candidates day in, day out, and they had to hold their noses and vote HRC because they hated Trump more.

We weren't fooled, and voted HRC both in primary and G.E. We aren't the gullible type. We know how important it was to get another Democrat into the WH. Nearly 3M more Americans were of the same mind.

Too bad the E.C. got to pick the president they were handsomely paid to pick.

[snooper2]

24. poll after poll show that the majority of DU are older, 50+, and skews female

[Demsrule86]

60. When I turned 18, I became a Dem...no one brought me into the party.

The Democratic party shared my values much better than the GOP and of course third parties are mostly irrelevant.

[retrowire]

62. I just didn't care for politics.

I was raised in an apolitical family that never had an opinion on things.

Bernie enlightened me and thus, I'm here. Like a first generation Democrat of the family! Lol

[Demsrule86]

63. Well welcome to the light.

[Delmette2.0]

35. I'm 64 and a life long Democrat.

I couldn't believe that someone like Bernie was running for President....I didn't think that any politician thought like that anymore. I love Bernie and his ideas.
When we had our first Democrat Central Committee meeting for my county in November, people were still upset over the loss. I spoke up and said, " what about us Bernie supporters? We came along and helped and voted for Hillary and now we are grieving a second loss." I was ignored.
Later in the meeting when the conversation turned to future plans I had to speak up again. I said that I was tired to the Democrats nudging us to the right. I am tired of women not having equal pay. I am tired of abortion rights being eroded every year." Before I could say more I was gently interrupted.

I remember when women slightly older than me marched and campaigned for the Equal Rights Amendment for women and it still hasn't been ratified by enough states. I remember young women bring their bras while young men burned their draft cards.
The current Democrat Party is nothing like that, except for Bernie. Bernie is what fired up the young people of this country. Bernie is what fired up the older people who remember the promises and hopes of the 1960's and early 1970's.

[OilemFirchen]

40. I'm so old...

I remember when it was the DemocratIC Party.

[Hekate]

47. Same here

[Hekate]

48. "Democrat Party" is what the RW rudely calls us. It's "Democratic Party," as it always has been...

We refuse to let the RW redefine our terms for us.

[sfwriter]

42. Me too...

I was surprised by how old DU is.

Voted Bernie, then Hillary.

Gen X

[angstlessk]

2. I was a Democrat who preferred Bernie, but voted for Hillary

[philly_bob]

7. Angstlessk, same here. /nt

[LakeArenal]

17. Me too..

But before Bernie, in the 2012 Presidential election, I had a sign that said Hillary Clinton 2016.... I had no problem voting for Hillary when the time came.

[Pauldg47]

31. Me too!

[Raine]

49. Yes and I still like Bernie! nt

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. I'm still registered as a Dem.

[jimlup]

10. kick

[murielm99]

11. My Dad brought me into the Democratic Party.

As far as your question, what is there to figure out? This is a Democratic site. We vote for the nominee.

[MyNameGoesHere]

12. My brain brought me to the party

In 1980. Didn't need a messiah to figure it out.

[LeftInTX]

21. Me too!

I voted for Ford in 1976, (I was 20) but man I became a Democrat real quick when faced with Reagan.

[retrowire]

26. Bernie is no Messiah.

Never was. Don't mock my thought processes without knowing otherwise.

[MyNameGoesHere]

41. Never mentioned the Independent senator from Vermont

Sorry you felt mocked.

[retrowire]

43. Well the topic was about Bernie

Leading people to the party.

Sorry you forgot the subject of the conversation.

[MyNameGoesHere]

44. No my reply was about me

And when I was able to think for myself. You went election trolling.

[retrowire]

46. Who went election trolling?

I'm sorry, my topic isn't about an election. It's about a person that led me to this party.

Please stay on topic.

[Jim Lane]

58. FWIW, I interpreted your post exactly the way retrowire did.

This is just to let you know that it's not some retrowire idiosyncrasy. In the context, it's a perfectly natural reading. I'm glad to learn that you didn't intend it that way.

[retrowire]

25. If you're serious, please bring to light

Last edited Wed Jul 5, 2017, 04:57 PM - Edit history (1)

All the divisive posts I've made about Bernie on this site since after the election and I'll happily explain them away.

Should you be merely trying to besmirch my character however, I ask you to leave me alone.

Also, kneejerk reaction aside, I just realized! I never brought up Bernie vs Hillary! Lmao

I simply asked if Bernie was anyone's intro to the Dem party!

Still awaiting your response so I can know if you're trolling or not.

[DownriverDem]

15. Should be a no brainer

We have a two party system. It's a no brainer for me. I've been a Dem my whole life. The repubs are the party that has been trying to destroy Social Security since the 1930s and Medicare & Medicaid since the 1960s. The repubs offer me nothing. I don't need Bernie to tell me what I've known for a very long time.

