Profile of a Democrat

[Badfish740]

I'm just curious to see, realistically, what people's perceptions are about the "typical" Democratic voter. I feel as though I'm often on the defense about my political choice when a conversation is steered toward the elections in everyday discourse with friends, co-workers, etc... So I ask you, do I seem like a "typical" Democratic voter to you? Is there such a thing? I want to hear from the more conservative members of the board.

I am a 25 year old male, college graduate (first ever in the family).

I have a degree in social studies education with a minor in political science but I'm not a teacher, I work in a government office.

I was raised Catholic but I don't regularly attend mass, however I do believe in God. Honestly I identify with the Quaker philosophy somewhat.

I have been a gun owner and a licensed hunter since the age of 10. All of my guns are registered and I don't have a problem with that.

My father is a member of a labor union (Teamsters), and I feel that without labor unions people would not be able to earn a living wage or be able to work safely.

Personally I don't approve of abortion, and if I were thrust into that situation eek I would do everything possible to persuade the person not get one and to support the child if it were mine. That being said it's not my decision to make ultimately, nor should it be-its not my body.

If a man wants to marry another man, or a woman wants to marry another woman I have no problem with it. It does not impact me in any way, positive or negative, and quite frankly I have more important things to think about.

I think that terrorism is the number one threat to the U.S. today and it should be located and destroyed wherever it is found.

I think that our borders (especially the southern border) should be tightened, businesses who hire illegal immigrants should be prosecuted, and the immigration system should be overhauled in order to streamline the process.

I think that if you're going to cut taxes by $50 billion you ought to cut spending by that much also-otherwise someone is going to pay for it somewhere.

I think that upon reaching age 18 in this country there should be compulsory service to the country, be it military, teaching in an urban school, etc...

I think that capital punishment, while not a deterrent, is still a good idea.

I like NASCAR, Budweiser, Larry the Cable Guy, and Howard Stern, and pickup trucks.

I swell with pride when I hear the national anthem, see an honor guard of veterans pass in a parade, or pledge allegiance to the flag.

Typical liberal? Yuppie? Pinko? Commie? Hippie? Babykiller?

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Badfish,

I think you're quite the conservative on many fronts.

Can you explain what you said below?

I think that upon reaching age 18 in this country there should be compulsory service to the country, be it military, teaching in an urban school, etc...

P.S. There is life beyond Budweiser. (I know, I'm a disagreeable chap, aren't I?)

 

[kingofthepines]

You can call yourself a democrat all you want, I'd still buy you a beer. I'm a little leary about unions however. Ask your father how much he earned per week when he was on strike. Quite shocking to all of us, so much so that we had to borrow $$ from the afl-cio. Where did all our money go?? Anyway, if there were more democrats like you the country would be a better place regardless of which party was in power.

 

[Ben Ruset]

This is why parties suck. Because there are conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans. People should vote for those who share their ideals, not those who follow a party rhetoric.

Me? I'm a whig.

 

[Teegate]

People should vote for those who share their ideals, not those who follow a party rhetoric.

Well said. Anyone who votes by party is....well enough said.

Guy

 

[Badfish740]

Ask your father how much he earned per week when he was on strike.

Not everything in life is instant gratification. When my dad went on strike in 1995 (He is a Teamster and drives for UPS) the benefit was a better contract. Yeah he lost a week's salary, but he gained in the long run. No one will ever convince me that companies will ever willingly spend more money in order to properly compensate workers, provide safe working conditions, and provide health benefits.

My dad has been injured on the job more than once, and the job has taken it's toll on his body over the past 23 years. Hustling boxes in and out of a truck 10 hours a day 5 days week 52 weeks a year is no joke. He's already burned up one knee and will more than likely need surgery on the other one in a year or so. UPS paid for the surgeries that were necessitated by the nature of the job, but they didn't do it because they wanted to-they did it because the Teamsters forced them. The point of a company is to make as much money as possible and to spend as little as possible-I get that. Labor is a necessary counter to that motivation in order to provide descent wages and working conditions. If it weren't for organizations like the United Mine Workers, miners would still be getting trapped, blown up, drowned, gassed, crushed, etc... because companies would never DREAM of paying the extra money to provide safety equipment and training if they weren't forced to.

Anyway, if there were more democrats like you the country would be a better place regardless of which party was in power.

That was the whole point of my post. There are lots of democrats like me. Millions, I would guess. Tomorrow there will be over 300 labor union members canvassing and getting out the vote in the 12th district alone, guys just like me. Somewhere along the line someone decided that democrats were either poor lazy people who expected handouts or rich elitists who wanted to give handouts of other people's money. Then of course all of a sudden democrats hated the troops and wanted to rip the fetus out of every pregnant woman they saw. Finally, democrats wanted to allow the U.N. to take over the country so that black helicopters could descend upon the heartland so that all guns could be confiscated and religion could be banned.

My theory is that all too often people hear some idiot blabbering away on CNN, or Fox News, etc... about some law they want to pass/block, some issue they are pontificating on, or whatever, and they listen. Instead of watching C-span and seeing what ACTUALLY goes on in Congress, they believe the hype. They listen to idiots like Michael Moore drone on endlessly about ideaology and rhetoric, not realizing that people like him, as well as the more extremist lawmakers in Congress, rarely if ever get anything done.

In order to pass a law you need 219 votes in the House, 51 in the Senate and THEN the President must sign it. You just don't get that cooperation without a common sense approach and a willingness to compromise. Squeaky wheels get press coverage, effective, coolheaded, common sense motivated individuals get things done. They're too busy to get in front of every TV camera in Washington, so no one knows (or cares) what they do. All they see is that some whacko left wing nut from Congress with a "D" next to his name on Chris Matthews ranting and raving about how he wants to introduce a bill to ban all handguns and tar and feather anyone caught with one. Nevermind that it will never happen, people just believe whatever they hear on TV.

If you want to chat with me later tonight I'll be at the East Brunswick Hilton, having a cold Budweiser with some guys from the IBEW Local 269 talking about hunting, NASCAR, and victory in 2008.

GO DEMS!!!

 

[gagliarchives]

Badfish hit it all right on the head. People believe everything they hear which is sad. I admired Joe Lieberman, and look what happened to him. He stuck to his feelings despite what his party thought and they ran him out of town. If he woulda ran for president, I'd a voted for him.

 

[kingofthepines]

Not everything in life is instant gratification. When my dad went on strike in 1995 (He is a Teamster and drives for UPS) the benefit was a better contract. Yeah he lost a week's salary, but he gained in the long run. No one will ever convince me that companies will ever willingly spend more money in order to properly compensate workers, provide safe working conditions, and provide health benefits.

My dad has been injured on the job more than once, and the job has taken it's toll on his body over the past 23 years. Hustling boxes in and out of a truck 10 hours a day 5 days week 52 weeks a year is no joke. He's already burned up one knee and will more than likely need surgery on the other one in a year or so. UPS paid for the surgeries that were necessitated by the nature of the job, but they didn't do it because they wanted to-they did it because the Teamsters forced them.

perhaps I should clarify. I walked that picket line with your father for 3 weeks in '97. my suspicion of unions began then, when we discovered that strike pay, which was supposed to be half our weekly salary, had dwindled down to zero. The teamsters had to scramble to come up with something, anything, to tide us over and the best they could do was an emergency loan from the afl-cio for 50 bucks a week. I always wondered where did the strike fund go...