Who ARE you people???

[Sophiegirl]

As a new member here, and having seen people who have thousands of posts, I'm very curious about who you all are (without naming names) and how you came to DU.

For me, I came across a link on Google News. After that, I was hooked. I work for a not-for-profit government research institute. We are a non-partisan company. I've worked for them for over 20 years.

I've always leaned left, but over the past 10+ years, have become solidly, staunchly blue.

[shraby]

1. It's a long story about how I got here, now I'm the one who has joined Big Bird

in calling for Romney's 10 years of back tax returns.

[Cha]

24. I like the way you put that, shraby! nm

[Glitterati]

2. A lonely DEM living in Red Hell

Sometimes I feel like I'm alone on an island.

Without places like DU and DailyKos I would probably lose my mind.

[wendylaroux]

6. Exactly what Glitterati said.

An island of people you can't even reason with,and it is getting worse. Really,really bad.

[Glitterati]

80. Maybe you can explain something to me?

OK, my county votes 90% repub every election (assuming you believe the machines). We don't even have a DEM party in the county; 5-7 DEMs get together for coffee once in a while. Republicans run unopposed in every election, there's not even a DEM on the ticket in local races.

So, why would the Romney campaign literally BLANKET the entire block around their headquarters with posters? I have to take a picture of this because it is quite astonishing!

[tinrobot]

3. I joined because some president invaded the wrong country.

That was quite a while ago.

[femmocrat]

4. Welcome to DU, Sophiegirl!

I joined in 2006 after being a long-time lurker.

I got hooked in Latest Breaking News, got in trouble in General Discussion, and finally got comfortable in the Lounge.

[notadmblnd]

5. I joined when there was about 30,000 registered users. Now there are over 150,000

I found this place when I was reading at another site that linked here. Been reading here or a long time.

[Grammy23]

7. I live in a very conservative part of NW Florida.

Like someone else said, I felt alone and sometimes isolated. I started lurking here some time before the 2004 election looking for kindred spirits who were disgusted with Bush, had questions about 9/11 and assorted other events. Got really hooked (and lurked here a LOT) in the 2004 election. I was psyched for that one, got involved and then fell into a pit of despair after Bush "won" again. I literally felt like I had been sucker punched. I think I walked around in a daze for three or four days.

2008 was better, much better. Openly supported Obama, gave money to his campaign, attended rallies, saw Michelle in person here in Pensacola and literally danced a happy dance the night he won. My niece who happened to be in South Africa on business called me to find out what was happening because she had difficulties getting an internet connection and I had the PURE JOY of telling her Obama had been declared the winner. We both were screaming and cheering and crying literally thousands of miles apart but joined in unbridled exhilaration!

I have spent a lot of time here lately because, again, I have suspicions that the election could be stolen or "manipulated" by voter suppression and other tricks. I get great information here and find other people who, like me, don't want to see Romney and Ryan take our nation back to the things that got us in such dire straits during the Bush Administration.

I hope to pop a cork on some champagne on Nov. 6 and I know others who come here to chat, exchange information and chew the fat will be sharing the joy with me.

Welcome to DU, by the way. Hope you get as much from it as I have!

[GallopingGhost]

8. I'm pretty new here, and

I usually only hang out on political forums during election time.

I feel very strongly about working to get Obama elected. I think he is a man who truly cares about what happens to the average person. I also like his intelligence and the fact that he comes from a background where he had to work hard to get where he is. (although I don't think he ever ate off an ironing board. )

[KT2000]

9. When GW stole the election

rather, the first one he stole.
Was so distraught and thought I lived in bizarro world. Found DU from a link a friend sent, and found like-minded people. It saved from utter despair that were the Bush years.
DU keeps me sane as I live in a pretty red neighborhood.

[otohara]

87. Me Too - Stealing The Election

was a real wake up call for me.

Had no idea how dirty the GOP was until then.

