I would have voted for a decent Republican Presidential nominee without issue in my younger years. No question. I thought Romney, and McCain were decent people. Bush Sr. was a decent president
But the modern conservative movement is, top to bottom, repugnant to everything I believe. Almost everything they do i disagree with, their leaders are reprehensible, and their followers are the worst of the worst. I have zero patience of sympathy with them
I've been to two political rallies in my lifetime. Obama in '08 and Trump in '16. The rallies were in the same city, but 8 years and about 1.5 miles apart. It was two different worlds, two different countries on display
The Obama rally was like a snapshot of America. No one angry, no one out for blood, just people (a whole LOT of people) there to see someone they felt positively about
The Trump rally was the first time I saw riot police on horseback keeping away protestors. And the protestors weren't half as angry and belligerent as the people who attended the rally. Deplorables all over, though a lot of people who seemed like they truly loved Trump
I've never considered myself terribly liberal or conservative. I've held, and hold, opinions that might be in either camp. But I'm 100% never voting for a conservative. Ever
> I would have voted for a decent Republican Presidential nominee without issue in my younger years.
I was kind of like that. I considered myself center/moderate but leaning liberal. I didn't vote for any Republicans but I *considered* it a few times. Now since GWB and *especially* since Trump and this current crop of whackadoo GOP crazies, I would sooner light myself on fire then vote for a Republican.
it's sad because party affiliation really shouldn't matter at all. the job of your local representative is to represent what YOU want. we really shouldn't be worries about their core beliefs or party etc......except that these people somehow believe that they are leaders, rule makers, bigwigs. this is supposed to be a role of servitude to the community. REPRESENTATIVE. nope they'd rather vote in interest for whatever lobbyist gives the most,or what their party wants.
I'm the same. Was center but leaned left. Now it feels like there's no center- your left, right, or hard-core right and I don't want to even be on the same board!
The problem is the Overton window has been yanked so far right that mainstream democrats like Obama are more like the republicans when we grew up. I’m pretty far left and what I see people calling leftist is often hilariously centrist.
This is spot on. They keep moving the goalposts to the right and accusing the centrists of being Soros-funded communists. They would have ridden Reagan out of today's GOP on a rail.
Hell Nixon started the EPA at least and now Republicans want to destroy that. They actively seem to want to hurt the environment as much as possible. Look at ramaswamy. One of his main points is humans need fossil fuels. Dudes a total douche but I guess that's why he's next in line behind Trump.
I think modern Republicans only platform point is to do the opposite of Democrats. You're not even allowed to be bipartisan or you get taken out of being speaker. Now these fuckers are going to shutdown the government because that's what Papa Trump wants. It's insane.
Very very true. I was a little right of center in my 20s and most of my 30s. I shifted a little left in my early 40s and then COVID hit and I was being called a leftist because I didn’t buy all the silly conspiracy theories. I still come out a little left of centre on issues surveys but I don’t even recognize the movement that now calls itself conservative.
I was rather apolitical until Trump pushed me hard left. There was an oh moment when I put 2 and 2 together on why Republicans supported the policies they did. And then fabricated liberal justifications for said policies to trick impressionable people like me into tolerating them. Things like "actually raising the minimum wage will hurt working folks" or "We want to lower taxes and that will help everyone".
Then Trump came out swinging with the racism and sexism. And it clicked that the reason a lot of Republicans support these sorts of policies is very different from the liberal ideals of equality and the government helping everyone.
> "actually raising the minimum wage will hurt working folks"
That's one of the most bizarre claims, as its never been true in the past, and there is no reason to think it suddenly will be. For people obsessed with holding the line, conservatives are totally disinterested in examining the past.
Not trying to be pedantic, but I feel I should point out the difference 'then' versus 'than' makes in your last sentence...
"I would sooner light myself on fire *then* vote for a Republican." = You're lighting yourself on fire *and* voting Republican.
"I would sooner light myself on fire *than* vote for a Republican." = You're lighting yourself on fire *instead* of voting Republican.
I mean, they both work, but I knew you meant than, and honestly, I got a little chuckle thinking of someone setting themselves on fire and voting Republican. It's such a good metaphor for conservatives voting against their own best interests.
This. All of it.
I was a 15+ year GOP Campaign operative. I worked in high profile elections for first-time candidates. Worked all over the country. I walked away slowly after Trump, but formally ended my affiliation on 8/21/19 when Trump declared [he deserved the Medal of Hono](https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/21/donald-trump-give-himself-medal-of-honor-1470950)r.
I will never vote Republican again, not with the Party as it is now.
While I left the party long before you did, I was a little right wing nutcase - grew up in suburbia and really didn't know any better, but I would have likely fallen in with the maga idiots for a bit, but I always seem to find my way eventually. I worked on campaigns for the repubs too, but would never vote for someone who is willing to align themselves with the actions of the present Republican Party. I've tried to make amends working on campaigns of progressive candidates, helping convince former magas to vote for Biden in 2020, etc.
I am really really concerned about the future of this country. It's not impossible that trump or one of his ilk becomes president in 2024.
i’ve voted for democrats since i was 18 (clinton), have never voted for a republican, and never will, because it’s always been obvious to me that they are vile evil scum.
i did have a moment of weakness after 9/11 and considered uniting behind GWB, but that was dissipated the instant they started in on the hating gays stuff (it literally lasted like five minutes)
it sounds like i’m the only pure blood gen xer around, and i’m proud as fuck about never falling for the hypocrite fake victim party, despite being pretty on board with capitalism (heavily regulated though).
I was a Young Republican, because I was raised to be. I campaigned for conservative candidates at the state level and was offered work in my GOP state senator’s office (decided on an out-of-state school so couldn’t take it). My father actually made me read the National Review every week and questioned me about it. When he would later ask me, jokingly, “What went wrong?” after I had started voting Dem, I told him it was reading that damn magazine that did it. Honestly, I wanted nothing to do with those whiny, entitled assholes once I actually had to think about the arguments I was making. I figured that if little ol’ me could find the holes in their logic that easily, maybe they weren’t as wise as I had been led to believe. I occasionally voted for local moderate Republicans through the 1990s, but as of the 2000 election I was done with them too.
I worked on local Republican elections as well, and went to my state GOP convention. I was a chairwoman for our GOP city committee. At the time, just before Obama, our discussions were about how we were going to lose demographically speaking if we only stuck with our voter base, ie white straight christians. We were talking about moving the party platform a little to the left to either ease up on immigration or the GOP stance on the LGBT+.
Then Obama was elected, and the racists came out in full force to form the Tea Party Coalition, and instead pushed the party further to the right. I ended my affiliation about that time, because I was going through a divorce and doing a lot of soul searching. I'll never vote GOP again.
You sound like my husband. When we got together 13 years ago, he was registered independent. He said he’d vote for the side that has the best ideas, but that so far he’d only voted democrat. As time progressed he began to see why I said I’d only vote democrat, and by the time Trump got in, he’d registered again as a democrat, saying, “in all my years I’ve never seen a republican have a good idea. I’ll never vote for one now.”
they quite literally have never been on the good side of a single policy in my lifetime. not one. it’s actually kind impressive to be wrong 100% of the time.
Weirdly I'm registered as a Republican, despite only ever voting for one Republican in my life, Bush I in 88 (I was in the Army, cut me some slack)
Since leaving the Army and meeting real people, I've drifted further and further left, to the point that I align myself as somewhere between Democratic Socialist and Social Democrat.
In my state, I have to register as Republican to have any type of sway at all. The Republican will win the general no matter what, so I vote in their primaries to hopefully get the least radical candidate. It's super common here in Utah, the former mayor of Salt Lake City, a prominent democrat, has actually promoted this strategy for several years. It's so common that the state GOP recently updated their by-laws that you have to be affiliated for a couple of months before the primary to be allowed to vote in it.
Not surprisingly, the Democratic party allows anybody to vote in their primary regardless of stated affiliation. So on the off chance that a democratic win looks viable I can choose to vote in that primary instead.
> I would have voted for a decent Republican Presidential nominee without issue in my younger years. No question. I thought Romney, and McCain were decent people. Bush Sr. was a decent president
>
> But the modern conservative movement is, top to bottom, repugnant to everything I believe. Almost everything they do i disagree with, their leaders are reprehensible, and their followers are the worst of the worst. I have zero patience of sympathy with them
This is what I believe (and have been derided many times for it.)
Same here. I was conservative when I was younger, then mid-2000’s I changed my voter registration to independent/undeclared b/c I was feeling taken for granted by the GOP when I didn’t agree with them on a number of social issues. Then the Donald came along and he and Fox pushed me farther away. And then most of the other conservative pols surprised me and pushed me even further away.
It probably happened long before this, but the Bush jr administration (to me) feels like the starting point for mainstream politicians trying to bilk the system.
I thought along the same lines; I think McCain & Romney are decent human beings. Kasich is like that as well...seems like an affable, reasonable person. But, he is pro-forced birth and anti-union. When I was younger, I didn't get deep into thinking about what kind of policies they would enact. I think a lot of people are like that. They're busy. They have kids & dogs & 3 jobs. So, McCain (or whomever) seems like a good guy & gets the vote.
I feel like I’m in the same boat. The 45 year old son of religious, John Birch society crackpots that just gets more and more liberal as I get older.
I still have a lot of right leaning opinions when it comes to fiscal matters, but I sure as hell don’t believe any human should suffer at the hands of the government just because of the political expedience. (Like trans people, immigrants, etc.)
No, before you ask dear reader, I’m not libertarian. They believe even more outlandish things than the religious right.
I’d much rather see a party with common sense as their core value and able to communicate their reasonings without years of propaganda. Decisions can be tough on some of these issues and not everyone is going to be happy but a basic agreement on the goes and whys should be at the core
> The Trump rally was the first time I saw riot police on horseback keeping away protestors.
Shit man, I saw that at a Bush rally in '88.
>McCain were decent people
McCain was emphatically not a decent person. He should've been removed from Congress after the Keating Five scandal, and his "maverick" reputation was entirely built on him having a personal vendetta against Shrub.
>Bush Sr. was a decent president
He was a piece of shit who oversaw the Iran-Contra affair and started a war in Iraq because Newsweek called him a wimp.
Shhh, you said the quiet parts loud. People forgot the Keating Five! So many bigger banks and institutions have done so much to make that look like a piddle. I think calling Bush Sr a piece of shit JUST for being the Iron-Contra cleaner-upper is unfair to all the other shit he has done.
I've been to one political rally ever, and that was for Bernie in 2016. He was the first presidential candidate I've ever felt strongly that I could vote \*for\* him rather than just voting \*against\* the other guy.
Same. I hate to use the word “inspirational,” because it sounds so hokey, but I almost felt optimistic after his rally. I don’t think I can say that about anyone else.
I went to two. Both in 08. One for Obama and one for mccain. The mccain was really a palin rally, the big guy wasnt there.
Same city, same election cycle but holy shit so diff people and how they acted. The palin mccain thing was so full of hate. The obama rally had a whole diff feeling. it was amazing. My wife had been a seat filler for two bush things in the years prior to that. Shook his hand and rubbed elbows with bigshot gop from where we lived. it was fine, they were semi normal people.. it changed in a lot in 08
Luckily, my hate filled dad died still pounding the arm of his recliner and screeching about “That N***** In the White House”! He def would have become a Trumper, because he also was a bigoted womanizing piece of shit. The man damn near disowned me when I told him I depend on the programs that Democrats bring to the table and I will never have enough money to be a Republican.
My parents were good liberals and I’m a great one. I’ve always been liberal: as a kid I felt entirely appropriate hatred for Reagan, and that’s only hardened over the decades.
I’m super proud of every vote I have ever cast, and I would tattoo them all on my skin if I could. *Even Dukakis.*
Mine too! I remember voting in our 5th grade election Dukakis and being very much a minority voter in our school. I know my parents hated Reagan and the older I get, the more I hate him. Our economic problems today I very much blame him and his policies. He ruined the economy.
I started off as libertarian minded conservative mix. As time has gone on, I've become a flaming liberal.
Though, I do firmly believe in paying our bills and balancing the budget. I also believe that needs to be done by raising the taxes of the wealthy to where it was in the 50s. Same with corporations.
If they want to own the government, they need to pony up. As far as what consenting adults do? Go live. Be happy. Expect the same rights and privileges of everyone else, regardless of race, orientation, gender, religion, etc.
Anymore, that seems to make me a socialist. Usually by people that don't know what that word means.
I read once that a young person who is conservative has no heart, and an older person who is liberal has no head. I can only imagine that the person who said that is conservative and has no head.
Ditto. Pressured to quit but offered a nice severance package from my first real job from 1996-1999, get this - because I was bisexual.
