The Difference Between Freeper's and DU'ers

[x-g.o.p.er]

Other than the obvious political ones. I found this place after I had questioned what my old party was doing under current leadership. I made a couple of posts over at the freeper site reagarding my serious reservations about Bush, and instead of the good-natured discourse based in facts and logic I get here, I was pretty much told that I was

1. a communist

2. damned to hell, or

3. I could "leeve if you donnt like it here" (that was a typing quote--really)

Look, I'm new here, but you guys rock. Every day it's easier and easier to be a democrat. I still will need some convincing on some issues, but all in all, I'm glad I switched. And I'll make a post when I get back from switching my party affiliation tomorrow. And if anyone cares, here's a link to why I changed, and one on how to get more converts, both authored by yours truly:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1069573

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1074806

DU ROCKS!!

For the good of the Republic, ABB in '04!!!

[rogerashton]

1. Willcomen! Bienvenue! Welcome!

Bleibe! Reste! Stay! (cue band)

[JohnLocke]

2. Welcome, friend.

Freeperville is even wackier these days...if Bush loses I'm going over there and bask in their despair...Bwhaaaaa!

[ronnykmarshall]

3. Welcome!

We're glad to have you in the family! :yourock:

[Bronco69]

4. Welcome!

:-)

[lastknowngood]

5. well if your looking for good natured discourse

you better be careful we get pretty hard at times

[Cat Atomic]

6. Conform. Conform. Conform.

I do think you see more of a push for conformity on the right for some reason. Damned if I know why.

They're very good at silencing dissident voices. People who ask questions are demonized. I couldn't believe the way they were talking about protesters on the build up to the invasion. And not just Free Republic, either- I mean mainstream conservative outlets like Fox. They went right next to calling the protesters traitors, and accused them of "dividing the country".

I suppose such conformity has it's benefits, though. I do think the Republican Party has been much more united than the Democratic Party.

I'd rather sacrifice unity and keep the ability to question basic ideas of the party.

[hlthe2b]

7. No one better at converting, than someone who is a convert themselves!

I hope you'll bring many more along. Frustration sometimes makes us dismiss those that we should be bringing along (i.e., all the sheeple comments), but truly, it is hard to predict what one seminal issue/event will be the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back." While it is difficult to converse with those on the "right" that are so unwilling to think for themselves that they answer every question with RNC or Limbaugh talking points, we can't quit trying....

For my REPUB relatives in KS and MO, the epiphany started when the RW fundies so overstepped with their attack on evolution in the schools. So, whether it is the overstepping of the "religious reich," the dramatic movement away from fiscal conservancy, the raping of the environment and worker-health regulations, or something else, you can touch a "chord" in many RWers if you keep at it...


The press is no friend for us in this effort, but truly the one-on-one approach of citizen to citizen can not be beat.

[Mari333]

8. welcome =)

welcome =)

[rockymountaindem]

9. Welcome!

Could you come to Colorado? We have lots of people who could learn from your example. Kinda like an intervention thing, you know? You're an inspiration to us all. Like James Carville says "The Church of the Ragin' Cajun welcomes everybody". Good to have you here.

[StClone]

10. Welcome home

The place rocks from basement to the attic peak...glad you made it through the fog home!

[Catch22Dem]

11. Welcome, bro!!!

I'm also a vet, and you'll find a lot of us here. My story is the exact opposite. I've been a democrat my entire life, but that's just upbringing. If you ever wanna BS, just give me a holler!

By the way, what issues do you find yourself most at odds, idealogically, with the Dem party?

[LTR]

12. Welcome aboard

Glad to see you opened your eyes.

The freepers are idiots. Bunch of morons communicating on a Cro-mag level. About the same reading comprehension level as Bush.

[kalian]

13. I'll welcome you to DU...but....

I hope you can understand that I am a tad skeptical of your
"conversion". I've seen this ploy in the past where a "former"
repuke wallows over to our side of the river and professes his
"anger and feelings of betrayal" for the GOP.

I would much rather prefer to leave political inclinations/preferences
aside and look at what we, as AMERICAN CITIZENS, can do collectively
to change the course of this nation.

