Political Persuasion- how did you get there?

[Nephythys]

Left. Right. Middle.

Democrat. Republican. Libertarian.

Conservative. Progressive. Liberal.

How did you come into your political beliefs? What convicted you to stand on one side or the other? Was there a moment in history- personal or otherwise that changed things for you, or solidified what you already believed?

Did you grow up around politics- did those stay with you? What do you base your opinions on? What issues drive you the most?

Have you ever voted against your "norm"?

(I will answer- but don't have time right at the moment)

[Alex]

I grew up in a politically intert house. My paternal grandparents were faithful voters but they were the only members of my family who did so, so far as I know. And this was true even before we became Jehovah's Witnesses, who prohibit participation in the political process.

I've always been simultaneously fascinated and repulsed by politics. It is probably the most important realm of human behavior since it is the process by which we decide how we'll live together. I also adore debate and discussion and argument. And this is what repulses me. I find that 99% of people hold political views simply because someone else told them to and have made no attempt to understand why those views are valid or how they are supportable (and thus, for most, a political view is essentially received wisdom and otherwise indistinguishable from how most people come into their religious views).

I do not think there is a "right" political point of view, and enjoy honest disagreement. I came to my views through an awful lot of thought. Not about politics but about the universe and metaphysics and biology and not an insignificant amount of personal preference (though I try to constantly explore the whys and origins of my personal preferences). By nature I'm just a libertarian sort of person. As much as possible I want to be left alone and want to leave everybody else alone. This is tempered by the recognition that modern society is too large and too complicated for pure libertarianism and there are reasonable points of compromise.

What I hate about the effect of democracy on politics is that with everybody invested in it, it becomes personal. And most people think that when a person disagrees with them, it is either because that other person is stupid or immoral or because that other person is thinking such of you. Thus political debate becomes the lashing out of hurt feelings. Very few people can accept that honest disagreement is possible. That two reasonable people can, given identical inputs, come to different rational outputs. With such people, discussion is futile and repetitive.

I engage in political (or other) debate not to change anybody's mind (though it is good if everybody is open to such a possibility) but to simply prod, poke, and explore the whys and implications of various ideas.

I do it anyway, though. I have no idea where it came from, though. Nobody in my family cares and none of my friends in college did either. Probably the biggest influence was probably reading Robert Heinlein's brand of libertarianism and Isaac Asimov's skepticism (politically very different people) when I was kid.

[sleepyjeff]

I come from a pretty conservative family(my parents are actually libertatians now but were once pretty big supporters of the Republican party). All of my Grandparents were Republicans too. My sister and brother are both Republicans and, in my opinion, far more conservative than me((that's right, in my family, I am the liberal)

Now I am not just a conservative/republican due to my family. I operate a small business, own a heavily taxed home, and my best friend is a refugee from communist Cuba. I graduated from a very liberal college(Portland State) and saw all the crazy predictions my liberal proffesors made in the late 80s never come true. Right after college I listened to a lot of talk radio because I was driving a truck for a living.....no, not Rush or any right wingers. The station I listened to the most was KGO(San Francisco) because of its great signal for long distances........yes, Bernie Ward has a lot more to do with who I am now than Rush or Sean.

Than there was 1992. When Clinton won the White House things were really weird for me. I was so use to being a defender of the President(be it Bush or Reagan) that it was difficult for me to switch and become a critic.....it didn't take long though for me to figure out that defending was actually harder than being a critic. The Clinton years were actually kinda easy, debate wise that is

[Ghoulish Delight]

I suppose I would call myself a moderate Democrat with Libretarian leanings. In general, I believe in a society as large as the US, no "pure" ideology can possibly work and that compromise is a must. Thus, while I generally believe in a "leave me the hell alone" philosophy, I also see important roles where a government needs to step in.

I also happen to believe that since money and the economy are entirely artificial constructs, existing only as an agreement within a society and between other societies, I have no problem with a government, being representative of said society, involving itself in the economy and distribution of money. I do not see money as an inalienable right, it's simply a tool.

Okay, so how did I get to this point? There was certainly no single defining moment, I'm definitely a product of my upbringing. Two liberal educators as parents, both politically aware, though not always active. Combined with exposure to a very diverse population in my schools. Being in magnet programs since elementary school, I was always with people from all walks of life, all races, all areas of the city, all economic classes. And that taught me that no one had any real truth, and that any real answer lies somewhere in the middle.

My economic views I suppose come from the fact that I grew up in a very fiscally responsible household. 2 LAUSD employees that, despite sub-par pay for most of my upbringing, despite being just as heavily taxed as anyone else, made it through 30+ years and 2 kids going through college with no debt beyond their home loan. It taught me that, in the end, it doesn't matter what the government does, it all comes down to personal responsibility and understanding the concept of living within your means. Doesn't mean I'm in favor of an entirely socialistic system, or that I supoprt the current state of social spending, but it does mean I'm not afraid of social programs as a concept.

Like Alex, I rarely debate as a means to change someone's mind. I simply enjoy the exchange of perspective and find that a good "opponent" helps me see my own position more clearly.