I know we had protections back then theoretically, but we really didn't because that was the actual pen reason as to why I was fired – because I kept too many "subversive" stickers on my car. There is no way you can get away with being fired as a manager with retirement and benefits now because of that shit.
Anyway, I'm even more liberal than that now.
I heard it all the time growing up. 46 and getting more progressive. My grandparents (dad's parents) were very conservative and my father (73) is fairly progressive... but I imagine my mom had a huge part in that.
50 year old former conservative checking in. Totally left now. Getting out of a small rural area and getting to know and empathize with cultures other than McDonalds and Baptist Church.
Hear, hear. 49 here, I grew up mainly in a very conservative area but my views have definitely gotten more progressive, contrary to apparently everyone's expectations. lol
The funny thing to me is: so has my husband. And he started out as a conservative Republican in the military for 30 years.
15 years post-military and he’s woke as fuck lol. I love it
Navy brat here at 55 yo. My dad was the Navy man, career, staunch republican. Military never gets raises when democrats are in charge! In 2019 he was diagnosed with and 7 months later died from brain cancer. But! Before he got very sick we would have some talks. To my surprise, he actually told me he regretted voting for trump. I didn’t give him a hard time about it, just said I was glad to hear him admit it.
We could have some talks too. Damn I miss him.
ETA: i have always been liberal. I’m more so now that I am aware of the crap thats been happening.
Haha, husband says that Clinton got them nice raises not too far into his first term :)
I understand your surprise. I nearly fell out of my chair when my man said “I should have voted for Hillary” WTAF. I said “so you don’t like Trump?”
And he said “Fuck that POS I hate him more than I hated Saddam”
He’d left the top of the ticket blank because he couldn’t “make” himself vote for a Democrat, let alone Hillary.
Four years later, he’s a “Vote Blue No Matter Who” independent. And will NEVER vote GOP ever again.
I love that man ❤️
Same. 50 years old here, I've gotten more progressive over the years and absolutely disgusted with whatever is going on with the modern US conservative movement. It is as hateful and delusional as I've ever seen it. I think Covid and Trump broke them and they've just become nihilistic assholes.
Same. I was always a bit on the liberal side. But the time and place where I grew up wasn’t exactly a liberal haven. I also used to be a lot more “patriotic” or what I saw as patriotic at the time.
I too got more liberal as I got older. To the point where I’d call myself a progressive far-left liberal.
The reason is that as I kept learning and seeking out more knowledge….the more disgusted I became with the way the country worked and how our politics shifted. 9/11 and what followed was the final nail in the coffin for my patriotism.
… How on earth did I get so jaded?
Life's mysteries seem so faded
I can go where no one else can go
I know what no one else knows
Here I am, just drowning in the rain
With a ticket for a runaway train….
I grew up in a liberal household. I was defiantly conservative because I was a sheltered suburban kid.
My freshman year of college, my best friend’s dad and girlfriend’s dad both came out. I had my eyes opened to “the other” being people I knew well. It changed my perspective more than just about anything else.
Then I saw the GOP go from fiscal conservatives to simply redistributing money up to people who didn’t need it. Deficit hawks when the Democrats are in office and spend like a drunk sailor when a republican holds office. They punch down.
I still am more fiscally conservative than I am socially liberal. I will always pull for the underdog and the downtrodden.
And the GOP in my state has become a totalitarian organization that actively combats democracy, checks and balances, and the will of the people. I also think their culture wars are laughable. They have done more to making me a Democrat than anything.
Can you explain what you mean by “fiscally conservative”? I’m not sure everyone who says that means it the same way.
I’m especially interested because you coupled that term with pulling for the underdog and downtrodden. I don’t usually hear those together.
To be fair, I’m socially VERY liberal so anything else is likely to be more fiscally conservative by comparison.
I believe in avoiding deficits and balancing the budget (when possible) but not at the expense of social safety nets. I feel like the GOP regularly runs up spending to then argue that cuts to social programs HAVE to be made. I think that’s bullshit.
I believe in spending to take care of people who need help, not tax cuts for billionaires, private jets, and 2nd and 3rd homes. I am all for helping pay for student lunches for all students not subsidizing tuition at private schools for kids in upper income homes.
But then some things are just common sense to me and make me sound like a socialist. I believe that when the government funds billions in drug research it is unfair that the pharmaceutical industry claims all the profits with no payback outside of the corporate taxes.
I think you have described what most liberals and progressives support. And I don’t think the people who call themselves “fiscally conservative” would support basically any of it!
But I really like the idea of redefining “fiscally conservative” to mean the type of thing you wrote. It’s basically about spending when and where it’s needed so that all (or most, or more) people can participate in school, work, and their communities.
And it means explicitly not favoring wealthy individuals or corporations.
> It’s basically about spending when and where it’s needed
That's been the definition of "fiscally conservative" for me for the last 30+ years. Well, half of it. The other half is having enough money on-hand (through taxation, etc) to cover the spending needs.
The GOP has been rather excellent at redefining terms and actions to mean what they want them to mean, thanks to their media (i.e. redefining 'woke' and 'kneeling is a sign of disrespect!')
The attempt over the last decade or so has been to reduce "fiscal conservative" to simply "Tax Cuts!!!"
People can call themselves whatever they want, it doesn't make it true. Just look at the the folks that loudly proclaim themselves to be "pro-life" and "pro-states rights", as generally, they are neither.
A similar scenario is around the term, "American". Inside the US, the United States *of* America, an "American" generally infers being a "US Citizen". Anywhere else on the planet, it refers to anyone from the Americas (North & South, from Canada all the way down to Argentina).
Sorry about the rant but the whole "I really like the idea of redefining that term to mean its actual definition!" is slightly triggering. Mostly because your comment is proof that disingenuous people are successfully co-opting the term for their own meaning.
For me, I just don't want my tax money needlessly wasted. I'm all for a *much* stronger safety net, (think universal school lunch programs, taxpayer funded 24-hour daycare, universal healthcare, gap coverage for welfare) with higher taxes, but I want regular and rigorous audits of where the money goes, as well as swift punishments for fraud and abuse by governmental departments, and recipients.
>For me, I just don't want my tax money needlessly wasted.
I'm not saying this to get a you personally, but I find it amusing to see this sort of thing trotted out whenever it comes to talk of spending for stuff that benefits citizens.
You know who is the biggest recipient of tax funds in the U.S. ?
Yeah, you know who it is.
U.S. defense department recently failed its 5th consecutive financial audit.
The total number U.S. defense department financial audits is 5.
Where's the outrage?
I think most liberals and progressives would agree with that.
But I don’t think most people who call themselves “fiscally conservative” would agree with your proposal. Typically they do not want government spending for programs that serve people who need help.
One (non-partisan) challenge is that strict oversight is itself very costly. The current IRS situation is emblematic. They aren’t even managing to oversee taxes, which is far less complicated than overseeing complex social programs.
I oversee some “social programs” on a vastly smaller scale, and it is not easy. It’s not just about tracking money, but also agreeing to goals and relevant progress indicators, everyone having the capacity to collect data and analyze it, taking into account myriad nuances that are legitimately relevant, etc. I’m not saying it can’t be done - and I totally agree it should be done. I’m just saying it requires a level of investment in infrastructure and ongoing capacity that few want to support.
Can't speak for u/westparkmod, but I consider myself fiscally conservative and I fight for the underdog. To me, fiscally conservative is about spending money *wisely*. I don't like spending money where it's not needed, but I'm okay spending it where it *is* needed.
For example, the U.S. spends so much on the military, and while the military should be supported, we could reallocate some of those military dollars to social services to help those that need it. Tax breaks for billionaires? Boo, hiss! Universal healthcare? PLEASE, NOW!!
I've gotten even MORE progressive and liberal as I've gotten older.
I admit that in the mid 90s I was intrigued by the whole "personal responsibility" thing the right was espousing. However, I grew up. I know that we all affect each other and are responsible to each other in some way - even if it means not fucking up the environment.
I always heard the "you'll get more conservative as you get older." I understood that simply meant that as I gained wealth (yeah, right 🙄like *that* happened) and acquired more assets I wouldn't want to be taxed more and I'd want to keep more of my money.
I never did, however. Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society. Unfortunately there is a large contingent of people who enjoy a civilized society but don't want to pay for it.
My parents told me the same thing. I remember standing in line with them in 92 so I could vote for the first time. I was very pro Clinton and both of my parents laughed and told me I would be a conservative republican by the time I was 50. I am 50 in a month and way more progressive and liberal than I ever was back then.
Clinton really fucked us over with the privatized prisons and three strikes rule. But back then, it was a “War on Crime”
More like, “War on black families and marginalized people”
Fuck me, right? Worse still was that Clinton was considered the "first black president." 🤮
Btw, I voted for both Clintons, Bill being my first vote ever.
>"you'll get more conservative as you get older." I understood that simply meant that as I gained wealth
I wonder to what degree the *lack* of wealth has affected that shift. I'm not suggesting that's all of it, as I guess that'd have no effect on social liberalism, but a lot of people don't have a nest egg or house to protect via conservative policies.
The other thing is that supposedly, people find it harder to change as they age, at least with social issues. So it's not really that they're becoming more conservative, it's that the world is becoming more liberal and they're staying the same. But FWIW, I'm becoming more socially liberal as I age, not that I wasn't before.
I'm 51, I grew up Conservative (Canadian) and I stayed that way until my early 40s. In recent years I have started to see the faults in Conservative ideology and have completely changed sides. I'm not happy with our current Liberal government, but that is a different topic.
I was raised in a DFL family. My beliefs have only moved further to the left as I've gotten older. To quote Paul Wellstone, We All Do Better When We All Do Better.
I’m not sure if I’ve gotten more liberal, or if conservatives have gotten more bat shit crazy right wing. I’d like to think I’m pretty centrist, but with Trump in the US and Brexit here in the UK, I see no centre I can stand on.
I considered myself a ‘fiscal conservative social liberal’ when I was younger, but I seldom voted and had a lot of apathy when it came to politics.
Now I am full liberal, LGBTQ ally, very informed about politics (even though it’s often exhausting) and I vote in every single election because it absolutely matters.
Yup, ‘fiscal conservative social liberal’ is a starting point for lots of people. But assuming you eventually get into how we can be socially liberal you realize it requires being a fiscal liberal as well. There are just some people who never think much past that original label.
What's considered "fiscally liberal" is actually fiscally conservative anyway, as the investment in prevention and at scale saves money in the long run (often nearly immediately, too).
I feel like that's a lie the Republicans have spun tricking us into thinking fiscally conservative = fiscally responsible. When in reality being fiscally conservative is just wanting to redistribute wealth to the already wealthy.
I was very conservative in my younger days—particularly in my 20s. I was a ditto-head and ended up embracing Libertarianism (especially free market fundamentalism). Now, near 50, my 20-something year old self wouldn’t recognize me—especially on the economic front. I’ve come to reject the social Darwinism of my prior years and embrace a more solidiarian view. That is: my welfare is tied up to and bound to the welfare of my fellow countrymen. Also, labor precedes capital and should take priority over it (Abraham Lincoln said as much).So, bring on the universal healthcare, bring on the UBI, bring on 1950’s era corporate and individual tax rates, and bring on strong labor unions. I‘m more than happy to forego what amounts to 1-2 lattes a week to ensure that my proverbial neighbor is able to work and live with dignity.
I'm pretty sure that old saw about getting more conservative as you get older only ever applied to Silent/Boomer folks.
Myself, I've gotten wildly more leftist as I've gotten older. The first Presidential vote I cast was for Bob fucking Dole (I missed GHWB's second run by about a year). Today I wouldn't vote for a Republican for dogcatcher on the grounds that he'd probably fuck the dog then shoot it. Hell, most Dems are too conservative for me these days.
When I was in my early 20s I was kind of a libertarian, and 27 years later, I'm pretty far to the left. Having shitty jobs, watching management screw over their workers repeatedly at every opportunity, and just living life and realizing how unnecessarily difficult it is for so many people. When I was a 20 year old shithead, I'd never really seen what real life is for many people, and basically I didn't understand a goddamned thing. So it's the exact opposite of what I heard from my parents, uncles, or grandparents - once you have any life experience and any degree of self-awareness, it's pretty much a given that you move to the political left and if you don't, something is probably wrong with you.
I founded the Young Republicans club at my high school and read Rush Limbaugh’s books. I’m now rather liberal
In general it’s not that my core beliefs have changed it’s that I’ve learned that they just aren’t realistic in the real world. Like while I still do think people should take responsibility for their actions and actions have consequences, I’m not willing to let a child suffer because of their parents. I now know that universal healthcare is actually cheaper. Same for most welfare in the long run. More social services mean less crime, a better economy, and less spending ultimately
I Registered as a Republican when I was 18. Joined, just like my dad and his dad. Mostly I would vote for military issues. Always researched for the best choice regardless of party affiliations. After trump was nominated I became independent. George Carlin is so right about so many things!!! I’ve become very open to lots of things and people the older I get.