[Norrin Radd]

104. I didn't have a computer in 2000, but the R's stealing it again in 2004 brought me here.

Though I lurked for a while. I didn't sign up until 2005.

Oh, and welcome to DU, Sophiegirl!

[Skittles]

10. I was disgusted when the Supreme Court appointed Dubya as president

I knew what a complete disaster he would be (living in Texas, that nitwit had been my governor for 6 years). I read about DU in something authored by William Rivers Pitt, lurked here a while and then joined. DU is my oasis from the insanity that is red Texas and corporate "news"

[Odin2005]

11. Welcome to DU!!!

I was a lurker here since 2002 and the run-up to W's illegal invasion of Iraq. I joined and started posting in 2005.

[cheezmaka]

12. I'm pretty new here as well...

I was an insurance agent in Tennessee and worked with the grassroots Democratic campaign down there. Now I'm a social worker and I got married and moved to Michigan and started working with the Democratic grassroots campaign here. I recently found DU on the web when I wanted to find recent information on the camaign. Met lots of wonderful people and just about like it more than FaceBook...

[Cha]

25. I thought sure you were from

Wisconsin!

[cheezmaka]

71. Actually...

I was born in Chicago, IL and moved with my mom to Memphis, TN when I was 10 (divorce of course . Stayed there over 30 years. During several of those years I made " good money" selling insurance. Friends of mine told me "you know how to make that CHEESE!" I've been in Detroit for a year and a half now...

[Comrade_McKenzie]

13. I think I first found this place by Googling "Democat Message Board" nt

[NCLefty]

14. I think it was a link in an HP comment

... last week (lol). I've been a big supporter lefty ideals for a long time though.

[2theleft]

15. Brand new as well...

I have a few co-workers who have mentioned this site back in 2004 and I have lurked since. In a swing state (VA) and work at a large national Bank (gasp). Surrounded by conservatives. Live in a horribly red area of the city. Hoping against hope that we go blue again, beat Allen and get rid of Cantor.

[Cha]

28. You should say hello to these Peeps, 2theleft..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251114702

Welcome to DU!

[littlemissmartypants]

78. Welcome to the DU!

[Marie Marie]

16. I joined for some sanity during that 8 year nightmare

that was the Cheney Administration. Been addicted ever since.

[mary195149]

17. I joined right after the 2004 Election

when John Kerry lost. That was depressing, knowing that we had 4 more years of George. I was naive enough to think the Repubs would not get away with all the things that just happened to go wrong during election day. So many things went wrong and just miraculously ended up in Bush's favor. I thought surely, they won't get away with this. They did get away with it!!
I mostly just read the comments and participate a little during election times, as you can see I have been here for 8 years but I just hit 300 posts. How about that?

[greenymac]

18. I came here 2 months ago...

I mostly read after work and before bed but very rarely post unless Im compelled. Im pretty sure I found this site from a lnk on twitter. BTW Im @stickmagik if anyone wants to follow Ill follow back.

[graywarrior]

19. We're all insane.

[Cha]

29. It helps.

[graywarrior]

31. One is crazier than the other

[Cha]

39. LOL!

[patrice]

47. he, he . . . says the one who held a duck hostage for a couple of years!

[Sophiegirl]

55. There has got to be a funny story behind that comment. n/t

[gateley]

59. I'm afraid to ask what befell the duck!

[patrice]

62. Ooops! I stand self-corrected! That was graypanther who held the duck hostage!

[graywarrior]

82. You were right the first time.

It was moi.

[patrice]

89. Well, good for me, but too!! bad for poor Duckie! a martyr to such demented darkness!

Saint Duckie!

[graywarrior]

107. Duckie is a pip.

[MADem]

102. That always made me laugh....

...along with the dancing underpants of underpants...!!

[graywarrior]

108. Yeah? Well, your sig line is cwazy! I love it!

[graywarrior]

81. I'm qwakkers, what can I say?

[gateley]

92. Every time I saw it I'd laugh.

[janx]

98. I had forgotten about that!

Thanks for the reminder...so funny that she did that.