[blueerica]

Since everyone else had such complete thought on this I'll have to wait until I have a little more time (and a little less anxiety) to flesh it out for you. The cliff notes version is that I have been all over the map politically, trying to find something that's in tune with my core beliefs. Like GD - I've come to the conclusion that nothing is perfect, and that compromise is necessary. It's why I am not affiliated with any party. While there are things that aren't up for question - the aforementioned core beliefs - there are a lot of things that are up for question. The best politics can give us is a guess, and estimation, an idea. The execution and factors uncontrollable in our real life environments make everything subject to change.

Maybe that's my political leaning: subject to change.

[Prudence]

My family is mostly conservative, but conservative in ways that aren't reflected by the current "conservative" party. Some perceive Republicans as fiscally irresponsible and too concerned with monitoring what people do (my dad). My grandparents refused to vote for Reagan because he was divorced and they considered that immoral. While my assessments of morality and fiscal soundness might differ from theirs, those concepts play a big role in how I evaluate current political issues.

My mom is another major influence. It might seem obvious to some, but I still remember realizing that one didn't have to hold a party line - that you didn't have to be "a Republican" or "a Democrat" come hell or high water. My mom had been fairly conservative, but she has this well-concealed bra-burning liberal streak when it comes to issues that might appeal to the bra-burning liberals.

So, a generous portion of Protestant work ethic, as filtered through the family farm perspective, a good amount of "people who don't know what it's like to be me shouldn't be able to tell me what I can and can't do about things that are none of their business", equal portions compassion and skepticism, a dash of "consider the long-term ramifications",and all topped off with a dash of tinfoil hat paranoia.

[Strangler Lewis]

Oh, he!!, I had hoped to get some work done this morning.

First, the easy question: the only time I recall voting against my "norm" was when I voted for Pete Wilson over Kathleen Brown for governor. That was mostly a family loyalty thing since he had appointed my basically independent father-in-law to the superior court bench. I was able to rationalize this because I saw a news clip of Kathleen Brown being welcomed by a cheering crowd and she put up her right arm and went "Whooo!" like she was in a Bud Light ad or on one of those annoying cable car tour buses that used to pass under my apartment window full of people going "Whooo!" I hate people who go "Whooo!"

Now, let's see. Boiled down, I support the Democrats because, at least in this point in American history, they are the party that does not encourage, exploit and validate cruelty, meanness and hate. George Allen could be the Republicans' presidential candidate. 'Nuf said, really, but . . .

My father was a Holocaust survivor who came to America by himself at 12 as one of the One Thousand Children, the American equivalent of the British program that was the subject of the Oscar winning documentary some years back. His family lost everything in Germany, his father was murdered as were many of his relatives. He lived with secularly Jewish foster families in the midwest until he was reunited with his mother in a poor neighborhood in Manhattan.

My mother was a child of the Depression, although she never went without food on the table. She was basically raised by her grandmother because her mother, and two sisters joined the Father Divine cult, where they were told to renounce their families.

My father served in World War II, which he did not particularly enjoy. One of his principal missions involved Okinawa mop-up, caves, flamethrowers and anything that moved.

My father did quite well in New York. At first, I went to a fairly diverse public school where I got along with everyone. However, the principal told my parents that if they wanted me to be challenged in school, they needed to move. So they moved to the Jewish side of Forest Hills where nearly all the black kids at school came on the bus (except for the ones from the orphanage down the block) and were not in the gifted classes. That we were different from them was made abundantly clear, but it never seemed right. Thinking back, my father often would drive me through the Bowery, where the men down on their luck on the streets were white, to emphasize how lucky I was. He never drove me through Harlem. My parents were basically Nixon silent majority Republicans. Fear of black crime was a major issue for them. Fear is not an attractive emotion.

I did not view religion as a terribly positive force growing up. It divided my otherwise non-traditional family eight ways to Sunday. Everybody had opinions; everybody was critical and mean. People in my building would tell me I was going to the wrong temple. My aunt who left the Father Divine cult after marrying a black man she met there probably got it the worst.

We moved to California when my father was 52 so he could open his own business and not have to travel so much. The business failed, and my parents went bankrupt a few years later. At that age, my father was not able to rebuild a career path as an employee. Suffice it to say that the various safety nets came in handy.

Doing criminal law, I have mostly encountered human beings with horrible backgrounds and/or mental illness. Some of my clients it's hard not to dismiss as total sh**s, but I try.

What else? Lots of friends of different races and religious backgrounds. Lots of gay friends. As I see it, the Republican tent is big enough to embrace racists, sexists, homophobes and people who would rather give millions to the prison industrial complex because it feels good to punish the poor and the black rather than give that money to schools or programs that might prevent crime. As far as personal responsibility goes, the party is also home to speeding pick-up drivers who can't be bothered to wear seat belts and who kill themselves and others. (Admittedly, the surveys do not show the political affilitation of Sonoma County's unseatbelted, pickup driving fatalities, but it's a fair guess.)

