Reply To: Political Statements
I’m going to move the “not many Republican types” discussion to this thread rather than continue to derail the fundraiser thread.
There’s one conservative who speaks up from time to time. Thankfully, we all tend to keep it reasonably civil, and I don’t think there have been any hurt feelings to date.
For the record, I’m a nominal independent and something of a centrist. I’ve written before on my frustration over living in the bluest state. Other than the fact that the electoral votes of Massachusetts are a foregone conclusion, I’m concerned that the political monoculture at a local level leads to nepotism, cronyism, and corruption. I’m also deeply disappointed with Ted Kennedy’s NIMBY opposition to wind power, but as a sacred cow of the Democratic party, he gets to do whatever he wants, public interest be damned. I’m afraid I’ve never been terribly impressed by my other Senator, but I’m a fan of my Congressman. I’m a strong supporter of Israel, and I’ve lost any respect I ever had for Jimmy Carter over that issue. Most of my disaffection for Hillary (and some of my disdain for Ted) stems from a kneejerk aversion to political dynasties. Bill’s philandering hurt his party, his country, and every cause he supported, if only because it gave the Republicans ammunition to use against him.
That much being said against notable Democrats, though, Sarah Palin scares the daylights out of me. If the first thing she does upon becoming mayor is inquire as to how she can get books she doesn’t like removed from the public library, I shudder to think of what she’d do if she were ever to succeed McCain. As individuals, most politicians, from either party, are deeply flawed. I recall a Republican asking me in 1996 whom I trusted more: Bill Clinton or Bob Dole. I said that I trusted Dole more, in that I trusted him to do pretty much the opposite of what I would want him to do at nearly every turn. I knew I couldn’t totally trust Clinton, but at least I could expect him to do the right thing from time to time.
I could spend more time ripping on Republicans, but in this group I figure I’d mostly be preaching to the choir, so I’ll just skip it.
I’m generally liberal on social issues (including civil rights and human rights) and the environment and somewhat conservative on foreign policy (while trying to remain liberal on human rights, which can be tricky) and fiscal policy.