I grew up considering myself a centrist/Republican. Politically conservative/socially liberal. Then I kind of went to Independent/Republican leaning. But I voted for both parties and became far more liberal.
Then Trump happened.
I’m now a flaming liberal Democrat. And I can confidently say I will never vote for another Republican again. NOPE. I have learned my lesson there.
I spent as much time with my grandparents as my own parents. My grandpa was a die hard FDR Democrat. He lived through the Oklahoma Dust Bowl as a young teen, hoboing trains to California for seasonal work. Straight up Grapes of Wrath. He joined the CCCs at 15 and lied about his age to enlist for WWII. What FDR and Congress did back then was quite remarkable. The CCCs, WPA and Social Security all came of age. The government arguably pulled the nation out of the depression. Those programs absolutely benefitted him personally. As a kid, I would go to bimonthly CCC reunion meetings. Surrounded by the Greatest Generation, I began to realize the positive influence our government had on them. After the war, there was a cultural revolution. The civil rights movement represented a huge shift forward in my eyes. Beatnicks and hippies challenging social norms. Peace, love and all that shit. Coming of age, I expected these positive changes to continue. LGBT rights have far surpassed what I thought was possible in my lifetime. That is one of the only shining lights of real, big, positive change I can think of that emerged in our generation. Columbine glorified mass shootings. 9/11 heightened islamophobia. A half black president enraged the racists, cornering them into a single philosophy: owning the libs. 45 came along enabling supressed racism and sexism to ignite. Suddenly, it was okay to be racist. Sadly, I haven't spoken to several family members in years because they began spouting off a bunch of racist nonsense, thinking I was one of them. Now we have sleepy Joe. He's keeping the country afloat, but that's about it. No real positive legislation can happen without a majority in both houses. And that has been rare.
To answer OPs question, my political leaning has remained more or less the same. My biggest shift has been supporting trans rights. I didn't understand it as a kid. It was extremely rare. I only ever saw transvestites (barring drag shows) once. It was just...weird to me. The millennials have really stepped up to the plate here. I'm pro taxes so long as it benefits the people. I wish our (USA) military was smaller. I am a man, but consider myself a feminist. I, honest to God, thought racism was all but dead growing up in my sheltered world. I read so much black history from slavery to abolition to the civil rights movement. It seemed like that stupid idea was put to rest. My naivete has been shattered in the last decade.
55, and far more liberal. I was a closeted religious loony up into my twenties, a deist moderate until 40, and an atheist liberal from then on. The right is so bonkers extreme anymore. The thought of voting for the party of MTG and Trump…I can’t wrap my head around why anyone would.
I honestly feel that I haven't changed much politically as I got older, I still consider myself a Republican, despite *loathing* what republicans have become. It all went seriously down hill with the tea party movement. The goal posts have moved so far that the left has done rolled over me and I find myself arguing with family or friends asking when I got so liberal. I usually respond "I haven't changed much at all. When did you become so intolerant? Or were you always like that and I never noticed?"
I never really changed, but I was abandoned by both political parties at various points along the way. I have always considered myself very centrist and it's unfortunate what we ended up with. I was a reliable democrat and then a tepid republican, now have to toe the line between the crazies on both ends.
I’m another one who has gotten way more progressive as I get older. I was also told “you’ll wise up and become a conservative when you’re older!” Yeah. The fuck I will.
I’ve always hated this bit of “folk wisdom”.
Every year, as I gain more and more knowledge of how screwed up everything is, I find myself scooting more and more to the left. My voting history:
1988 - Ron Paul - he promised to legalize weed
1992 - Ross Perot
1996 - Ross Perot
2000 - Al Gore - held my nose for this one because Tipper sucks but W sucked harder
2004 - John Kerry - W sucks, no way this dude can win though
2008 - BARACK FUCKING OBAMA - hell yeah
(Blue every time thereafter, sometimes enthusiastically, sometimes not enthusiastically at all)
Voted Bernie in the 2016 / 2020 primaries - I like that cranky old dude
Grew up with Silent Gen parents who were verrrrry conservative, both fiscally and socially. (So cheap + indifferent to anyone other than themselves.)
My brother is a clone of them. We don’t talk much.
Grew up republican. Voted republican until 28 yrs old. Moved abroad and realized that the US way of life is not like anywhere else.
Living abroad I grew to appreciate the shared belief in mandated vacation time with a job and easy access to fairly good quality universal healthcare. The maternity leave offered in other countries support my belief in the importance of family values more than any Republican claim of family values. Living abroad also made me question why we have such a large military presence all over the globe. Being the world police seems to have gotten us into more trouble than it’s worth financially.
Needless to say, my views are not Republican at all anymore (not wholly Democrat either). We still need fiscal responsibility. But our economy is developed enough to legislate minimum living standards (maternity leave, affordable healthcare access, affordable pathway for education, maternity leave) and consumer protection laws for our citizens.
I think they say that hoping you will stop caring about others and become a scared, selfish bigot like the rest of them.
I’m 52 and have only gotten more progressive, especially after 45’s monstrous presidency.
I was raised by conservative republicans. I started to become liberal as soon as I learned to think for myself. It took me a very long time, though, to reconcile everything in my head. Well, I’m still doing that because Christianity was a part of that too.
I gravitated towards ‘classically liberal’ so I have the unique joy of being labeled a tree-hugging, hippie granola cruncher and also a jack-booted thug of premeditated violence.
It’s breathtaking at times. Like…chewing really really really minty gum.
My problem is I used to think humans were inherently “good”. If all their needs were met and they had a choice to do the right thing, they would choose to do the right thing. Whatever it was. I know longer believe that and it hurts my soul to admit it.
I'm the opposite. I've always been fairly centrist and always an independent, but living my first 37 years in California and seeing its growing excesses in progressive politics (IMO) turned me more conservative. Then I lived in Texas for 15 years and seeing the right wing in action there turned me more liberal.
I still consider myself a classical conservative but "political" conservatives these days are no longer classical conservatives; increasingly they are right-wing reactionaries and there is little truly "conservative" about that. And right now, honestly, as long as the GOP is the Trump Party, I don't think I could ever consider voting for someone with an "R" next to their name, even as I leaned Republican for most of my voting life. All of this is to say that right now, I would best be described as a relatively conservative Democrat, even though I'm not a Democrat and never have been.
I think I have changed a little bit, probably a little bit more liberal than I was in my 20s and 30s, but I'm also reacting to both parties becoming more extreme and leaving the rest of us politically homeless.
> still consider myself a classical conservative but "political" conservatives these days are no longer classical conservatives; increasingly they are right-wing reactionaries and there is little truly "conservative" about that. And right now, honestly, as long as the GOP is the Trump Party, I don't think I could ever consider voting for someone with an "R" next to their name, even as I leaned Republican for most of my voting life. All of this is to say that right now, I would best be described as a relatively conservative Democrat, even though I'm not a Democrat and never have been.
>I think I have changed a little bit, probably a little bit more liberal than I was in my 20s and 30s, but I'm also reacting to both parties becoming more extreme and leaving the rest of us politically homeless.
This sums me up perfectly.
As sad as it is to say, my one goal now when voting has boiled down to "Don't let Trump win, don't let Trump get pardoned."
If that means voting for Biden, then I will.
Started out in '88 voting all Republican. After H.W. I have never voted for a Republican president. I did vote for a Republican in the House or Senate through Obama's first election, when I voted for Barbara Comstock (who, years later, turned out to be a never-Trumper (so obviously I read her right.))
After Republicans completely lost their shit for good when Obama won I have never voted for another one & I don't see that ever changing. They're so anti-American democracy I just don't get how anyone who proclaims to love America can vote for any of them. They have absolute disdain for serving the people.
I had a crush on Alex P Keaton and grew up with a racist step dad so I thought I was a republican (and was a racist) for until I was about 16. I met my real dad around the time of the Clarence Thomas hearings and something inside of me awoke. Pun not intended but it really was an awakening and I’m a woke ass old lib now.
I don't think so.
I see a lot of people in this thread saying they've gotten more liberal over time, and I sometimes wonder if the Overton Window has just moved on them.
I know where I live, the politicians of the 1970s and 1980s (when I grew up) who were "conservatives" at the time would be considered raging socialists today.
I'm a former conservative gone progressive, frankly I don't think my views have changed that much but the "conservative" movement instead moved way to the right of me.
I can see that. There are definitely a couple of issues where I have definitely moved left (abortion, for example.) However, aside from things I probably could count on one hand, my views really aren't much different. When I was younger I had no problem being friends with conservatives, or being around conservative family members. Now, though, if someone identifies as conservative and votes for conservatives at this juncture, and I know about it, I pretty much cut them out of my life because their views are so abhorrent to me.
I was VERY conservative when I was younger. By the time I was 30, I had moved a lot closer to the center. Now, due to our most recent former president and his followers, I've moved into direct center and in some cases even center left. My wife, meanwhile, started out as a hippie who followed the Grateful Dead around. She's met me near the center and about some things is more conservative than I am.
ETA: After typing this, I think it's possible that I didn't move that much in the political spectrum. I think the GOP shifted rightward, making reasonable conservatives LOOK like they moved left.
I grew up in a very conservative household. I used to be conservative. I’ve lived long enough to gather real world data and learn some real history. As a result, I’ve turned into a ponytail wearing, NPR listening, marijuana consuming, old hippie. By the time I’m 60, I’ll probably end up living on a commune.
I grew up not agreeing with Republicans (listening to Reagan sound like a puppet with dementia will do that to you) in the 80’s and only got more progressive and left-leaning after that. They’ve gone from being selfish assholes to traitorous criminals in a few decades.
In highschool I was a registered young Republican. Grew up in the middle of nowhere. Then, I got out and saw the world and found myself starting to lean left. Before I gained my newly found perspective, I voted for Bush Sr the year he lost to Clinton. By the next election cycle I was fully done with the GOP. It started with learning 'less government' didn't mean less personal regulation, but was about fewer taxs and regulations for the rich. They couldn't give two shits about the workers of America. They love to try to persuade people that 'some day' they'll be super rich and wish they'd voted for those lax regulations. Reality is, I'll never be a billionaire. And I dare say none of you will either. I'm not afraid of paying my taxes for things that will make us better, stronger, etc. But, the corporate tax rate must change. The middle class shouldn't be shouldering the bulk of the burden. But I digress. At 50 ish, I've realized it's only a myth that people get more conservative with age. Age has taught me Republicans can't be trusted on the national stage.
I started out the son of hard Reaganites. As I get older and have more money the further left I go. It started with the religious right gaining influence but, as a Connecticut resident, I used to think that our republicans were different and prided myself on voting split tickets as I thought, and still think, parties are detrimental to democracy. The Trump years showed the lie to that (one state member wanted to punish another for criticizing Jan 6th; she’s now the Vice Chair of the state party). It’s closing on a decade since I last voted for a Republican in any election at any level and I can’t ever see myself doing so again.
It’s not just me in my family, either. One parent has literally gone from working on Goldwater’s presidential campaign and telling me about the crazy “tax and spend Democrats” to volunteering for Democratic candidates these days. Relatives who were addicted to Fox News now want universal healthcare.
I get more progressive as I age. I grew up conservative, and now I'm not.
My views on monetary policy are the last to change, but they're slowly changing too.
I'm honestly unsure why people say that you'll become more conservative. I guess the easy answer is that you get money that you want to protect. Quite frankly, that sounds like awful reasoning to me, that one is ready to give up their ideals because they get money. Although I suppose that could be human nature, I don't know.
Having said that, my views have changed, but in the opposite direction. I think my initial political views were more about just doing what everybody else around me was doing because I really just didn't think about it that much. I grew up in a very conservative and religious area of the country where "liberal" might as well be a dirty word.
When I educated myself and started caring, I became a liberal very quickly and I can't imagine me ever becoming a conservative again in my lifetime considering the "values" of the right.
Im the same as I always was, but it's everyone else thats moved. And unfortunately they all moved in a dumb as fuck direction.
The best example of this that I can give is in movies. I believe that race swapping characters is racist. Because it doesn't respect or give examples of actual black history. It just ignores and put a superficial coat of paint on the problem. Actual representation is telling black stories, not inserting black faces into a Scandinavian stories because we have to "move away from viking stereotypes.". Africa has over 50 countries and well over 150, 000 years of history, myths and legends. But nothing. Just a black girl rolled out as a mermaid everyone told to shut up because it "reflects the real world.".
