Have you ever known personally someone who was very liberal minded

[raccoon]

and then went over to the Dark Side (Became super conservative/Republican/freeper)?

If so, what do you think made them devolve change?

[Warpy]

1. I knew a lot of Trotskyites in the 60s

who found the antidemocratic appeal of the far right too seductive to resist.

I also knew a few kids who tried acid and got terrified into olde tyme babble thumping religion and the politics that went with it.

I knew a few bleeding heart liberals who went through a brief flirtation with Stupid/Crashcart after 9/11 because they were frightened. Once the fear wore off, so did the flirtation.

But no, I don't know any solid liberals who really went over to the dark side.

[Tutankhamun]

12. I had a friend who had a bad acid trip years ago.

He tried to kill himself by stabbing his wrists witha pencil. Needless to say, he failed. But he became a Mormon because of the acid trip. He wanted to get away from evil LSD, so he became a Mormon and changed his personality.

The irony is that he did it all because of an acid trip he had about wanting to see Jesus. He based his entire life on a single bad acid trip.

[Stuckinthebush]

23. Bad LSD trip leads to bad trip to LDS

Something kind of ironic about that.

[peace frog]

2. They "got religion"

joined an evangelical, born-again type church that basically brainwashed them into believing they would perish in hellfire if they didn't go with the wingnut flow. Not that I blame the church entirely, the person voluntarily surrendered their logical mind over to the holy rollerism, but there it is in a nutshell.

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. My brother married a very right wing southern Baptist and went to the dark side.

[fasttense]

5. In defense of Southern Baptists

I married an evangelical Southern Baptist (Good title for a horror story) and actually he became more liberal. He voted for Raygun but he despised the bush and co. He saw the bush for what he was, way before the 2000 supreme court presidential selection. His problem is that he is way too smart to be a Republicon.

[NRaleighLiberal]

8. Sorry for the generalization - we are surrounded by very right wing

baptists in our neighborhood (faux news all the time) so we are a bit sensitized! My brother is quite weak and malleable - just blows with the wind - so the views of whoever he married would predominate (even though he is quite bright)

[On the Road]

4. I Knew Some Libertarians Who Had Once Been Socialists

They were older, so I don't know the details of their personal story. But I believe what made them reconsider were the negative effects of a very large state sector including the loss of freedoms and the lack of checks and balances.

[Captain Hilts]

6. Yes, '60s anti-war protesters. Bought into Reagan's anti-govt. rhetoric. nt

[Warpy]

15. Do you actually know any?

I sure as hell don't. People in the movement with me were all appalled by Reagan's hawkishness and knew his antigovernment rhetoric was more GOP twaddle.

[CTyankee]

7. No, but I live in the Northeast and I tend to gravitate to liberals.

I've known a very few who are mixed but they were always that way to me.

[Doctor_J]

9. Hate radio & the GOP propaganda apparatus

It is remarkable how many right-wing GOP lies are taken as fact because of the saturation. And this has now been going on for more than 20 years.

[Recursion]

10. Dennis Miller, maybe? NT

[benld74]

11. A high school buddy of mine,,,

I discovered this while visiting a few years ago. I believe he quoted something he said Churchill said about growing older and becoming conservative. I just shook my head and said , Not all of us.

[Two Americas]

13. many

Many I know did over the last 35 years. Most, actually. They still call themselves Democrats, though, in most cases. They pay lip service to liberal causes, and they see Democrats as smarter and more stylish and competent and so relate to them better than they do Republicans. But they are authoritarian and conservative on matters of power and economics, which is what politics are about.

What made them change is that they became "winners" - successful - or identify with the winners, and also because of fear after they got a glimpse of what the rulers were willing to do to put down any dissent. They now see conservatism (they don't call it that) as "growing up" or "being realistic" or "practical." As their material well-being improved, they adopted more and more conservative attitudes. Modern liberalism has evolved to accommodate both conservative ideas about power and economics, and "liberal" or "progressive" positions on social issues. That "taking positions" amounts to very little: lip service, maybe writing a check, and are more a matter of personal taste and rejection of tradition than they are anything to do with politics. The two components of modern liberalism - deep conservatism on matters of economics and power, and liberal on matters of the "culture wars: the right wingers created, are ultimately contradictory to one another, and that is what causes all of the illogical thinking, the confusion and frustrations, and the bitter feuding on the political Left.