[AverageJoe90]

20. A big and hearty welcome to DU, sophiegirl! =D

I honestly can't remember exactly how I found this site but it was sometime in 2010, I think, though it could have been earlier, possibly.
But I'm glad to be a member of the community.

I hope you enjoy your time here.

[Wellstone ruled]

21. Oh geez,welcome aboard,

relatively new with the posting don't cha know then. Been following the chatter for ever it's seems like. Helps to relieve the stupid we endure living in the reddest county in Udah. But,what a hoot!!!

[luv_mykatz]

22. Hmmm...I know I lurked for a long time before joining.

I can't really remember how I found DU. Either it was an article by William Rivers Pitt, or else a link from the Rude Pundit. Maybe both? Maybe I followed a link from William Rivers Pitt to the Rude Pundit, and from the Rude One to DU?

Anyway, I come here far too often. This place sucks up a lot of my time...but, reading here keeps me sane! Lots of very cool, very informed and articulate people who post here...I LOVE DU!

And, Welcome to DU, by the way.

[SEMOVoter]

23. welcome to DU, sophiegirl

I'm new here too. For me it was not wanting to repeat the loneliness and frustration of the Bush years. I come from a mostly Dem Hillbilly family and now I live in a redder than red area.

Found DU and have been lurking awhile.

[susanna]

26. You might not be interested in me then...my post count is pretty low.

I'm a super old-timer, however...I came here immediately after the 2000 election (which I believe was stolen from the people). Have no idea how I found DU, but I've been here ever since. I occasionally even post something. I was like you...I was a left-leaning moderate (then) who has grown progressively more liberal as I grow older (now).

Welcome to DU, Sophiegirl. I've learned a great deal over the 12 years I've been here and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have (and still do).

[Sophiegirl]

30. Of course I am...

...interested in you. Just because your post count is low doesn't lessen your dedication. I don't post a lot, but I read the posts often since I found this site.

[susanna]

67. Oh, I wish I could post more!

I just find that by the time I get to some posts others have beat me to my own thoughts via their replies lol.

As for me, I shouldn't have implied that you weren't interested in a low post count person and for that I apologize.

back to you!

[Sophiegirl]

111. No apology needed.

[Sophiegirl]

27. Really cool

To see so many relatively new posters responding here.

Thanks for the welcome and welcome to those newbies (like myself) as well.

Sof

[Brother Buzz]

32. ENRON and the ginned up California energy shortage

The keenest minds and wickedest pens on the internet were here at DU back then, bar none.

[Sophiegirl]

33. Are they still here? n/t

[Brother Buzz]

40. Some, many actually

Others have moved on to even bigger and better things, published, and whatnot. I've noticed one DUer that has a gift of writing superb, tight, scathing essays has recently returned after a lengthy hiatus. I welcome her return.

[gateley]

94. She frequently posts here:

http://www.democratsforprogress.com/

[Brother Buzz]

96. She's a good one, but I was thinking of another

The Plaid Adder

[gateley]

97. Oh! Loved her, too!

[brush]

34. Welcome, Sophiegirl

I'm a long time activist and transplanted New Yorker living and working in Las Vegas now on the Obama campaign to turn Nevada into a blue state. And I think we're getting there as we've out-registered the repugs 2 to 1 here. We did well here in 2008, and remember batsh_t crazy Sharon Angle who tried to unseat Harry Reid in the Senate in 2010? Well, we worked and were successful in keeping her here and unelected where she can't do any damage. There are a lot of good, strong posters here, some are quirky, some can get snarky with the best of them, and some use sarcasm to make points (look for the sarcasm tag) but you'll learn a lot. I've known about DU since '04/'05 and would check it, TruthOut and Common Dreams pretty regularly but used to spend most time on Huffington Post. They've moved too far right for me since that big money grab/merger thing though. You'll enjoy it here. But be warned, it can get addicting as the best part sometimes is reading and interacting with the commenters.