I disagree with the above viewpoints that people come to their political positions calmly and rationally. I think people are driven by emotion, and those emotions are not always pretty. I like to harken back to Jonathan Swift's essay, "A Modest Proposal." Humor aside, the point of that was that politics serves our baser emotions and you can get away with almost anything cruel and outlandish if you couch it in reasonable terms. The Republicans have mastered this rhetorical device. I don't care for it.

[Not Afraid]

I never know what to label myself and end up doing it based on choosing the best of two evils. I hate the constant blame game of politics and have very few politicians who I would want as a friend - let alone representing me in office. The older I get, the less interested I am in the political BS.

I care more about social issues than I do about financial issues - although they tend to be inter-related, so there are always exceptions.

I came from ultra conservative, Republican, fundamentalist Christian environment and I embrace very little of the ideals in which I was raised. I find both the Republican Party and the Christian Church to be far too intolerant and limiting for my own brand of thinking. I honestly cannot allign myself with any political party wholeheartedly but I end up doing it as a counter move. I may not love the democrat up for election but I certainly like him more than the republican - but that is not always the case.

Basicily, politics bores the crap out of me because it seems like it's a lot of talk and blame and no actual action - at least not a whole lot of action that makes a positive difference.

[€uroMeinke]

I am an anarchist.

I believe the entire political system to be a sham by which people are deluded into thinking they are getting what they want. Despite the myth of "public service" politics tends to attract politicians, that is self serving individuals more converned about "winning" than actually making the world a better place. The chief advantage of the political system is it makes people's behavior both more predictable and controlable, ultimately making it easier for them to be taken advantage of, or at least manipulated in a way the serves my own interests.

My parents were immigrants from Nazi Germany and with that brought numerous stories of governemnts and economies vanishing overnight. They came to the US following the promise of the American Dream and ultimately became both patriotic and democratic which was possible at the time (c. 1962).

In persuing his dream, my father became ill, had a brain tumor, surgery, and became dissabled. His insurance covered the first three months of hospital bills, his pension marginally supplemented the meager social security benefit, which became our sole source of income after the mid seventies when my father's old workplace went bankrupt. The chief benefit from going from Middle Class to poverty is it made it much easier for me to secure financial aid through college. Riding the tale end of the baby boom, most of the programs I was able to take advantage of, no longer exist.

So Health Care is an issue for me, but in my life time I've seen that promise fade enough times to no longer care. Free Speech issues have also been big with me, possibly inherited from my father's foolishness of speaking out against the Nazi's while living in Germany - But in setting up a PAC in response to the NEA 4 controversy, I found myself face to face with the ugly political machine of the democratic party which was more about winning the given election (or rather making sure the Republican would loose) than doing anything more than taking our ideals as window dressing.

I still vote in the elections, but I tend to favor porn stars or punk rockers than politicians. I was happy to see Gray Davis go, since from being within my industry, I watched him avoid doing anything proactive to avoid the whole CA energy crisis, even though he knew it was coming but wasn't politically expediant for him to do anything. I'm sad to see the CA Governor's race is once again D vs. R. I will likely vote Green, or Libertarian, or write in Jerry Brown's name.

[innerSpaceman]

Believe it or not, I was a staunch conservative in college.




It was a phase.


Before and since, I've been a liberal progressive, which politically puts me in the voting camp for the Democrats, unless a particularly interesting green or libertarian or independent candidate comes along.

For the same reasons given much more eloquently by Strangler Lewis, I have never been able to support the Republican Party or the Conservative movement or the Christian ideologists. My family was democratic, but hardly politically active. Yet the way I was raised and the very nature of my intrinsic soul have determined my political leanings. I tend to be very absolutist about certain things, so I'll just come right out and say it ...

Good vs. Evil.

Which political direction is compassionate, which is hateful? Which is based on greed, which on generosity?

I know many good people who claim to be conservatives, but I believe they are rationalizing things and/or deluding themselves. While I'm all for pulling one's self up by one's bootstraps, I draw the line at the every-man-for-himself philosophy that is perhaps the best thing that can be said about the conservative impulse.

I think the widespread economic prosperity that took hold in the latter half of 20th-Century America has been the pinnacle of human civilization, and thus the height of goodness for eons and time and hundreds of light years around. I am certainly not interested in supporting the forces that want to turn back that achievement. I cannot support poverty or discrimination or hatred or violence or war or greed.

Good vs. Evil. It's a choice. One you can make at any time, and have to make often regardless of how you've chosen before.


Heheh, it's not too late, you conservatives and republicans and christian ideologists. Look it up in the dictionary. "Good." Check out what Jesus the Christ had to say about it, if that suits you. Ask your mother, if she's still around. Or consult with Jiminy Cricket. And, without lying to yourself, look inside to find out if what you're doing is Good or not, whether it's based on fear or based in love.




sorry to get all preachy. but unlike Alex, I think good people coming to differently reasonable points of view works only to a certain point ... after which, I simply can't abide people who want to hurt other people.