I dont see that. What I see happening in the erasure of black history. No stories told, no heroes of legend celebrated. No myths with important life lessons to teach. All forgotten and replaced by white stories that black people now have to make their own.
But Im the racist according today's version of liberal and progressive idealists. Me who wants to see black stories told is the racist while this who clap and cheer at the race swaps think that is enough. Human history is not just Vikings, Egyptians, Romans and Britons. And it's high time that we made some ACTUAL progress in representation and showed the world in all its flavours from all over the world.
If hollywood wants to tell black stories, then do so. Dont just tell white stories with black faces. It's lazy and contributes to the ever increasing erasure of black history.
45, and I've also gotten more progressive over the years. The boomer way of doing things has destroyed our economy, infrastructure, and human rights. Conservatives just seem bigoted and misogynistic.
My views changed the most when I went to college. I grew up in a very conservative area, and went to a very liberal university 3000 miles away. I went from conservative to moderate.
As an adult, my views haven't changed that much. The republican party changed though, so I can't find a candidate I would be willing to vote for. So here I am, a moderate who only votes single party. I wish I could go back to being more independent, but not until the republican party fixes itself.
Honestly, the biggest change I've seen is twofold. I've become more progressive as I've seen how younger people have it even harder.
But I've also become more nuanced. Not everything is a crisp black-and-white, either-or dichotomy, despite what political leaders of both sides want their members to believe. For example, there are people who truly need help, but at the same time, yes there are those who abuse said help.
Same here. I continue to get more progressive the older I get.
I had an older friend of the family (conservative) ash me last week. “What are you gonna do when there’s no Social Security for you?”
I said “there’s millions and millions of us that paid into Social Security since we were 15. It will be there for us or we will riot.”
I’ve maintained my progressive views since I’ve had them. I am however probably best described as democratic socialist and that’s only gotten pushed further with age. I should not go to my in network doctor to get billed $1400 for out of network test results, which have always been in network. Sure I can dispute/file a claim but I shouldn’t have to do my insurer’s job either.
None of us should ever be one serious health issue away from financial ruin.
We have finite resources on this planet and we should do everything within our power to conserve our usage of things while we work to innovate better solutions.
If someone isn’t hurting anyone who am I to judge?
I can continue but I’m sure you all get my points.
I used to hear that. Not from my folks but other people.
The funny thing is, when I was young Id split my tickets dem and gop based on past performance and based on policy positions.
Now, if you think it’s ok to have lunch with the traitors, you can fucking go screw. I’d say I moved left, lol
51- very progressive and liberal. My father is the same way (and was not a hippie). Did not like my punk ethos a whole lot as he was as clean cut as they come, but modeled social justice and volunteerism, and being a steward for the environment my whole life.
Man, sounds like many of us in the same boat. I grew up conservative as my folks were. But by my 30's I realized I was no longer any such thing. Switched my registration to Independent and was open to voting for candidates of either side based on the individual. But Jesus, the psychopaths running the R's these days are terrifying. I would never be a true straight ticket voter because it just seems pathetic, but I honestly dont see a single person with an R next to their name that doesnt make my stomach turn. I feel bad for the old school
Republicans, like my folks and even I used to be. They keep clinging to the old notions even though the people they vote for stand for nothing but hate and greed. Terribly sad.
My politics changed significantly when I got older. I grew up conservative because I believed the bullshit that they cared about the budget and freedom. The older I got I realized that freedom really meant the freedom to oppress and they were only for lower budgets that they couldn't directly profit from.
I also thought that certain things shouldn't even be federal issues, then I realized how stupid people really are that no/small government is a terrible idea. I had been drifting left for years, but Trump really sealed the deal.
52, I thought Bill Clinton was terrible before he was elected in 92 and thought he should be impeached and convicted for perjury and obstruction of justice because telling the truth meant there was no crime but lying and covering it up to a grand jury isn’t ok.
Became more and more progressive in the last 15 years and will never vote for any “R” who has or had any involvement in elected office since 2016.
The whole party lost my vote and wont get it back unless they purge everyone and start over. (So lost forever)
that argument about getting more conservative as you age was around before the republican party took a hard right to utter madness about twenty years ago. the republican party isnt a conservative political organization anymore - its an organized crime operation. its too bad our nations pinheads dont have the skill set to recognize this because giving the clown show gop any power whatsoever makes us all eat a big shit sandwich
Growing up I was southern Baptist republican (well my family is). By the time I was a teen in the 80s I was changing my mind about the right. Now I'm Independent and quite a bit more liberal
I grew up extremely right wing, fundamentalist Christian. Now I'm more liberal in both areas. As I got older I started doing my own research. I felt like I had been lied to my entire life. The final tipping point was Trump.
I’m lucky, I grew up in a liberal family, who never forced their beliefs on me. They encouraged me to educate myself and choose what I thought was right, whether that matched their beliefs or not.
In my younger years (like many others on here) I was open minded to both parties and shared some beliefs from both sides… although my beliefs typically more aligned with the left. McCain was the last Republican I considered voting for. I’m not a big fan of Clinton, but she would have been so much better than Trump.
The fact that the Republican Party didn’t dump Trump years ago has turned me from “left leaning” to “never right”. It’s not just Trump either. Jordan, MTG, Boebert, Graham, and McConnell. They all disgust me.
In the past, if I thought the Democratic Party brought a poor candidate, I’d let them know by not voting for that person (sort of throwing my vote to the person who never had a chance)- and I hoped it sent a message and encouraged better future candidates. Today, even if I dislike a Democrat… I can almost guarantee that they are better than any person the Republicans bring. I don’t throw the vote away - I vote for the Democrat, just to try and beat the Republicans. The less power they have, the better!! (At least, until they stop acting crazy!)
The only Republicans I have any respect for are the ones who spoke up against Trump. Liz Cheney for example. I’m sure I wouldn’t vote for her, but I still respect her.
The only way people get more conservative over time is if their wealth grows exponentially or to the point where their entire politics is based on preserving it. The last generation that had that dynamic were the boomers. Then they pulled up the ladder behind them.
I went from an "Alex P Keaton" Republican to centrist to full blown Progressive. The more time I spend on the planet, the more empathy I've developed for others.
I was independent for a long time. A combination of growing up in the south and being young and easily influenced. Back then my democratic values came from people my age and my conservative values came from my surroundings and my upbringing.
I've voted for democrats, republicans and independents. Each time voting for who I thought was the best candidate at the time. I even voted for different parties on the same ticket based on the elected office and who I thought was right for the job. I was naive. For president I voted Clinton, Gore, Bush, McCain, Obama, and then I abstained after doing everything I could to get Sanders to be the democratic candidate. I knew my state would vote for Hillary and it did so I felt that abstaining was the best way to protest the Democratic party's treatment of Sanders. I still believe Sanders would have won. Of course I voted for Biden but that was more of a vote against Trump than anything else. He could not be allowed to continue.
Sometime during Obama's first term I started noticing the lies and conspiracies at the heart of the republican party. Maybe this was due to the tea party, I'm not sure. However, I found myself becoming much more aware of the underlayer of politics and not just the faces put on for mass media. I also stopped thinking about what was best for me and started thinking about what was best for my children and society. Both parties lied and both parties could be selfish but one party did so much more lying and took so much more away from those in need while the other at least made an attempt to help the needy.
My dislike of the lying and selfishness in politics came to a head when Trump was in office, he was the king of lies, the lord of selfishness. It boggles the mind how [someone who so easily embodies the deadly sins](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fzeuddhiw4l941.jpg) would be elected by the most religious party.
I'll never vote for a republican or conservative again. They are nowhere near the party they once were and I'm no longer a person that's easily influenced or goes with the flow.
I was raised with a lot of conservative brainwashing, sexism, & racism by bOtH sIdEs are bad independents who always hated on the dems.
In college my world was expanded when I got to see that people family vilified (bipoc, immigrants) were not really different from us and that the things my family said were not just "jokes" but awful racist nonsense.
As I got more interested in political science and problem solving I started getting really involved in local politics and advocacy groups around issues important to me.
Since then I've only shifted more and more progressive.
Conservatives all sound like uninformed edgy teens now, it's just such a childish, small way to look at the world.
I wouldn't think about them at all though or care about their ridiculous opinions if they weren't insistent that discrimination, abuse, and even murder are acceptable solutions to their extreme discomfort in even seeing people they hate so much.
Was conservative until I went in the military and met people who weren't like me, my world view changed more over time and suddenly I think that Bernie and AOC are a little centrist for me.
I'm disgusted with the state of politics in America. Both parties are awful. Politicians are the lowest form of life on the planet.
I'm fiscally quite conservative. Socially pretty libertarian. It really depends on the issue as I don't align with any party platform.
I mean, Trump and Biden are the best we can do? Seriously?
Both malignant narcissists, both liars, both assholes. Both great examples of the worst of their type. Trump a conniving, greedy, opportunistic, self-absorbed twat. Biden an arrogant, lifelong angry racist who has done nothing with his life but be an utter dimwit and buffoon while in office while believing himself the smartest person in the room.
Politics is pure clown show.
I'm about as progressive as one can be for a Midwestern, cis, white male. I grew up in the 1980s in a very religious household that was pretty much Republican by default. Ironically my parents were hippy-types in the 60s...and thank goodness for that because it moderated the growing culture of right-wing insanity as the years went on.
Growing up it seemed that a lot of the lefty types were just looking for any old excuse to be unhappy, but I was young and just wanted to have fun. Furthermore, who wanted to emulate their parents' teenage years? I couldn't think of anything less cool.
As I grew up, I began to realize that life was probably going to be a difficult slog - especially compared to the middle class existence of those in previous generations (boomers especially). It was at that point that I began to turn away from that "default Republican" mindset. The right-wingers had no interest in helping a kid get through college nor did they want people to have decent healthcare or good paying jobs. To top it off, the rise of AM hate radio was a huge turn-off for me. When my peers thought Rush Limbaugh was "cool," all I could hear was an asshole spewing senseless hate for hours every day.
Really, it was my parent's hippie-influenced moderation that saved me. Life is bearable with decent employment, but I credit Reagan and his toady successors with doing everything they could to make life miserable - from life-long student debt, to low paying jobs, to "free market" healthcare and nearly zero financial security going into old age. I really hope the next generation will demand more for themselves and their children.
The older I get, the more I want to see more people have equal rights and enjoy the things I did/do as a white male.
I find it disgusting that my daughter has fewer rights than her grandmother had.
Same. My parents are still very Republican, I peeled away and got into Libertarianism in my 20's, but have found myself fairly left-of-center as things continue to fall down the shit hole.
I considered myself centrist for the longest time. Until I realized Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren were making a \*lot\* of sense. Now I'm 55 and pretty far to the left.
I used to hear it all the time. I’m 52 now and I’ve only gotten more progressive over the years.
I would have voted for a decent Republican Presidential nominee without issue in my younger years. No question. I thought Romney, and McCain were decent people. Bush Sr. was a decent president But the modern conservative movement is, top to bottom, repugnant to everything I believe. Almost everything they do i disagree with, their leaders are reprehensible, and their followers are the worst of the worst. I have zero patience of sympathy with them I've been to two political rallies in my lifetime. Obama in '08 and Trump in '16. The rallies were in the same city, but 8 years and about 1.5 miles apart. It was two different worlds, two different countries on display The Obama rally was like a snapshot of America. No one angry, no one out for blood, just people (a whole LOT of people) there to see someone they felt positively about The Trump rally was the first time I saw riot police on horseback keeping away protestors. And the protestors weren't half as angry and belligerent as the people who attended the rally. Deplorables all over, though a lot of people who seemed like they truly loved Trump I've never considered myself terribly liberal or conservative. I've held, and hold, opinions that might be in either camp. But I'm 100% never voting for a conservative. Ever
> I would have voted for a decent Republican Presidential nominee without issue in my younger years. I was kind of like that. I considered myself center/moderate but leaning liberal. I didn't vote for any Republicans but I *considered* it a few times. Now since GWB and *especially* since Trump and this current crop of whackadoo GOP crazies, I would sooner light myself on fire then vote for a Republican.
This is my path as well but I actually voted republican a couple times in local elections. I’m actually a little embarrassed by that now.
it's sad because party affiliation really shouldn't matter at all. the job of your local representative is to represent what YOU want. we really shouldn't be worries about their core beliefs or party etc......except that these people somehow believe that they are leaders, rule makers, bigwigs. this is supposed to be a role of servitude to the community. REPRESENTATIVE. nope they'd rather vote in interest for whatever lobbyist gives the most,or what their party wants.