[Cha]

38. I knew I liked you!

On the ground worker in Nevada! Thanks brush!

[brush]

44. Back at ya, Cha

I'll be looking for your posts.

[crunch60]

60. Thank you for your help in getting rid of the "Chicken for check up's" crazy lady Angle. We need a

lot more activists like you here in LV.

[Cha]

35. Hey Sophiegirl, Welcome to DU, staunchly blue!

I came to DU in September, 2002 after reading about it in a Nation Mag as "alternative news" before I got a computer in June of 2002. It took me a few months to get over being overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of turning it on. I bought one just for online politics..I figured it would be cathartic because of the bush-cheney coup and Was It Ever!

Been a long Bumpy Road but here we are in 2012 engaged in getting President Obama Re-Elected!



http://theobamadiary.com/

[Mz Pip]

36. Been here since early 2001

It's the best site to find links to just about every political media out there.

[patrice]

46. +++1

[aletier_v]

37. I've been on the internet longer than 97% of the other users here

I was in the alt.current-events.clinton.whitewater group before world wide web existed, I joined FreeRepublic when it began in 1996, and had an account on DemocraticUnderground around 2001 (which was deleted by some bonehead here for making an innocuous Obama joke) and slowly shifted from mostly using FR to mostly using DU as FR got crazier and more religious.

I've worked in startups, large corporations, a university and Federal projects over the past 25 years but I was a blue collar worker for about ten years before I got into software & the internet.

[Sophiegirl]

49. I voted for Obama...

And I will vote for him again.

In 2008, my dental technician was talking about his election and how happy she was about it. She didn't know my own Party affiliation. I've known her for over 15 years and we talk freely about many things. But what really surprised me was when I finally got to "rinse out" and told her that I knew he would be elected when he first announced his candidacy, and that I voted for I'm...the look on her face was priceless. I'll never forget it. She is African American. I think she was very surprised that I was all for Obama. It made me feel bad that many African Americas find it hard to believe that "white" Americans would support him because of his "color."

I hope that my conversation with her made her believe that not every white American is racist. That many of us believe in voting for someone who will lead us for the betterment of or our country, regardless of ethnicity. And for me...today, it surely isn't ANY Republican that had a chance to be on the ticket.

[SteveG]

41. I joined shortly after the SCOTUS declared Bush II POTUS

I came aboard in the very earliest days of DU. It has been a refuge of sanity, and good info over the last decade. I truly wish that it would have been possible to create it when Reagan was elected.

[BootinUp]

42. It was the Iraq War that prompted me to find

a place for discussing politics. I spent a lot of time on Wes Clark blogs back in '03 and eventually found my way here. Have always been a Dem, raised by 2 staunch liberals.

[patrice]

43. I was interested in internet forums anyway, because of my master's research, so I was hanging around

Slashdot some in 2001 or 2002, where I saw a reference to DU and I also happened to be visiting MoveOn where they used to post stuff written by their members. It was in either one of those places, or maybe I just googled internet forums. Not long after I hit DU, I read William Pitt's book-length interview with the weapons inspector, Scott Ritter, and very active, very productive discussion about EVERY aspect of the lead up to the War on Iraq was building here. Practically everyone here knew stuff about 9/11 and the War on Iraq that almost no one else got into until several years later.

This place has its ups and downs. It can and does get pretty crazy during election years especially and certain kinds of events will set it off, like when Steve Irwin was killed by a sting-ray several years ago. Some of that is authentic; some of it is manufactured. I think DU 3.0 has stabilized some of the crazy stuff, without utterly crushing it, so it's an improvement. I love the peer juries. This is an interesting place. Challenging. Frustrating. Endearing. Changing. Alive.

[Sophiegirl]

50. Master's???

I think I understand what you mean.

Glad you are here.