I'll welcome you to our crusade to get our country back from
corporate demons and cronies, but I will not try to "convince" you
why our political are to be chosen over the republican's side.
That is for YOU to understand and accept, not for me to convince
or "convert" you.

You have to see the broader picture...go beyond the "us vs them"
mentality. People have forgotten that the first thing that we should
ALWAYS be thinking is what is best for our country. What would have
our forefathers have done under similar circumstances.

Welcome...and be free.

[UrbScotty]

14. Welcome, once again. (nt)

[Redneck Socialist]

15. Welcome to DU, but...

...wait until you publicly proclaim your support for a candidate. Ugly ain't seen nothin' yet. Heh.

[caledesi]

16. Welcome x-goper!

One of the most salient features that differentiates FR from DU is that DU is much more personal.

DUers talk about their personal problems, health, family etc and most of us give that person support. I have never seen this on FR. That's one of the main reasons I love DU.

And BTW, all you DUers who know about my illness (looks like MS), I have been feeling better after going thru absolute hell.

[CatWoman]

17. Welcome to the dark side

:hi:

My cats welcome you as well :D

[GreenPartyVoter]

18. Have fun winning righties over to the left :)

:hi:

[rumguy]

19. there are some smart Freepers

However, there is also a large contingent of close-minded, creepy Bushbots...

[monobrau]

20. Welcome from an independent

We're not all registered democrats around here, but we know which side our bread is buttered on.

[GOPFighter]

21. Welcome, from a fellow vet

Thanks for serving and fighting the real terrorists. I'm appalled at the Bush administration's treatment of the grunts that fight and die for our country. Their attitude seems to be that God made poor and working class kids to fight and die to make the world safer for the wealthy and their corporations. Grunts are their cannon fodder, why waste good money on bennies and medical care for them. (It's funny but I was a Republican when I went into the service, but came out a liberal!)

Glad you finally got the medical attention you needed. Hope you continue to enjoy DU.

GOPFighter

[welshTerrier2]

22. welcome aboard ...

it's always great to see someone escape from the dark side ...

the democratic party of today is not the same party many gop'ers turned against long ago ... democrats passed a balanced budget the last time they controlled the white house and the congress (without a single republican vote !!) ... the tax and spend label is long since dead ...

democrats, unlike republicans, favor responsible business ... we want healthy companies that grow and produce jobs ... the republican party has always been the party of fat cats ... they claim to be pro-business but giving away the hard-earned money of taxpayers thru tax loopholes and special treatment are not responsible pro-business policies ...

democrats are not soft on crime ... republicans are ... democrats want more cops on the street and we're willing to pay for it ... republicans like to say they're tough on crime because they don't want judges to have any discretion in sentencing ... but the truth is they underfund programs that could put more cops on the street to prevent crime in the first place ... and don't even get me started about early intervention programs, affirmative action and drug rehab programs to help reduce crime rates ...

democrats are not soft on defense ... the best defense gets us all the safety we need at the lowest price ... democrats understand that be a good global citizen is the first step towards making our own citizens safer ... we need allies ... we don't need more enemies ... arrogantly flaunting our superior military strength is not the way to build alliances ... and while i'm on the subject, it's democrats, not republicans, who really support our troops ... i'm afraid you've been learning that lesson the hard way ...

democrats are not tree huggers ... asthma and respiratory illnesses are on the rise, especially among our nation's children ... much of the progress that's been made on environmental legislation, not just in this country but on international treaties (e.g. kyoto) as well, has been rolled back by the bush administration and the republicans in congress ... and issues like our dependence on foreign oil and global warming is going to destroy this country in the not too distant future ... an aggressive program to transition our economy from its dependence on fossil fuels to an economy that works with, rather than against nature, will not only give us and the rest of the planet a healthier future, it will create jobs ...

and finally, on social issues like gay marriage and abortion, when will we ever learn to allow the individual to choose based on their own beliefs ? democrats value individual freedoms while republicans want to impose their values on the rest of us ... which system do you believe in?

there are lots of other issues to talk about, but i'm never sure anyone actually reads these long rambles ...

anyway, i'm glad you've decided to join us ... i commend you for having the courage and the insight to re-examine your views and find a new path ... welcome to DU and welcome to the struggle ...

[maggrwaggr]

23. don't worry, you'll get flamed here pretty soon, too!

:)