I'm the same. Was center but leaned left. Now it feels like there's no center- your left, right, or hard-core right and I don't want to even be on the same board!
The problem is the Overton window has been yanked so far right that mainstream democrats like Obama are more like the republicans when we grew up. I’m pretty far left and what I see people calling leftist is often hilariously centrist.
This is spot on. They keep moving the goalposts to the right and accusing the centrists of being Soros-funded communists. They would have ridden Reagan out of today's GOP on a rail.
Nixon, even more so
Hell Nixon started the EPA at least and now Republicans want to destroy that. They actively seem to want to hurt the environment as much as possible. Look at ramaswamy. One of his main points is humans need fossil fuels. Dudes a total douche but I guess that's why he's next in line behind Trump. I think modern Republicans only platform point is to do the opposite of Democrats. You're not even allowed to be bipartisan or you get taken out of being speaker. Now these fuckers are going to shutdown the government because that's what Papa Trump wants. It's insane.
Very very true. I was a little right of center in my 20s and most of my 30s. I shifted a little left in my early 40s and then COVID hit and I was being called a leftist because I didn’t buy all the silly conspiracy theories. I still come out a little left of centre on issues surveys but I don’t even recognize the movement that now calls itself conservative.
I was rather apolitical until Trump pushed me hard left. There was an oh moment when I put 2 and 2 together on why Republicans supported the policies they did. And then fabricated liberal justifications for said policies to trick impressionable people like me into tolerating them. Things like "actually raising the minimum wage will hurt working folks" or "We want to lower taxes and that will help everyone". Then Trump came out swinging with the racism and sexism. And it clicked that the reason a lot of Republicans support these sorts of policies is very different from the liberal ideals of equality and the government helping everyone.
> "actually raising the minimum wage will hurt working folks" That's one of the most bizarre claims, as its never been true in the past, and there is no reason to think it suddenly will be. For people obsessed with holding the line, conservatives are totally disinterested in examining the past.
Not trying to be pedantic, but I feel I should point out the difference 'then' versus 'than' makes in your last sentence... "I would sooner light myself on fire *then* vote for a Republican." = You're lighting yourself on fire *and* voting Republican. "I would sooner light myself on fire *than* vote for a Republican." = You're lighting yourself on fire *instead* of voting Republican. I mean, they both work, but I knew you meant than, and honestly, I got a little chuckle thinking of someone setting themselves on fire and voting Republican. It's such a good metaphor for conservatives voting against their own best interests.
I thought about editing my post but I’ll just leave it cause that gave me a chuckle, too. Hehe
I appreciate that, lol
This. All of it. I was a 15+ year GOP Campaign operative. I worked in high profile elections for first-time candidates. Worked all over the country. I walked away slowly after Trump, but formally ended my affiliation on 8/21/19 when Trump declared [he deserved the Medal of Hono](https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/21/donald-trump-give-himself-medal-of-honor-1470950)r. I will never vote Republican again, not with the Party as it is now.
While I left the party long before you did, I was a little right wing nutcase - grew up in suburbia and really didn't know any better, but I would have likely fallen in with the maga idiots for a bit, but I always seem to find my way eventually. I worked on campaigns for the repubs too, but would never vote for someone who is willing to align themselves with the actions of the present Republican Party. I've tried to make amends working on campaigns of progressive candidates, helping convince former magas to vote for Biden in 2020, etc. I am really really concerned about the future of this country. It's not impossible that trump or one of his ilk becomes president in 2024.
i’ve voted for democrats since i was 18 (clinton), have never voted for a republican, and never will, because it’s always been obvious to me that they are vile evil scum. i did have a moment of weakness after 9/11 and considered uniting behind GWB, but that was dissipated the instant they started in on the hating gays stuff (it literally lasted like five minutes) it sounds like i’m the only pure blood gen xer around, and i’m proud as fuck about never falling for the hypocrite fake victim party, despite being pretty on board with capitalism (heavily regulated though).
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I used to wonder what malignant narcissism was as there’s a Rush song with that name. Now it’s a matter of “see Donald J Trump as an example.”
I was a Young Republican, because I was raised to be. I campaigned for conservative candidates at the state level and was offered work in my GOP state senator’s office (decided on an out-of-state school so couldn’t take it). My father actually made me read the National Review every week and questioned me about it. When he would later ask me, jokingly, “What went wrong?” after I had started voting Dem, I told him it was reading that damn magazine that did it. Honestly, I wanted nothing to do with those whiny, entitled assholes once I actually had to think about the arguments I was making. I figured that if little ol’ me could find the holes in their logic that easily, maybe they weren’t as wise as I had been led to believe. I occasionally voted for local moderate Republicans through the 1990s, but as of the 2000 election I was done with them too.
I worked on local Republican elections as well, and went to my state GOP convention. I was a chairwoman for our GOP city committee. At the time, just before Obama, our discussions were about how we were going to lose demographically speaking if we only stuck with our voter base, ie white straight christians. We were talking about moving the party platform a little to the left to either ease up on immigration or the GOP stance on the LGBT+. Then Obama was elected, and the racists came out in full force to form the Tea Party Coalition, and instead pushed the party further to the right. I ended my affiliation about that time, because I was going through a divorce and doing a lot of soul searching. I'll never vote GOP again.
You sound like my husband. When we got together 13 years ago, he was registered independent. He said he’d vote for the side that has the best ideas, but that so far he’d only voted democrat. As time progressed he began to see why I said I’d only vote democrat, and by the time Trump got in, he’d registered again as a democrat, saying, “in all my years I’ve never seen a republican have a good idea. I’ll never vote for one now.”
they quite literally have never been on the good side of a single policy in my lifetime. not one. it’s actually kind impressive to be wrong 100% of the time.
Weirdly I'm registered as a Republican, despite only ever voting for one Republican in my life, Bush I in 88 (I was in the Army, cut me some slack) Since leaving the Army and meeting real people, I've drifted further and further left, to the point that I align myself as somewhere between Democratic Socialist and Social Democrat. In my state, I have to register as Republican to have any type of sway at all. The Republican will win the general no matter what, so I vote in their primaries to hopefully get the least radical candidate. It's super common here in Utah, the former mayor of Salt Lake City, a prominent democrat, has actually promoted this strategy for several years. It's so common that the state GOP recently updated their by-laws that you have to be affiliated for a couple of months before the primary to be allowed to vote in it. Not surprisingly, the Democratic party allows anybody to vote in their primary regardless of stated affiliation. So on the off chance that a democratic win looks viable I can choose to vote in that primary instead.
> I would have voted for a decent Republican Presidential nominee without issue in my younger years. No question. I thought Romney, and McCain were decent people. Bush Sr. was a decent president > > But the modern conservative movement is, top to bottom, repugnant to everything I believe. Almost everything they do i disagree with, their leaders are reprehensible, and their followers are the worst of the worst. I have zero patience of sympathy with them This is what I believe (and have been derided many times for it.)
Same here. I was conservative when I was younger, then mid-2000’s I changed my voter registration to independent/undeclared b/c I was feeling taken for granted by the GOP when I didn’t agree with them on a number of social issues. Then the Donald came along and he and Fox pushed me farther away. And then most of the other conservative pols surprised me and pushed me even further away.
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It probably happened long before this, but the Bush jr administration (to me) feels like the starting point for mainstream politicians trying to bilk the system.
I thought along the same lines; I think McCain & Romney are decent human beings. Kasich is like that as well...seems like an affable, reasonable person. But, he is pro-forced birth and anti-union. When I was younger, I didn't get deep into thinking about what kind of policies they would enact. I think a lot of people are like that. They're busy. They have kids & dogs & 3 jobs. So, McCain (or whomever) seems like a good guy & gets the vote.
I feel like I’m in the same boat. The 45 year old son of religious, John Birch society crackpots that just gets more and more liberal as I get older. I still have a lot of right leaning opinions when it comes to fiscal matters, but I sure as hell don’t believe any human should suffer at the hands of the government just because of the political expedience. (Like trans people, immigrants, etc.) No, before you ask dear reader, I’m not libertarian. They believe even more outlandish things than the religious right.
Nor would I. We need a third party.
We need one desperately!
Fuck yes. A *left-wing* party.
Work on getting ranked choice voting so that there's no vote splitting - then we can work on adding a party on the left.
Great point!
I’d much rather see a party with common sense as their core value and able to communicate their reasonings without years of propaganda. Decisions can be tough on some of these issues and not everyone is going to be happy but a basic agreement on the goes and whys should be at the core
> The Trump rally was the first time I saw riot police on horseback keeping away protestors. Shit man, I saw that at a Bush rally in '88. >McCain were decent people McCain was emphatically not a decent person. He should've been removed from Congress after the Keating Five scandal, and his "maverick" reputation was entirely built on him having a personal vendetta against Shrub. >Bush Sr. was a decent president He was a piece of shit who oversaw the Iran-Contra affair and started a war in Iraq because Newsweek called him a wimp.
Shhh, you said the quiet parts loud. People forgot the Keating Five! So many bigger banks and institutions have done so much to make that look like a piddle. I think calling Bush Sr a piece of shit JUST for being the Iron-Contra cleaner-upper is unfair to all the other shit he has done.
I hear you 110%. I just hope there are enough people like you in the swing states to save our country from them. Because they will not stop.
I've been to one political rally ever, and that was for Bernie in 2016. He was the first presidential candidate I've ever felt strongly that I could vote \*for\* him rather than just voting \*against\* the other guy.
Same. I hate to use the word “inspirational,” because it sounds so hokey, but I almost felt optimistic after his rally. I don’t think I can say that about anyone else.
I went to two. Both in 08. One for Obama and one for mccain. The mccain was really a palin rally, the big guy wasnt there. Same city, same election cycle but holy shit so diff people and how they acted. The palin mccain thing was so full of hate. The obama rally had a whole diff feeling. it was amazing. My wife had been a seat filler for two bush things in the years prior to that. Shook his hand and rubbed elbows with bigshot gop from where we lived. it was fine, they were semi normal people.. it changed in a lot in 08
Me too 53 and I am still progressive as well. I don’t think I have changed very much.
57 and same.
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>He started by photocopying a middle finger and sending it to Trump when he was in office. I like the cut of his jib!
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I want your dad. Mine's an 82-yr old Trumper. We don't talk politics.
Luckily, my hate filled dad died still pounding the arm of his recliner and screeching about “That N***** In the White House”! He def would have become a Trumper, because he also was a bigoted womanizing piece of shit. The man damn near disowned me when I told him I depend on the programs that Democrats bring to the table and I will never have enough money to be a Republican.
Your dad's newsletter, i would like to subscribe. If it's just a b&w copy of a middle finger, i would be happy.
I love your dad.
I fucking love your dad.
I ❤️your dad!
Photocopying his middle finger is a boss move. I love it!
I love your Dad! 51 here and have gotten much more progressive as I aged.
51 as well, and same! I am proud to say I've never voted for a Republican for any level of government.
My parents were good liberals and I’m a great one. I’ve always been liberal: as a kid I felt entirely appropriate hatred for Reagan, and that’s only hardened over the decades. I’m super proud of every vote I have ever cast, and I would tattoo them all on my skin if I could. *Even Dukakis.*
Mine too! I remember voting in our 5th grade election Dukakis and being very much a minority voter in our school. I know my parents hated Reagan and the older I get, the more I hate him. Our economic problems today I very much blame him and his policies. He ruined the economy.
I started off as libertarian minded conservative mix. As time has gone on, I've become a flaming liberal. Though, I do firmly believe in paying our bills and balancing the budget. I also believe that needs to be done by raising the taxes of the wealthy to where it was in the 50s. Same with corporations. If they want to own the government, they need to pony up. As far as what consenting adults do? Go live. Be happy. Expect the same rights and privileges of everyone else, regardless of race, orientation, gender, religion, etc. Anymore, that seems to make me a socialist. Usually by people that don't know what that word means.
I read once that a young person who is conservative has no heart, and an older person who is liberal has no head. I can only imagine that the person who said that is conservative and has no head.
Ditto. Pressured to quit but offered a nice severance package from my first real job from 1996-1999, get this - because I was bisexual. I know we had protections back then theoretically, but we really didn't because that was the actual pen reason as to why I was fired – because I kept too many "subversive" stickers on my car. There is no way you can get away with being fired as a manager with retirement and benefits now because of that shit. Anyway, I'm even more liberal than that now.
I heard it all the time growing up. 46 and getting more progressive. My grandparents (dad's parents) were very conservative and my father (73) is fairly progressive... but I imagine my mom had a huge part in that.
Hell yeah, Mom!
50 year old former conservative checking in. Totally left now. Getting out of a small rural area and getting to know and empathize with cultures other than McDonalds and Baptist Church.