[Sunlei]

16. I like them both! Sanders has always voted similar to the Ds as Senator.

In the primary I supported them both, donated to Sanders campaign because I felt Ds and Hillary Clinton needed to move more towards what Sanders was trying to say. Ds needed Sanders badly especially his ability to connect with younger voters.

I was one of the many, many DU members who helped raised thousands of dollars (was it $70,000?) for the Sanders campaign under the DU name. He sent a thank you letter to DU. I

Didn't donate to Clinton because she had enough money to run her campaign. I told them I will vote for Sanders in primary and back Clinton if she won the primary. I told the campaign callers the same thing. Also told them I thought Hillary and Bernie should work together as a team during the primary. After the primary I told the Clinton campaign the same thing through calls and emails. PLEASE work with Sanders team, PLEASE pick him as the VP. There were a few days, about a WEEK their campaigns worked together where I thought that would happen. Hillary did change her platform for the better a LOT after the primary but then she picked another as VP.

I agreed with both Sanders & Clinton when they BOTH said about the D primary- "Let the Voters decide" I voted for Sanders in primary, Hillary in GE and always have backed & 'liked' them BOTH.

[sheshe2]

22. I have been a Democrat my whole life.

They hold the same values as I do.

[dembotoz]

23. local county party is now 3x the previous size

and the vast majority were bernie
and they stayed

[progressoid]

27. That's what happened to my daughter.

Bernie to Hillary to Democrats.

[RKP5637]

29. We started with JFK, dem forever. n/t

[NRaleighLiberal]

30. I've been in the Democratic Party forever -

I will say that Bernie got me reenergized in politics in general - the party in general is not nearly liberal enough for me.

[elmac]

32. I'm a socialist

but have always voted Dem during GE's because there is no other viable party to vote for.

[SujiwanKenobee]

33. I have voted Dem since I first registered in the 80's

but I really resonated to Bernie's message. I refuse to be a party to besmirching his character or name at any time. I do not blame him for Hillary's loss. I will put the good of the people over party affiliation when given the opportunity.

[Brogrizzly]

37. K

[vi5]

39. He didn't but he reminded me of what the party used to stand for.

I'm in my late 40's and have been a Democrat since I knew that is what Jimmy Carter was. The party has angered me but I have always continued voting for them.

The things Bernie said were nothing any more outlandish or "left" than anything the party I grew up with said and believed. I didn't get a chance to vote for him in the primary since it was long decided by that point. And I obviously voted for Hillary in the GE since I have never not voted for every Democratic candidate in every election since the mid 80's.

But seeing him and the things he has said be decried as "far left" by the Democratic party and the people who purport to represent it, make me think that maybe I don't belong here any more.

[Demsrule86]

61. I don't get that ...there are two parties ...you think the Republicans are closer to your vision?

We have always been a big tent party with different viewpoints. Third Parties mostly act as spoilers so I would never support them...so by not voting or 'leaving the party'...you make it impossible to pass any legislation close to what you support. It doesn't make sense...'the Democratic party is not what I want thus I will help elect a way worse party(GOP) that I have noting in common with'...I don't get that.

[crosinski]

45. Well let me see youngsters. Registerd and voted as a Dem in '72. I was 18.

It was right after 18 yr. olds got the vote! If you were old enough to go to war, you were old enough to vote, as the saying went. Voted for George McGovern. Oh, and I'm an woman.

[Arazi]

50. I've always been Indie but Bernie was my guy in 2016

Voted Hillary but if I lived in a deep blue state like CA, NY or IL, I'd have been tempted to write him in. I like Hillary don't get me wrong. Easily voted for her but...

Currently registered Dem but love my Bernie

[SalviaBlue]

51. I'm kicking because I have always been a democrat

But I initially supported Bernie then wholeheartedly got behind Hillary after the primaries.

Most democrats I know voted this way.

[GulfCoast66]

52. Relatively new member of the Democratic Party here

Realized that my 27 year deceased father was right about Reagan back in the 80's. Unfortunately I realized it 23 years too late.

Never been a Bernie fan but try not to trash him and if he brings people like me to the party that is great.

[SecularMotion]

53. Either you're a Democrat or you're not

using the label "Bernie Democrat" is divisive nonsense.

[Nanjeanne]

54. Over 60. Been Dem since 18. Bernie kept me from leaving the Dem party.

[Baitball Blogger]

55. Kick

[aikoaiko]

56. FWIW: Bernie's support and faith in a better Democratic Party kept me from leaving.

[chia]

57. My vote for Bernie was my first ever Dem vote, Hillary was my second...

and I'm in my 50s.

(I'm a late bloomer)

[Hell Hath No Fury]

64. Bernie kept me in the Party --

and brought in a whole lot of independent activist I know here in SF.