[patrice]

51. MS Ed. Curriculum Development. One of my projects about "the future of the internet" was about

how places like this would be one of the most important dimensions of the internet and, hence, one of the justifications to utterly defend net neutrality.

[patrice]

52. Glad you're here too!

[Sophiegirl]

54. Thanks

My mind went in a totally different direction.

[Iceberg Louie]

45. Welcome; I'm fairly new here myself

I happened upon DU through a Google search result related somehow to the Republican primaries, and was impressed by the sophistication of the exchanges I read (in contrast to the typically simian nature found on general social media such as FB, etc.), so I didn't think twice about joining up.

I've always been vehemently liberal on social issues, and fairly center-right fiscally, but since the moderate Republican is an extinct species, I find myself much more at home at DU. I don't always agree with every Democratic platform point, but I am viscerally disgusted by neocons and extreme right-wingers, and as such tend to support Democratic leaders and causes.

[gateley]

93. Welcome to you, too, Iceberg Louie!

[catbyte]

48. I found DU a decade ago in the grips of Bush despair I think Dogpile searcher

[MFM008]

53. by Keith Olbermann

he had been talking about something on this site .

[longship]

56. DU controls the universe.

But it is like a combination of a Douglas Adams and Kurt Vonnegut Jr. novel plot. (I am very fond of chronosynclastic infundibula and of The Great Hyperlobic Omni-Cognate Neutron Wrangler. You take your pick; either/both are available here at DU.)


Regardless, welcome!

[Sophiegirl]

57. SERIOUSLY???

Geez. Now I have to look all of that up!!

[longship]

65. Of course, just kidding.

But it is like going to the sausage factory sometimes.

Lots of intelligent, wonky posts. But also some hair-on-fire running around. But the best somehow always manages to bubble to the top. All of it is what makes DU such a great place. Gotta have some good ol' chair throwing for good measure.

Regardless, it's one of the best political communities on the Intertubes. Naw! It is the best.

[ellie]

58. I have been here since the beginning of DU.

I don't post a lot but I do read the threads, especially the late breaking news threads.

[Jennicut]

61. I seriously have no idea how I got to have over 20,000 posts.

It's nuts, really.
I was born to two conservative parents but grew up in blue Connecticut. I always leaned to the left socially. Became more to the left on economic policies since joining DU.

I lurked here in 2003, having found the site through searching for stuff against Bush and his cronies. Joined for a little while but then left when Kerry lost. I was pretty devastated and forget my password/username. I joined back up in 2006 and got right back into it and have been posting ever since.

There have been times when I needed a break but DU is like an old friend now. I have spent my entire late 20's and into my 30's here! I now have two kids that are 7 and 8. They weren't even born when I first found this site. I love DU and it really is the best, most welcoming place to be a liberal. Lots of intelligent conversation here and you learn new things every day. DU made me more liberal then I ever was as I discovered more and more about how bad the right wing in this country really was.

Welcome to DU and have fun.

[Lugnut]

63. Hi Sophiegirl!

An online acquaintance clued me in to DU way back in 2001. I've done more reading than posting but I've learned a lot.

My parents and most of their siblings were strong Democrats. Most of my extended family members were coal miners. My dad's brother was a union organizer for the CIO as it was called back then. My dad was a UMWA power shovel operator. Most of our neighbors were union members - UAW, Teamsters and ILGWU. That was the norm, for the most part, back in the early 50s in this area. I've been a liberal forever.

[johnlucas]

64. Used to call myself Democrat. Long for someone to TRULY stand for Social & Economic Justice

I'm Black & grew up a Democrat. I live in Georgia.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (with Harry S. Truman) & John Fitzgerald Kennedy (with Lyndon Baines Johnson) are the reason why many Blacks became Democrats thanks to their actions on Civil Rights platforms as well as domestic economic policies.