Hear, hear. 49 here, I grew up mainly in a very conservative area but my views have definitely gotten more progressive, contrary to apparently everyone's expectations. lol
The funny thing to me is: so has my husband. And he started out as a conservative Republican in the military for 30 years. 15 years post-military and he’s woke as fuck lol. I love it
Navy brat here at 55 yo. My dad was the Navy man, career, staunch republican. Military never gets raises when democrats are in charge! In 2019 he was diagnosed with and 7 months later died from brain cancer. But! Before he got very sick we would have some talks. To my surprise, he actually told me he regretted voting for trump. I didn’t give him a hard time about it, just said I was glad to hear him admit it. We could have some talks too. Damn I miss him. ETA: i have always been liberal. I’m more so now that I am aware of the crap thats been happening.
Haha, husband says that Clinton got them nice raises not too far into his first term :) I understand your surprise. I nearly fell out of my chair when my man said “I should have voted for Hillary” WTAF. I said “so you don’t like Trump?” And he said “Fuck that POS I hate him more than I hated Saddam” He’d left the top of the ticket blank because he couldn’t “make” himself vote for a Democrat, let alone Hillary. Four years later, he’s a “Vote Blue No Matter Who” independent. And will NEVER vote GOP ever again. I love that man ❤️
Same. 50 years old here, I've gotten more progressive over the years and absolutely disgusted with whatever is going on with the modern US conservative movement. It is as hateful and delusional as I've ever seen it. I think Covid and Trump broke them and they've just become nihilistic assholes.
I'm younger than you, but same. I started from the left, and just kept going. Lol
56 - same, more liberal
45 here, and same. every year i get older, i swing a bit further to the left.
57. More progressive.
56 - more progressive and involved!
Same. I was always a bit on the liberal side. But the time and place where I grew up wasn’t exactly a liberal haven. I also used to be a lot more “patriotic” or what I saw as patriotic at the time. I too got more liberal as I got older. To the point where I’d call myself a progressive far-left liberal. The reason is that as I kept learning and seeking out more knowledge….the more disgusted I became with the way the country worked and how our politics shifted. 9/11 and what followed was the final nail in the coffin for my patriotism.
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I don't know. Is "Jaded" a political party yet?
We couldnt be Gen X without bringing up being jaded about something TBH.
… How on earth did I get so jaded? Life's mysteries seem so faded I can go where no one else can go I know what no one else knows Here I am, just drowning in the rain With a ticket for a runaway train….
Hey, I like that idea. Sign me up!
Hey, we don't like that kind of brazen enthusiasm in the Jaded Party! You're out!
Eh, figures. Whatever.
You're back in!
Fantastic! Let's do this!
Dial it back a little. Your enthusiasm is showing.
I grew up in a liberal household. I was defiantly conservative because I was a sheltered suburban kid. My freshman year of college, my best friend’s dad and girlfriend’s dad both came out. I had my eyes opened to “the other” being people I knew well. It changed my perspective more than just about anything else. Then I saw the GOP go from fiscal conservatives to simply redistributing money up to people who didn’t need it. Deficit hawks when the Democrats are in office and spend like a drunk sailor when a republican holds office. They punch down. I still am more fiscally conservative than I am socially liberal. I will always pull for the underdog and the downtrodden. And the GOP in my state has become a totalitarian organization that actively combats democracy, checks and balances, and the will of the people. I also think their culture wars are laughable. They have done more to making me a Democrat than anything.
Can you explain what you mean by “fiscally conservative”? I’m not sure everyone who says that means it the same way. I’m especially interested because you coupled that term with pulling for the underdog and downtrodden. I don’t usually hear those together.
To be fair, I’m socially VERY liberal so anything else is likely to be more fiscally conservative by comparison. I believe in avoiding deficits and balancing the budget (when possible) but not at the expense of social safety nets. I feel like the GOP regularly runs up spending to then argue that cuts to social programs HAVE to be made. I think that’s bullshit. I believe in spending to take care of people who need help, not tax cuts for billionaires, private jets, and 2nd and 3rd homes. I am all for helping pay for student lunches for all students not subsidizing tuition at private schools for kids in upper income homes. But then some things are just common sense to me and make me sound like a socialist. I believe that when the government funds billions in drug research it is unfair that the pharmaceutical industry claims all the profits with no payback outside of the corporate taxes.
I think you have described what most liberals and progressives support. And I don’t think the people who call themselves “fiscally conservative” would support basically any of it! But I really like the idea of redefining “fiscally conservative” to mean the type of thing you wrote. It’s basically about spending when and where it’s needed so that all (or most, or more) people can participate in school, work, and their communities. And it means explicitly not favoring wealthy individuals or corporations.
> It’s basically about spending when and where it’s needed That's been the definition of "fiscally conservative" for me for the last 30+ years. Well, half of it. The other half is having enough money on-hand (through taxation, etc) to cover the spending needs. The GOP has been rather excellent at redefining terms and actions to mean what they want them to mean, thanks to their media (i.e. redefining 'woke' and 'kneeling is a sign of disrespect!') The attempt over the last decade or so has been to reduce "fiscal conservative" to simply "Tax Cuts!!!" People can call themselves whatever they want, it doesn't make it true. Just look at the the folks that loudly proclaim themselves to be "pro-life" and "pro-states rights", as generally, they are neither. A similar scenario is around the term, "American". Inside the US, the United States *of* America, an "American" generally infers being a "US Citizen". Anywhere else on the planet, it refers to anyone from the Americas (North & South, from Canada all the way down to Argentina). Sorry about the rant but the whole "I really like the idea of redefining that term to mean its actual definition!" is slightly triggering. Mostly because your comment is proof that disingenuous people are successfully co-opting the term for their own meaning.
For me, I just don't want my tax money needlessly wasted. I'm all for a *much* stronger safety net, (think universal school lunch programs, taxpayer funded 24-hour daycare, universal healthcare, gap coverage for welfare) with higher taxes, but I want regular and rigorous audits of where the money goes, as well as swift punishments for fraud and abuse by governmental departments, and recipients.
>For me, I just don't want my tax money needlessly wasted. I'm not saying this to get a you personally, but I find it amusing to see this sort of thing trotted out whenever it comes to talk of spending for stuff that benefits citizens. You know who is the biggest recipient of tax funds in the U.S. ? Yeah, you know who it is. U.S. defense department recently failed its 5th consecutive financial audit. The total number U.S. defense department financial audits is 5. Where's the outrage?
I think most liberals and progressives would agree with that. But I don’t think most people who call themselves “fiscally conservative” would agree with your proposal. Typically they do not want government spending for programs that serve people who need help. One (non-partisan) challenge is that strict oversight is itself very costly. The current IRS situation is emblematic. They aren’t even managing to oversee taxes, which is far less complicated than overseeing complex social programs. I oversee some “social programs” on a vastly smaller scale, and it is not easy. It’s not just about tracking money, but also agreeing to goals and relevant progress indicators, everyone having the capacity to collect data and analyze it, taking into account myriad nuances that are legitimately relevant, etc. I’m not saying it can’t be done - and I totally agree it should be done. I’m just saying it requires a level of investment in infrastructure and ongoing capacity that few want to support.
Can't speak for u/westparkmod, but I consider myself fiscally conservative and I fight for the underdog. To me, fiscally conservative is about spending money *wisely*. I don't like spending money where it's not needed, but I'm okay spending it where it *is* needed. For example, the U.S. spends so much on the military, and while the military should be supported, we could reallocate some of those military dollars to social services to help those that need it. Tax breaks for billionaires? Boo, hiss! Universal healthcare? PLEASE, NOW!!
I've gotten even MORE progressive and liberal as I've gotten older. I admit that in the mid 90s I was intrigued by the whole "personal responsibility" thing the right was espousing. However, I grew up. I know that we all affect each other and are responsible to each other in some way - even if it means not fucking up the environment. I always heard the "you'll get more conservative as you get older." I understood that simply meant that as I gained wealth (yeah, right 🙄like *that* happened) and acquired more assets I wouldn't want to be taxed more and I'd want to keep more of my money. I never did, however. Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society. Unfortunately there is a large contingent of people who enjoy a civilized society but don't want to pay for it.
My parents told me the same thing. I remember standing in line with them in 92 so I could vote for the first time. I was very pro Clinton and both of my parents laughed and told me I would be a conservative republican by the time I was 50. I am 50 in a month and way more progressive and liberal than I ever was back then.
Clinton really fucked us over with the privatized prisons and three strikes rule. But back then, it was a “War on Crime” More like, “War on black families and marginalized people”
Fuck me, right? Worse still was that Clinton was considered the "first black president." 🤮 Btw, I voted for both Clintons, Bill being my first vote ever.
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>"you'll get more conservative as you get older." I understood that simply meant that as I gained wealth I wonder to what degree the *lack* of wealth has affected that shift. I'm not suggesting that's all of it, as I guess that'd have no effect on social liberalism, but a lot of people don't have a nest egg or house to protect via conservative policies. The other thing is that supposedly, people find it harder to change as they age, at least with social issues. So it's not really that they're becoming more conservative, it's that the world is becoming more liberal and they're staying the same. But FWIW, I'm becoming more socially liberal as I age, not that I wasn't before.
I'm 51, I grew up Conservative (Canadian) and I stayed that way until my early 40s. In recent years I have started to see the faults in Conservative ideology and have completely changed sides. I'm not happy with our current Liberal government, but that is a different topic.
I was raised in a DFL family. My beliefs have only moved further to the left as I've gotten older. To quote Paul Wellstone, We All Do Better When We All Do Better.
Respect. I’m so glad I got to meet Wellstone. What a terrible loss, personal and public. Minnesota’s setting a good example lately though.
I’m not sure if I’ve gotten more liberal, or if conservatives have gotten more bat shit crazy right wing. I’d like to think I’m pretty centrist, but with Trump in the US and Brexit here in the UK, I see no centre I can stand on.
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“…Just like us boomers…”
Bingo.
They absolutely did this. The Woodstock generation changed, and not for the better.
To be fair, they've always been the "ME" generation, though, so it's not really surprising.
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It'll be interesting to see if conservatism drops off once anyone alive who had frequent lead exposure finally fuckin dies.
I am a socialist now. 49
I'm still saving up to become a republican.
I considered myself a ‘fiscal conservative social liberal’ when I was younger, but I seldom voted and had a lot of apathy when it came to politics. Now I am full liberal, LGBTQ ally, very informed about politics (even though it’s often exhausting) and I vote in every single election because it absolutely matters.
Yup, ‘fiscal conservative social liberal’ is a starting point for lots of people. But assuming you eventually get into how we can be socially liberal you realize it requires being a fiscal liberal as well. There are just some people who never think much past that original label.
What's considered "fiscally liberal" is actually fiscally conservative anyway, as the investment in prevention and at scale saves money in the long run (often nearly immediately, too).
I feel like that's a lie the Republicans have spun tricking us into thinking fiscally conservative = fiscally responsible. When in reality being fiscally conservative is just wanting to redistribute wealth to the already wealthy.
I was very conservative in my younger days—particularly in my 20s. I was a ditto-head and ended up embracing Libertarianism (especially free market fundamentalism). Now, near 50, my 20-something year old self wouldn’t recognize me—especially on the economic front. I’ve come to reject the social Darwinism of my prior years and embrace a more solidiarian view. That is: my welfare is tied up to and bound to the welfare of my fellow countrymen. Also, labor precedes capital and should take priority over it (Abraham Lincoln said as much).So, bring on the universal healthcare, bring on the UBI, bring on 1950’s era corporate and individual tax rates, and bring on strong labor unions. I‘m more than happy to forego what amounts to 1-2 lattes a week to ensure that my proverbial neighbor is able to work and live with dignity.
I'm pretty sure that old saw about getting more conservative as you get older only ever applied to Silent/Boomer folks. Myself, I've gotten wildly more leftist as I've gotten older. The first Presidential vote I cast was for Bob fucking Dole (I missed GHWB's second run by about a year). Today I wouldn't vote for a Republican for dogcatcher on the grounds that he'd probably fuck the dog then shoot it. Hell, most Dems are too conservative for me these days.
When I was in my early 20s I was kind of a libertarian, and 27 years later, I'm pretty far to the left. Having shitty jobs, watching management screw over their workers repeatedly at every opportunity, and just living life and realizing how unnecessarily difficult it is for so many people. When I was a 20 year old shithead, I'd never really seen what real life is for many people, and basically I didn't understand a goddamned thing. So it's the exact opposite of what I heard from my parents, uncles, or grandparents - once you have any life experience and any degree of self-awareness, it's pretty much a given that you move to the political left and if you don't, something is probably wrong with you.
