I am not a very politically minded person. I have never gotten too involved with it beyond the surface. Therefore, I feel a little inept during political conversations. I find it fascinating that people that ARE politically minded know so much about the process as well as the people involved.
So, for my personal education ONLY - not to start any political debate, I ask the following questions:
1) Are you a repulican, democrat, liberal, or some other party? Have you always affiliated with this party?
2) Do you tend to stay in your decided party when you are voting? Or does it depend on the candidate?
3) What are the traits that you look at to decide what party you want to affliate with?
4) Tell me 3 positive things about your party.
RULES:
1) You do not have to answer all of the questions
2) Post your answers in the guestbook
3) This is a FRIENDLY survey - for my education only, and possibly to educate others
4) Please only tell me positives about your party - do NOT say negatives or bash any other party or any person that does not agree with you and yours
If there is one thing that I have learned over the years is that there is always more to learn. I don't believe in being so closed minded that nothing else can come into my brain, nor do I believe in being so open minded that my brains fall out. No matter what my stand is on something, I do like to hear opinions that vary from mine. More times than not, I find myself seeing that there are things that I did not know or did not understand that make me more understanding of how others think and why they think the way that they do.
I hope that this does not turn into an ugly discussion, please keep it friendly.
I will start and answer the questions myself.
I am a Republican because they tend to be a little more conservative in the areas that I am a little more conservative. I tend to stay within my party when I vote, but am willing to look at the individual candidate - there are things I agree with on each party. As I stated, I don't normally get too involved with politics, so I tend to look at just a few things when deciding on a candidate. The stand on abortion is a big one for me because I see that as an indicator on how their view is on human life. Is that a foolproof way to decide? No, it is not. Could someone believe in abortion and still value the unborn child? I suppose that they could. My point is that MY PERSONAL BELIEFS on abortion tend to mesh better with the Republican party. However, my stand on Stem Cell studies tends to mesh better with the Democrat party. This may seem like an oxymoron to many. I feel that embryos that ARE ALREADY ON THE WAY TO BEING DESTROYED THROUGH THE DECISION OF THE PARENTS can be used to hopefully find ways to cure other children of terminal genetic diseases. From what I have learned from my research, embryonic stem cells come only from parents wishing to destroy remaining embryos that they may have - NOT from wanted embryos.
So, I can see positives for each party. I would like to learn more though. I tend to learn more by hearing from other people - not the politicians themselves.
(BTW - just because I am a Repulican does not mean that I support 100 percent everything Bush did and everything the McCain planned. NOR does it mean that I am totally against Obama. I believe both candidates had a lot to bring to the table, but I was not completely comfortable with either one of them. Does that make any sense?)
Anyway, I look forward to hearing from everyone - hopefully from all party affiliations.
If you have never posted in the guestbook before, it is easy. Just click on "Comments" at the bottom of this post. Then, on the screen that pops up, type your comments in the box. Underneath, pick your ID - if you are not a blogger, do not have open ID or a URL of your own, click "Anonymous." If you do click anonymous, be sure to sign your post so that I know who you are. :-)
5 comments:
I found your website on Pioneer Women. I agree - you guys could be twins! :) I thought I would give my two-cents on your "survey". I am registered Democrat because in our small county most everyone is Democrat and in order to vote in the primaries you need to be Democrat, however - I tend to vote Republican. I couldn't tell you 3 positive things about either party. I don't really care for politics and just vote according to my beliefs and thank God that I am given the opportunity.
First let me say that whoever "owns" this blog server must be a Democrat because this time your auto message for new updates did not work. I simply looked in to see if there was anything new, and there was!
That said, I will answer probably only the one or two questions I remember (chemo brain really must be real!). I am registered as a Democrat, but I tend to vote the person, not the party. I have voted for Republicans (like the outgoing Bush because I believed he was/is a man of faith).
I find politics painful to watch, hear, participate in. I really don't like the system at all. I think we really need improvements...little ones, like having someone running for office actually do what they said they would do when they obtain said office. I like people who are honest, loyal, follow God, and keep the public good in mind. But the unique thing about politics, at least my limited involvement in them, is that something changes when a person running becomes a politician. Decisions are made based on who has the loudest voice, who lobbies the most, what big business wants...you get the picture. It isn't pretty.
With so many areas in this country that are needing change, areas like health care and education and finance, why isn't OUR collective voice considered louder than the people who have the money behind them to be heard???
Well, you asked. :-)
I just wanted to drop in and say hello to the whole family! Thanks for sharing your lives through your blog.
Becky
caringbridge.org/nc/sarahsmith
Pam, here's my responses to your survey.
1. I typically identify Democrat, but until recently that's been difficult because of living in the Atlanta area. I'm not ashamed by any measure, but admitting that in the NE burbs of Atlanta will sometimes get responses where close-minded folks will question your intelligence. I am empirical in my decision making process, refuse to accept anything just because somebody else said so, and I back all my positions with multiple sources of info. This can lead to arguments. Hence, the difficulty.
2. Again, I tend to vote Democrat, but there have been more than a few times where I voted the candidate, not the party.
3. I look for a political positions that benefit the most people without crossing my moral convictions, keeping in mind that people's or party's moral convictions aren't necessarily the same as God's positions no matter how hard we want them to be. I don't think that God is a card-carrying member of any party.
4. (a) They are definitely more interested in supporting the middle class. (b) They are more progressinve in their approach to solutions over all. (c) They are intellectually more equipped to think "outside-the-box"
and one bad thing - they are more likely to get distracted by the minutiae and let their eyes slip off of the real issues at hand. There's an old and true statement about Democrats - when they form a firing squad, they line up in a circle. Republicans , at least for the last 20 years, are MUCH batter in laying out a plan and sticking too it, unfortuantley sometimes it was a bad plan to begin with.
hey..thanks for stopping by my blog!
now, onto your questions...
(i am very politically active and love politics..as a hobby, not a career path, lol)
i am a registered Democrat, but I vote by candidate, not party...although I almost always find myself voting Democrat..i've voted for a few Republicans for Senate, House, locally, etc (I've only been able to vote for 4 years...) I voted based on where the candidate stands on the issues, not where they align themselves. I tend to look at all the issues, but there are a few that i pay closer attention to (education, health insurance, the economy and euthanasia were biggies for me this time around. especially education) but in general i find my beliefs to be more liberal than conservative.
as far as 3 good things...well i don't really think of them as "good" things....just reasons I align myself the way i do. But i like 1) where the Dems. stand on social issues. 2) Barack Obama (I cant' help it, I canvased for him summer 07. I've been routing for him all along) 3) They represent change.
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