I was born in the mid-late 1970s long after the heavy lifting for our justice was done.
Came of age in the era of Ronald Reagan then George Herbert Walker Bush in the 1980s.
Became a legal adult in the 1990s in the era of Bill Clinton.
Saw the era of George Walker Bush as a young adult in the 2000s.
And saw Barack Obama become the first Black President in 2008.

Growing up in the Reagan/Bush era I knew that everything was going backwards from what was accomplished before I was born.
My grandmother always told me about how good a man Jimmy Carter was & I knew that ever since Reagan got in Economic Justice was falling apart while we were still striving to secure Social Justice.
I knew what the Republicans were & what they stood for: Greed, Bigotry, War-lust, & just general Mean-Spiritedness.
I was dismayed at how their philosophies took over the general direction of the country.

I always hoped that the Democrats would stop the Republicans & their plans but got disappointed time & time again.
Had some hope with Bill Clinton & he did do some things but he didn't stop the nation's general march towards this wicked Republican agenda.
The election & re-election (stolen or not) of George Bush Jr. proved this.

In 2000, I was severely tempted to vote for Ralph Nader since I was getting increasingly disappointed in the Democrats for letting these wackos go so far.
The Republicans weren't hard to beat. They just appealed to people's worst nature, the lowest common denominator.
You have to out-think them & sabotage their little games.
But I voted for Al Gore anyway since as a Democrat I couldn't let Bush get in there.
Nader just didn't have enough support & now was not the time to make a point with so much at stake.
Bush got in anyway. Gore didn't fight him about that suspicious vote tally.

In 2004, still somehow calling myself a Democrat despite them following lapdog behind everything Bush did, I was hoping for somebody strong enough on an independent party to make a legitimate run.
But there was nobody so I voted for the Democrats again.
I wasn't enthusiastic about Kerry but we had to get Bush out of there before he did anymore damage.
Bush got in AGAIN anyway. And another 4 years of Democrats rolling over & playing fetch was at hand.

In 2006, I hoped that the Democrats had learned their lesson being so weak to Bush that they would finally fight back.
Nope. Gotta keep their powder dry & all that crap.
Somewhere around this time I stopped calling myself a Democrat.
Being in Georgia, Republicans run a lot of stuff in this state & it feels like it's people like me against the world.
The Great Michael Jackson said, "All I wanna say is that...they don't really care about us!"

When Obama ran in 2008, I shed all labels but thought that anybody who was for Social & Economic Justice worked WITHIN the weak Democratic Party to achieve this.
The two-party system is strong, I knew that. I was pragmatic about my votes by now. Still wanted the Republican Party to end.
By now I hated the Democrats in general but put my hopes behind Obama to be the emblem of Change not just in the obvious way but also to change that Democratic Party back into that strong force they used to be.
That force that proposed a Second Bill of Rights, that passed New Deals, that tried to make a Great Society...for ALL people not just a few.
During this time I find Democratic Underground through a web search as he & Hillary fight it out over the Democratic Nomination.

He gets in & then does business much like Clinton did.
He DID get some things accomplished but I know he could have gone much further if he & the Democrats tried.
I thought of my no-label stance while at Democratic Underground & was true to it but was willing to accept a label called "Progressive" since the meaning of that word was more direct & self-explanatory than "Liberal" was ('liberal' means 'free' but that could portrayed to mean free from responsibility, free from regulation, free market advocate).
I was about PROGRESS on this Social & Economic Justice front.

But here at Democratic Underground, I find some people more interested in the Democratic part of the name than the Underground.
To me, Democratic is the simplistic automatic "All Democrats are the good guys" kneejerk reaction.
While Underground represents any & all of those who are still fighting for what the Democratic Party SAYS it's fighting for—Social & Economic Justice for ALL.

Democratic are the party cheerleaders who make excuses for the Democratic Party's weaknesses.
They don't believe in any criticism towards the party no matter how justified.
Underground are the ones who believe in the actions of the Democratic Party not the image & may take on a host of names from 'Democrat' to 'Green' to 'Socialist' to 'Independent'.
They question the enemy within & are even willing to shuck the Democratic Party label if it will no longer serve the interests of Social & Economic Justice for All.