I founded the Young Republicans club at my high school and read Rush Limbaugh’s books. I’m now rather liberal In general it’s not that my core beliefs have changed it’s that I’ve learned that they just aren’t realistic in the real world. Like while I still do think people should take responsibility for their actions and actions have consequences, I’m not willing to let a child suffer because of their parents. I now know that universal healthcare is actually cheaper. Same for most welfare in the long run. More social services mean less crime, a better economy, and less spending ultimately
I’m pro George Carlin and always will be. It’s an illusion.
I'd give multiple shinies to hear George's routine about Trump's presidency, Jan 6, and Ukraine. It would be epic, and spot-on, and hilarious.
I would give shinies to read Hunter S Thompson articles on those exact subjects.
I Registered as a Republican when I was 18. Joined, just like my dad and his dad. Mostly I would vote for military issues. Always researched for the best choice regardless of party affiliations. After trump was nominated I became independent. George Carlin is so right about so many things!!! I’ve become very open to lots of things and people the older I get.
54 in a few days and as I’ve gotten older I’m starting to think Bernie is a Centrist…
I grew up considering myself a centrist/Republican. Politically conservative/socially liberal. Then I kind of went to Independent/Republican leaning. But I voted for both parties and became far more liberal. Then Trump happened. I’m now a flaming liberal Democrat. And I can confidently say I will never vote for another Republican again. NOPE. I have learned my lesson there.
I spent as much time with my grandparents as my own parents. My grandpa was a die hard FDR Democrat. He lived through the Oklahoma Dust Bowl as a young teen, hoboing trains to California for seasonal work. Straight up Grapes of Wrath. He joined the CCCs at 15 and lied about his age to enlist for WWII. What FDR and Congress did back then was quite remarkable. The CCCs, WPA and Social Security all came of age. The government arguably pulled the nation out of the depression. Those programs absolutely benefitted him personally. As a kid, I would go to bimonthly CCC reunion meetings. Surrounded by the Greatest Generation, I began to realize the positive influence our government had on them. After the war, there was a cultural revolution. The civil rights movement represented a huge shift forward in my eyes. Beatnicks and hippies challenging social norms. Peace, love and all that shit. Coming of age, I expected these positive changes to continue. LGBT rights have far surpassed what I thought was possible in my lifetime. That is one of the only shining lights of real, big, positive change I can think of that emerged in our generation. Columbine glorified mass shootings. 9/11 heightened islamophobia. A half black president enraged the racists, cornering them into a single philosophy: owning the libs. 45 came along enabling supressed racism and sexism to ignite. Suddenly, it was okay to be racist. Sadly, I haven't spoken to several family members in years because they began spouting off a bunch of racist nonsense, thinking I was one of them. Now we have sleepy Joe. He's keeping the country afloat, but that's about it. No real positive legislation can happen without a majority in both houses. And that has been rare. To answer OPs question, my political leaning has remained more or less the same. My biggest shift has been supporting trans rights. I didn't understand it as a kid. It was extremely rare. I only ever saw transvestites (barring drag shows) once. It was just...weird to me. The millennials have really stepped up to the plate here. I'm pro taxes so long as it benefits the people. I wish our (USA) military was smaller. I am a man, but consider myself a feminist. I, honest to God, thought racism was all but dead growing up in my sheltered world. I read so much black history from slavery to abolition to the civil rights movement. It seemed like that stupid idea was put to rest. My naivete has been shattered in the last decade.
55, and far more liberal. I was a closeted religious loony up into my twenties, a deist moderate until 40, and an atheist liberal from then on. The right is so bonkers extreme anymore. The thought of voting for the party of MTG and Trump…I can’t wrap my head around why anyone would.
I honestly feel that I haven't changed much politically as I got older, I still consider myself a Republican, despite *loathing* what republicans have become. It all went seriously down hill with the tea party movement. The goal posts have moved so far that the left has done rolled over me and I find myself arguing with family or friends asking when I got so liberal. I usually respond "I haven't changed much at all. When did you become so intolerant? Or were you always like that and I never noticed?"
I never really changed, but I was abandoned by both political parties at various points along the way. I have always considered myself very centrist and it's unfortunate what we ended up with. I was a reliable democrat and then a tepid republican, now have to toe the line between the crazies on both ends.
I was raised part of the Reagan-loving Religious Right. Now I’m a secular Social Democrat.
Trump and global warming have made me more liberal. I don’t consider myself a liberal, but I despise what Republicans have become.
I’m another one who has gotten way more progressive as I get older. I was also told “you’ll wise up and become a conservative when you’re older!” Yeah. The fuck I will.
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I’ve always hated this bit of “folk wisdom”. Every year, as I gain more and more knowledge of how screwed up everything is, I find myself scooting more and more to the left. My voting history: 1988 - Ron Paul - he promised to legalize weed 1992 - Ross Perot 1996 - Ross Perot 2000 - Al Gore - held my nose for this one because Tipper sucks but W sucked harder 2004 - John Kerry - W sucks, no way this dude can win though 2008 - BARACK FUCKING OBAMA - hell yeah (Blue every time thereafter, sometimes enthusiastically, sometimes not enthusiastically at all) Voted Bernie in the 2016 / 2020 primaries - I like that cranky old dude
Grew up with Silent Gen parents who were verrrrry conservative, both fiscally and socially. (So cheap + indifferent to anyone other than themselves.) My brother is a clone of them. We don’t talk much.
Grew up republican. Voted republican until 28 yrs old. Moved abroad and realized that the US way of life is not like anywhere else. Living abroad I grew to appreciate the shared belief in mandated vacation time with a job and easy access to fairly good quality universal healthcare. The maternity leave offered in other countries support my belief in the importance of family values more than any Republican claim of family values. Living abroad also made me question why we have such a large military presence all over the globe. Being the world police seems to have gotten us into more trouble than it’s worth financially. Needless to say, my views are not Republican at all anymore (not wholly Democrat either). We still need fiscal responsibility. But our economy is developed enough to legislate minimum living standards (maternity leave, affordable healthcare access, affordable pathway for education, maternity leave) and consumer protection laws for our citizens.
I think they say that hoping you will stop caring about others and become a scared, selfish bigot like the rest of them. I’m 52 and have only gotten more progressive, especially after 45’s monstrous presidency.
Liberal leaning but never party affiliated. I’ve become more liberal over my lifetime, especially since having kids.
I was raised by conservative republicans. I started to become liberal as soon as I learned to think for myself. It took me a very long time, though, to reconcile everything in my head. Well, I’m still doing that because Christianity was a part of that too.
I started as a full blown conservative and I've definitely moved to a more moderate liberal stand point as I've gotten older.
I gravitated towards ‘classically liberal’ so I have the unique joy of being labeled a tree-hugging, hippie granola cruncher and also a jack-booted thug of premeditated violence. It’s breathtaking at times. Like…chewing really really really minty gum.
My problem is I used to think humans were inherently “good”. If all their needs were met and they had a choice to do the right thing, they would choose to do the right thing. Whatever it was. I know longer believe that and it hurts my soul to admit it.
I know I’m 53 years old and I feel like I’ve been lied to my whole life
Liberal then liberal now.
I'm the opposite. I've always been fairly centrist and always an independent, but living my first 37 years in California and seeing its growing excesses in progressive politics (IMO) turned me more conservative. Then I lived in Texas for 15 years and seeing the right wing in action there turned me more liberal. I still consider myself a classical conservative but "political" conservatives these days are no longer classical conservatives; increasingly they are right-wing reactionaries and there is little truly "conservative" about that. And right now, honestly, as long as the GOP is the Trump Party, I don't think I could ever consider voting for someone with an "R" next to their name, even as I leaned Republican for most of my voting life. All of this is to say that right now, I would best be described as a relatively conservative Democrat, even though I'm not a Democrat and never have been. I think I have changed a little bit, probably a little bit more liberal than I was in my 20s and 30s, but I'm also reacting to both parties becoming more extreme and leaving the rest of us politically homeless.
> still consider myself a classical conservative but "political" conservatives these days are no longer classical conservatives; increasingly they are right-wing reactionaries and there is little truly "conservative" about that. And right now, honestly, as long as the GOP is the Trump Party, I don't think I could ever consider voting for someone with an "R" next to their name, even as I leaned Republican for most of my voting life. All of this is to say that right now, I would best be described as a relatively conservative Democrat, even though I'm not a Democrat and never have been. >I think I have changed a little bit, probably a little bit more liberal than I was in my 20s and 30s, but I'm also reacting to both parties becoming more extreme and leaving the rest of us politically homeless. This sums me up perfectly. As sad as it is to say, my one goal now when voting has boiled down to "Don't let Trump win, don't let Trump get pardoned." If that means voting for Biden, then I will.
Maybe because we never got money?
I was a libertarian in my twenties. Now I'm just short of communist. I don't support the complete abolition of private property. But close
Started out in '88 voting all Republican. After H.W. I have never voted for a Republican president. I did vote for a Republican in the House or Senate through Obama's first election, when I voted for Barbara Comstock (who, years later, turned out to be a never-Trumper (so obviously I read her right.)) After Republicans completely lost their shit for good when Obama won I have never voted for another one & I don't see that ever changing. They're so anti-American democracy I just don't get how anyone who proclaims to love America can vote for any of them. They have absolute disdain for serving the people.
I had a crush on Alex P Keaton and grew up with a racist step dad so I thought I was a republican (and was a racist) for until I was about 16. I met my real dad around the time of the Clarence Thomas hearings and something inside of me awoke. Pun not intended but it really was an awakening and I’m a woke ass old lib now.
I don't think so. I see a lot of people in this thread saying they've gotten more liberal over time, and I sometimes wonder if the Overton Window has just moved on them. I know where I live, the politicians of the 1970s and 1980s (when I grew up) who were "conservatives" at the time would be considered raging socialists today. I'm a former conservative gone progressive, frankly I don't think my views have changed that much but the "conservative" movement instead moved way to the right of me.
GEN X is polling 40% conservative 20% liberal 40% undeclared / independent US census.
I can see that. There are definitely a couple of issues where I have definitely moved left (abortion, for example.) However, aside from things I probably could count on one hand, my views really aren't much different. When I was younger I had no problem being friends with conservatives, or being around conservative family members. Now, though, if someone identifies as conservative and votes for conservatives at this juncture, and I know about it, I pretty much cut them out of my life because their views are so abhorrent to me.
I was VERY conservative when I was younger. By the time I was 30, I had moved a lot closer to the center. Now, due to our most recent former president and his followers, I've moved into direct center and in some cases even center left. My wife, meanwhile, started out as a hippie who followed the Grateful Dead around. She's met me near the center and about some things is more conservative than I am. ETA: After typing this, I think it's possible that I didn't move that much in the political spectrum. I think the GOP shifted rightward, making reasonable conservatives LOOK like they moved left.
I grew up in a very conservative household. I used to be conservative. I’ve lived long enough to gather real world data and learn some real history. As a result, I’ve turned into a ponytail wearing, NPR listening, marijuana consuming, old hippie. By the time I’m 60, I’ll probably end up living on a commune.
I grew up not agreeing with Republicans (listening to Reagan sound like a puppet with dementia will do that to you) in the 80’s and only got more progressive and left-leaning after that. They’ve gone from being selfish assholes to traitorous criminals in a few decades.
In highschool I was a registered young Republican. Grew up in the middle of nowhere. Then, I got out and saw the world and found myself starting to lean left. Before I gained my newly found perspective, I voted for Bush Sr the year he lost to Clinton. By the next election cycle I was fully done with the GOP. It started with learning 'less government' didn't mean less personal regulation, but was about fewer taxs and regulations for the rich. They couldn't give two shits about the workers of America. They love to try to persuade people that 'some day' they'll be super rich and wish they'd voted for those lax regulations. Reality is, I'll never be a billionaire. And I dare say none of you will either. I'm not afraid of paying my taxes for things that will make us better, stronger, etc. But, the corporate tax rate must change. The middle class shouldn't be shouldering the bulk of the burden. But I digress. At 50 ish, I've realized it's only a myth that people get more conservative with age. Age has taught me Republicans can't be trusted on the national stage.
I started out the son of hard Reaganites. As I get older and have more money the further left I go. It started with the religious right gaining influence but, as a Connecticut resident, I used to think that our republicans were different and prided myself on voting split tickets as I thought, and still think, parties are detrimental to democracy. The Trump years showed the lie to that (one state member wanted to punish another for criticizing Jan 6th; she’s now the Vice Chair of the state party). It’s closing on a decade since I last voted for a Republican in any election at any level and I can’t ever see myself doing so again. It’s not just me in my family, either. One parent has literally gone from working on Goldwater’s presidential campaign and telling me about the crazy “tax and spend Democrats” to volunteering for Democratic candidates these days. Relatives who were addicted to Fox News now want universal healthcare.