So it is a carrot and a stick that drove people to conservatism; the carrot of comfort, status, and material well-being, and the stick of fear of the authorities and fear of being ostracized socially - being seen as a "loser." Modern liberalism gives them a way to have their cake and eat it, too - to lives their lives based on conservatism, yet reassure themselves that they are still "good" on the social issues. This works until and unless anyone suggests that we actually try to advance the causes that liberalism supposedly represents, then bitter arguments start and we hear a million and one excuses for not moving forward and those pushing for action are ferociously attacked as purists, fringe, naive, unrealistic, dreamers, and on and on as every insult imaginable is thrown at them to discredit them in the eyes of others or shut them up.



...

[Baby Snooks]

20. You got it!!!!!!

It's called the greed factor and it is one of the reasons why so many Democrats became "Democrats for Reagan" and then became Republicans and really are now Republicrats supporting the Republicrat Party which includes both Democrats and Republicans who believe firmly that the more they make, the more they should be able to keep and as for "social conscience" it's fine as long as it doesn't cost them anything.

And we have a president who did well and then did even better with a book. $2.7 million even better. And more coming in every day. Just from a book. Ain't America grand? Our presidents of late don't really need a federal pension. They do quite well with their biographies. This one did well before he even became president.

"I have, therefore I am." And those of us who never had or no longer have just simply no longer exist.

[Baby Snooks]

21. A perfect example...

http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2009/05/11/oprah-its-great-to-have-a-private-jet/

Oprah. What women all around America want to be. What women all around America really want is just the money. It's all about the money, honey.

[truedelphi]

26. Some of the people that you are describing are

Calling themselves Republicans, but some still see themselves as Democrats.

They are well to do, but if someone is needy, unless they are an immigrant, they don't care. They want government-programs to take care of the needy - but they feel they should not be taxed.

And in California, they have Prop 13 protecting their largest asset - their house. So while veryone has to pay over 8 per cent sales tax, we still have the richest among us living in huge homes and paying 2 or three thousand a year in property taxes, or even much less.

[Two Americas]

28. the one group you cannot criticize

That 5% of the population, professional and educated and liberal and in the $70,000 and up in income, and their wannabes and sycophants are the one and only group that cannot be criticized here, that control the discussion within the party and liberalism, and that oppose every traditional principle and ideal that the party and organized Labor have always fought for.


...

[Politicalboi]

14. My brother was no bleeding heart but

He hated George Putnam. George Putnam was the O'Reilly of the 60's news here in Ca. He put fear into parents of the 60's about their children. He became a Repuke with Raygun.

[silverweb]

16. Two.

Both old school chums, and I had a hard time accepting their change.

One married a fundie and became a much more narrow person as she was taken over by his church.

The other became a successful businesswoman and has turned very Libertarian with racist undercurrents.

[EFerrari]

17. My poor mom went a little nuts after Hillary lost the nomination.

I don't know if she'll ever come back -- she's in her late 70s. :(

[Skittles]

18. hard to take, not seeing a female president in her 80 years

I'm sure I'll know the feeling too

[EFerrari]

22. She wanted it so badly she can't even watch Obama --

a presidency she likely otherwise would have celebrated, too.

[Skittles]

25. I supported Obama but

it was hard hearing constantly how "historic" that election was, when women have been excluded too and we are OVER HALF THE POPULATION

[EFerrari]

27. I know. I get sick of the stupid bullshit that manages to overlook us, too.

Did I say that?

lol

:hi:

[laststeamtrain]

19. The "I took acid & became a freeper" posts sound like neocon culture war psyops...

combined with 'boomer resentment'.

Urban legends.

I was in the Manson family, then I voted for Reagan, hate me I'm a dirty hippie freeper. Everything that's bad.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

24. B.I.L.

Late 50's, both parents active Union members & leaders..father was shop-steward and on bargaining committee during the BITTER late 60's NYC Sanitation strike...mother was first non-american born shop steward for her ILGWU local. Started out as a "Ray-Gun Democrat"...veered sharply to the right during Rudy's first term (pre-9/11) as Mayor of NYC. After 9/11, all bets were off. "My wife and my son were stranded in NYC and were unsafe" (BULLSH%T, they were nowhere near WTC, and walked to my other sister's apt on the east-side) "** 'kept my family safe'". He also became a viscious Archie Bunker type racist at the same time.

Ironic that he works for the NYC BOE, is a union member with all it's benefits and protections and HATES Unions--"They give MY dues money to people I DESPISE".

[cyr330]

29. Nope.

Not one.