Democratic is the comfortable Status Quo. Safe & secure.
Underground is in the dirt, on the outside looking in, grimy in the gutter, strivers on the come up.

Democratic make for good team players & solid block support but are not as insightful.
Underground can be divisive & individualistic but improve the power of the cause.

Being here I have seen the need for both halves.
I identify in the Underground section but understand that those Democratic cheerleaders put the numbers behind the candidates.
I welcome disharmonic discussion but also know that a team of individuals can never be a team.
I see that the Democratic team players need to open up to what the Underground have to say instead of automatically covering their ears up saying "La la la".
I see that the guys in the muck, the discordant outsiders refresh the staleness of the status quo.

I will reclaim the label of Democrat once the Democratic Party reclaims its stance as THE force for Social & Economic Justice.
There is no Right & Left. There is only Backward & Forward.
PROGRESS FORWARD!
John Lucas

P.S.: Democratic Underground is a TREASURE TROVE of Knowledge like all forums. I love this place & have learned so much from people's stories here!

[BadGimp]

66. I found this oasis of group talk and interaction in the early days..

before Google, before hybrids, and long before iPhones

[Drunken Irishman]

68. I'm Sean. I like whiskey, hot women and horror movies.

[janx]

99. Well thank Dog you're not Seamus. n/t

[JustAnotherGen]

69. I came here

Because I belong to another forum that is non political in nature but had a political board. A former member provided some links to me because I was so po'd about ANOTHER stolen election 2004 - from DU. I read for three years then joined I think in 2007. Raised by staunch liberals/Democratic Party members so as my Daddy would stay - indoctrinated in social justice from birth.

[LP2K12]

70. Just as new here...

Last edited Mon Oct 8, 2012, 07:47 AM - Edit history (1)

I recently signed up for DU. I'm a twenty-six year old US Army veteran from a very conservative and right-leaning family. You know, the NRA life members who believe everyone is out to steal their guns. My family have always been very into politics. The only democrat I can remember any of them voting for is Clinton.

I enlisted straight out of high school because of the events on September 11. I voted for Bush along my family's party lines and then I began doing research during my time in the military. Since then I've gotten married and my wife and I have three children so my priorities have changed.

I voted for Obama in 2008 proudly and to the dismay of most of my family. Interestingly enough, I was directed to DU by another Republican turned Democrat for Obama on the townhall (conservative) website.

In the end, if I take those political compass tests/quizzes they peg me as a Libertarian Democrat. Oh, and I'm still a member of the NRA for their educational programs, but I loathe their ads.

[gateley]

95. Welcome to you, LP2K12!

[viguy007]

72. I joined when no Republican Blog would post my letter

[Maine-ah]

73. I've been here since W

My brother told me about DU

[davidpdx]

74. I ask myself the same thing everytime I log on

This place can be a bit schizophrenic at times.

[SoFlaJet]

75. I came here right after the 2000 "election"

when I became one of the tens of thousands of Floridians who was purged off the rolls by Jeb Bush's GOP operatives. I have been here ever since. My screen name back then was something like Oustthennow or Oust'EmNow. Some of you oldtimers might remember me as the guy who got the hot tip about Rush Limbaugh and outed him for being a junkie, since my bass player was his personal chef at the time. I think my thread went like this: Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Junkie LOL

[xfundy]

76. I've been here for several years.

And for several years, I had people call me newbie, subversive, etc., but I tend to listen more than I talk.

[Chemisse]

77. I wish I had known about DU during the W years.

My husband was on here a lot during the 2008 elections. I joined the discussions right after Obama was voted in, and have been here ever since.

I am a high school chemistry teacher in New Hampshire, a mother of five grown kids, a registered independent who nearly always votes the full Dem ticket (If possible anyway - In New Hampshire there are a lot of local races that ONLY have Republicans running), and my top concern is climate change.