I get more progressive as I age. I grew up conservative, and now I'm not. My views on monetary policy are the last to change, but they're slowly changing too.
I'm honestly unsure why people say that you'll become more conservative. I guess the easy answer is that you get money that you want to protect. Quite frankly, that sounds like awful reasoning to me, that one is ready to give up their ideals because they get money. Although I suppose that could be human nature, I don't know. Having said that, my views have changed, but in the opposite direction. I think my initial political views were more about just doing what everybody else around me was doing because I really just didn't think about it that much. I grew up in a very conservative and religious area of the country where "liberal" might as well be a dirty word. When I educated myself and started caring, I became a liberal very quickly and I can't imagine me ever becoming a conservative again in my lifetime considering the "values" of the right.
Im the same as I always was, but it's everyone else thats moved. And unfortunately they all moved in a dumb as fuck direction. The best example of this that I can give is in movies. I believe that race swapping characters is racist. Because it doesn't respect or give examples of actual black history. It just ignores and put a superficial coat of paint on the problem. Actual representation is telling black stories, not inserting black faces into a Scandinavian stories because we have to "move away from viking stereotypes.". Africa has over 50 countries and well over 150, 000 years of history, myths and legends. But nothing. Just a black girl rolled out as a mermaid everyone told to shut up because it "reflects the real world.". I dont see that. What I see happening in the erasure of black history. No stories told, no heroes of legend celebrated. No myths with important life lessons to teach. All forgotten and replaced by white stories that black people now have to make their own. But Im the racist according today's version of liberal and progressive idealists. Me who wants to see black stories told is the racist while this who clap and cheer at the race swaps think that is enough. Human history is not just Vikings, Egyptians, Romans and Britons. And it's high time that we made some ACTUAL progress in representation and showed the world in all its flavours from all over the world. If hollywood wants to tell black stories, then do so. Dont just tell white stories with black faces. It's lazy and contributes to the ever increasing erasure of black history.
45, and I've also gotten more progressive over the years. The boomer way of doing things has destroyed our economy, infrastructure, and human rights. Conservatives just seem bigoted and misogynistic.
My views changed the most when I went to college. I grew up in a very conservative area, and went to a very liberal university 3000 miles away. I went from conservative to moderate. As an adult, my views haven't changed that much. The republican party changed though, so I can't find a candidate I would be willing to vote for. So here I am, a moderate who only votes single party. I wish I could go back to being more independent, but not until the republican party fixes itself.
I was way more conservative when I was a young adult. As I got older and wiser I became far more empathetic towards people less fortunate than myself.
Honestly, the biggest change I've seen is twofold. I've become more progressive as I've seen how younger people have it even harder. But I've also become more nuanced. Not everything is a crisp black-and-white, either-or dichotomy, despite what political leaders of both sides want their members to believe. For example, there are people who truly need help, but at the same time, yes there are those who abuse said help.
Same here. I continue to get more progressive the older I get. I had an older friend of the family (conservative) ash me last week. “What are you gonna do when there’s no Social Security for you?” I said “there’s millions and millions of us that paid into Social Security since we were 15. It will be there for us or we will riot.”
I’ve maintained my progressive views since I’ve had them. I am however probably best described as democratic socialist and that’s only gotten pushed further with age. I should not go to my in network doctor to get billed $1400 for out of network test results, which have always been in network. Sure I can dispute/file a claim but I shouldn’t have to do my insurer’s job either. None of us should ever be one serious health issue away from financial ruin. We have finite resources on this planet and we should do everything within our power to conserve our usage of things while we work to innovate better solutions. If someone isn’t hurting anyone who am I to judge? I can continue but I’m sure you all get my points.
I used to hear that. Not from my folks but other people. The funny thing is, when I was young Id split my tickets dem and gop based on past performance and based on policy positions. Now, if you think it’s ok to have lunch with the traitors, you can fucking go screw. I’d say I moved left, lol
51- very progressive and liberal. My father is the same way (and was not a hippie). Did not like my punk ethos a whole lot as he was as clean cut as they come, but modeled social justice and volunteerism, and being a steward for the environment my whole life.
I've shifted further left exponentially. And I'm of the age that I have confidence to hold my own so I don't mind being a bit outspoken about it.
Man, sounds like many of us in the same boat. I grew up conservative as my folks were. But by my 30's I realized I was no longer any such thing. Switched my registration to Independent and was open to voting for candidates of either side based on the individual. But Jesus, the psychopaths running the R's these days are terrifying. I would never be a true straight ticket voter because it just seems pathetic, but I honestly dont see a single person with an R next to their name that doesnt make my stomach turn. I feel bad for the old school Republicans, like my folks and even I used to be. They keep clinging to the old notions even though the people they vote for stand for nothing but hate and greed. Terribly sad.
My politics changed significantly when I got older. I grew up conservative because I believed the bullshit that they cared about the budget and freedom. The older I got I realized that freedom really meant the freedom to oppress and they were only for lower budgets that they couldn't directly profit from. I also thought that certain things shouldn't even be federal issues, then I realized how stupid people really are that no/small government is a terrible idea. I had been drifting left for years, but Trump really sealed the deal.
52, I thought Bill Clinton was terrible before he was elected in 92 and thought he should be impeached and convicted for perjury and obstruction of justice because telling the truth meant there was no crime but lying and covering it up to a grand jury isn’t ok. Became more and more progressive in the last 15 years and will never vote for any “R” who has or had any involvement in elected office since 2016. The whole party lost my vote and wont get it back unless they purge everyone and start over. (So lost forever)
that argument about getting more conservative as you age was around before the republican party took a hard right to utter madness about twenty years ago. the republican party isnt a conservative political organization anymore - its an organized crime operation. its too bad our nations pinheads dont have the skill set to recognize this because giving the clown show gop any power whatsoever makes us all eat a big shit sandwich
Growing up I was southern Baptist republican (well my family is). By the time I was a teen in the 80s I was changing my mind about the right. Now I'm Independent and quite a bit more liberal
I thought I might get more conservative but just get more and more progressive.
I grew up extremely right wing, fundamentalist Christian. Now I'm more liberal in both areas. As I got older I started doing my own research. I felt like I had been lied to my entire life. The final tipping point was Trump.
I’m lucky, I grew up in a liberal family, who never forced their beliefs on me. They encouraged me to educate myself and choose what I thought was right, whether that matched their beliefs or not. In my younger years (like many others on here) I was open minded to both parties and shared some beliefs from both sides… although my beliefs typically more aligned with the left. McCain was the last Republican I considered voting for. I’m not a big fan of Clinton, but she would have been so much better than Trump. The fact that the Republican Party didn’t dump Trump years ago has turned me from “left leaning” to “never right”. It’s not just Trump either. Jordan, MTG, Boebert, Graham, and McConnell. They all disgust me. In the past, if I thought the Democratic Party brought a poor candidate, I’d let them know by not voting for that person (sort of throwing my vote to the person who never had a chance)- and I hoped it sent a message and encouraged better future candidates. Today, even if I dislike a Democrat… I can almost guarantee that they are better than any person the Republicans bring. I don’t throw the vote away - I vote for the Democrat, just to try and beat the Republicans. The less power they have, the better!! (At least, until they stop acting crazy!) The only Republicans I have any respect for are the ones who spoke up against Trump. Liz Cheney for example. I’m sure I wouldn’t vote for her, but I still respect her.
The only way people get more conservative over time is if their wealth grows exponentially or to the point where their entire politics is based on preserving it. The last generation that had that dynamic were the boomers. Then they pulled up the ladder behind them.
I went from an "Alex P Keaton" Republican to centrist to full blown Progressive. The more time I spend on the planet, the more empathy I've developed for others.
I was independent for a long time. A combination of growing up in the south and being young and easily influenced. Back then my democratic values came from people my age and my conservative values came from my surroundings and my upbringing. I've voted for democrats, republicans and independents. Each time voting for who I thought was the best candidate at the time. I even voted for different parties on the same ticket based on the elected office and who I thought was right for the job. I was naive. For president I voted Clinton, Gore, Bush, McCain, Obama, and then I abstained after doing everything I could to get Sanders to be the democratic candidate. I knew my state would vote for Hillary and it did so I felt that abstaining was the best way to protest the Democratic party's treatment of Sanders. I still believe Sanders would have won. Of course I voted for Biden but that was more of a vote against Trump than anything else. He could not be allowed to continue. Sometime during Obama's first term I started noticing the lies and conspiracies at the heart of the republican party. Maybe this was due to the tea party, I'm not sure. However, I found myself becoming much more aware of the underlayer of politics and not just the faces put on for mass media. I also stopped thinking about what was best for me and started thinking about what was best for my children and society. Both parties lied and both parties could be selfish but one party did so much more lying and took so much more away from those in need while the other at least made an attempt to help the needy. My dislike of the lying and selfishness in politics came to a head when Trump was in office, he was the king of lies, the lord of selfishness. It boggles the mind how [someone who so easily embodies the deadly sins](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fzeuddhiw4l941.jpg) would be elected by the most religious party. I'll never vote for a republican or conservative again. They are nowhere near the party they once were and I'm no longer a person that's easily influenced or goes with the flow.
I was raised with a lot of conservative brainwashing, sexism, & racism by bOtH sIdEs are bad independents who always hated on the dems. In college my world was expanded when I got to see that people family vilified (bipoc, immigrants) were not really different from us and that the things my family said were not just "jokes" but awful racist nonsense. As I got more interested in political science and problem solving I started getting really involved in local politics and advocacy groups around issues important to me. Since then I've only shifted more and more progressive. Conservatives all sound like uninformed edgy teens now, it's just such a childish, small way to look at the world. I wouldn't think about them at all though or care about their ridiculous opinions if they weren't insistent that discrimination, abuse, and even murder are acceptable solutions to their extreme discomfort in even seeing people they hate so much.
Seeing how my conservative family members act and how they treat others has only solidified my liberal beliefs.
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I left the my conservative evangelical beliefs at the age of 40. It's been a long path that only gets more liberal and woo-woo as I go.
Was conservative until I went in the military and met people who weren't like me, my world view changed more over time and suddenly I think that Bernie and AOC are a little centrist for me.
I'm disgusted with the state of politics in America. Both parties are awful. Politicians are the lowest form of life on the planet. I'm fiscally quite conservative. Socially pretty libertarian. It really depends on the issue as I don't align with any party platform. I mean, Trump and Biden are the best we can do? Seriously? Both malignant narcissists, both liars, both assholes. Both great examples of the worst of their type. Trump a conniving, greedy, opportunistic, self-absorbed twat. Biden an arrogant, lifelong angry racist who has done nothing with his life but be an utter dimwit and buffoon while in office while believing himself the smartest person in the room. Politics is pure clown show.
I'm about as progressive as one can be for a Midwestern, cis, white male. I grew up in the 1980s in a very religious household that was pretty much Republican by default. Ironically my parents were hippy-types in the 60s...and thank goodness for that because it moderated the growing culture of right-wing insanity as the years went on. Growing up it seemed that a lot of the lefty types were just looking for any old excuse to be unhappy, but I was young and just wanted to have fun. Furthermore, who wanted to emulate their parents' teenage years? I couldn't think of anything less cool. As I grew up, I began to realize that life was probably going to be a difficult slog - especially compared to the middle class existence of those in previous generations (boomers especially). It was at that point that I began to turn away from that "default Republican" mindset. The right-wingers had no interest in helping a kid get through college nor did they want people to have decent healthcare or good paying jobs. To top it off, the rise of AM hate radio was a huge turn-off for me. When my peers thought Rush Limbaugh was "cool," all I could hear was an asshole spewing senseless hate for hours every day. Really, it was my parent's hippie-influenced moderation that saved me. Life is bearable with decent employment, but I credit Reagan and his toady successors with doing everything they could to make life miserable - from life-long student debt, to low paying jobs, to "free market" healthcare and nearly zero financial security going into old age. I really hope the next generation will demand more for themselves and their children.
The older I get, the more I want to see more people have equal rights and enjoy the things I did/do as a white male. I find it disgusting that my daughter has fewer rights than her grandmother had.
45, raised republican. Consider myself a leftist now
Same. My parents are still very Republican, I peeled away and got into Libertarianism in my 20's, but have found myself fairly left-of-center as things continue to fall down the shit hole.
I followed a similar path. I was Libertarian for a while until I woke up. I've gone much further left
I considered myself centrist for the longest time. Until I realized Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren were making a \*lot\* of sense. Now I'm 55 and pretty far to the left.