Welcome to DU!

[Borchkins]

79. Top Ten Conservative Idiots drew me in

I loved to read every week--I really miss it, too.

I lurked for a long time, then finally joined and I'm up to a whopping 59 posts. I'm a lifelong democrat, from a family of democrats, in a blue state. Both my parents were union members and because of their union wages, they raised six college-educated kids.

Other than the disastorous recall, we've had a good run in Wisconsin. We need to get our groove back with a Tammy Baldwin win and deliver the state for Obama.

B

[TBF]

86. That's the Wisconsin I grew up in -

my dad and all my friend's dads (some moms too) belonged to unions in the 70s. I don't recognize the state now but I will definitely feel better with Baldwin/Obama wins.

[tech3149]

83. Tired old fart who gave up working in 2002

I've been around DU since 2003 when they began that crime in Iraq.
I think I'm about as far to the left , and always have been, as you can get.
I was lucky enough to get a good education in a public school before the Powell doctrine took off.
My background is solidly blue collar, former coal mining town with three generations in the same house.

Since I found DU, it's been a life line for information and deliberative discussion.
Welcome and I hope you benefit from your time at DU as much as I have.

[alc]

84. social liberal, fiscal conservative. vote D,R,L,or other depending on issues and candidate

I saw DU mentioned on other sites (left & right) quite often. I think I first visited during the Bush/Kerry election. I didn't like Bush fiscally or socially, and Badnarik (L) was a joke, and I got better information about Kerry here than anywhere else. I think I joined to try to become the 50,000th member (but missed it)

[TBF]

85. Factory kid - I grew up blue collar

and I found DU one day through a link on a music forum to the top 10 conservative idiots (a feature EarlG used to write)

[steve2470]

88. Grew up Democratic, found DU in 2004, never looked back, this place rocks nt

[coalition_unwilling]

90. I came here in late 2002 from a libertarian (but genuinely ecumenical)

website: antiwar.com. That site frequently linked to DU threads and articles with an anti-war theme.

I have not been back to antiwar.com in quite some time but I assume it continues to thrive.

[Kelvin Mace]

91. Been around since early 2003

came in when I was working with a small group of activists looking into the Diebold e-voting scandal. Most of the dirt that was dug up on Diebold, was sifted here first.

That turned into a serious mixed blessing, and I was burned out for several years and simply lurked. Back to posting, but sporadically.

[Jamaal510]

100. I'm 22 years old and plan on majoring in political science at HSU next fall.

And I found DU in February when I typed in "fuck Ron Paul" in a Google search. I was mad that every political YouTube video I went to was infested with his supporters spamming "RON PAUL 2012 OUR ONLY HOPE" in the comments, so I typed that in the Google search out of anger.

[NCLefty]

105. We've all been there, brother.

[janx]

101. "You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?"

[Ivywoods55]

103. Welcome!

I've been a member since 2010 after following a link on, I think, the Obama Diary, which I love also. I rarely post, but I come here everyday, maybe four or five times a day to just read and keep abreast of what is going on. This is one of my main go-to sites to stay informed. Welcome to one of the best sites for political info on the web! Nice to meet you!

[octoberlib]

106. I found DU through a Google search

I'm a lifelong Democrat from North Carolina ( born in Kansas). I've done volunteer work for the Obama campaign and the DNC(when it was here in Charlotte). This site helps me preserve my sanity.

[bamacrat]

109. I joined in August of 2004, my dad is a DUer..

Not sure how it is now but back then you couldn't sign up with a generic hotmail or yahoo account. So when I enrolled at The University of Alabama I had my way in.. Dad has been a DUer since 02-03. Its fun, some people are a bit to sensitive. And by a bit I mean way. Its a good place to vent and stay up on news and politics. A must in my daily surfing.

[Mad_Dem_X]

110. I first came here the summer of 2004

through a site called BartCop. This place is my political oasis.