Have you changed your political views?

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Thu May 19, 2005 7:32 am

This is a thread for people who have changed their political orientations substantially during their lives. For example, for people who now consider themselves conservatives, but who once were liberals. Or for liberals, who began as conservatives.

My question for you is: what, in your opinion, made you change?

Some particular experience? (There is an old saying, that a conservative is a liberal who was mugged. On the other side, I have a friend who was the national chairman of his country’s Young Conservatives, but who became involved in anti-apartheid activities, and was radicalized by that.)

Some change in your life situation? (Another old saying is that a conservative is a liberal with a mortgage. Or with a daughter in high school.)

Or some extended exposure to a different way of thinking? (Many young people who come from conservative homes become liberals after attending college.)

Or something else?

So … if you switched, why did you do it?

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sintekk · Post by **sintekk** » Thu May 19, 2005 9:09 am

Now, before I answer, I want to know what:

http://www.anythingforums.com/forums/index...indpost&p=29842

THIS was all about

(P.S. What'd Liberals ever do to you? "Radicalized"?

)

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Cicero · Post by **Cicero** » Thu May 19, 2005 11:47 am

I didnt knwo what the hell I was until my friend became a Socialist and I realised that whatever I am, I'm not that.

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sintekk · Post by **sintekk** » Thu May 19, 2005 2:28 pm

Cicero wrote: I didnt knwo what the hell I was until my friend became a Socialist and I realised that whatever I am, I'm not that.

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Red Squirrel · Post by **Red Squirrel** » Thu May 19, 2005 3:33 pm

I'm not sure what I am. I'm just Canadian I guess.

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000 · Post by **000** » Thu May 19, 2005 3:56 pm

Once again, I'm a pedestrian and I've always been one.

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MrSelf · Post by **MrSelf** » Thu May 19, 2005 5:34 pm

Well, I am from the deep south and conservative views have always been present in my family, but not forced. The first time I started realizing political views, I was in High School and we took a little quiz to see where we stand, only me and my girlfriend at the time considered ourself liberal by the answers we gave in class. Of course I had no idea the significants of that at the time.

I have always be socially more liberal than conservative, however, my governmental views tend to be conservative. As I have aged, I have learned much on why government reacts the way it does, and my views have shifted conservative in the role of government, particularly federal government, particularlly because of the need of checks on federal government that already exist on state governments and local governments.

I started out a democrat, shifted to independent, tried libertarian, but end up independent. I like libertairian or constitutionalism in theory, but the reality of these parties turn me off of them. If I had to label myself, I would be a social libertarian. The problem is that I'd hate/love to see all the depts eradicated on the federal level if libertarians won. They shouldn't exist; the NEA, the DEA, the FBI, etc, without a constitutional ammendment giving federal authority outside of the already given authority, the states are the check on the federal system in this regard, but it is being bypassed right now.

I have embrassed my conservative views as I have aged, however, most Americans would consider me liberal. Overall in a worldly spectrum, I would be considered slightly conservative due to my governmental views, but as I have aged my social views have stayed very liberal. If the republican party was worth .02, I would probably support them, but right now the Democratic party is closer to philisophical conservatism than the Republican party is.

In conclusion, the more information I learn, the more sculpted my views become. That is the only thing that has shifted my views.

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Reaper · Post by **Reaper** » Thu May 19, 2005 8:33 pm

I shall always hate politics.

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Red Squirrel · Post by **Red Squirrel** » Thu May 19, 2005 9:59 pm

Speaking of politics, Canada won't have another election, it was voted today. Glad, since it would of been a waste of money anyway.

But I still find it good of the fact that the option was there. The goverment made a mistake and went as far as allowing citizens to re-elect a different party, or what not.

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Cicero · Post by **Cicero** » Fri May 20, 2005 12:04 pm

Red Squirrel wrote: Speaking of politics, Canada won't have another election, it was voted today. Glad, since it would of been a waste of money anyway.

But I still find it good of the fact that the option was there. The goverment made a mistake and went as far as allowing citizens to re-elect a different party, or what not.

So Canada is a dictatorship now? I'd say America already has plans to invade.

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sintekk · Post by **sintekk** » Fri May 20, 2005 2:24 pm

Cicero wrote:
Red Squirrel wrote: Speaking of politics, Canada won't have another election, it was voted today. Glad, since it would of been a waste of money anyway.

But I still find it good of the fact that the option was there. The goverment made a mistake and went as far as allowing citizens to re-elect a different party, or what not.

So Canada is a dictatorship now? I'd say America already has plans to invade.

rofl, I think he meant that Prime Minister Martin won the no-confidence vote and there won't be an early election

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Cicero · Post by **Cicero** » Fri May 20, 2005 3:19 pm

Ah, ok. Makes a bit more sense now. Pity, an American-Canuck war would have been interesting.

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sintekk · Post by **sintekk** » Fri May 20, 2005 3:26 pm

Cicero wrote: Ah, ok. Makes a bit more sense now. Pity, an American-Canuck war would have been interesting.

Certainly

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Red Squirrel · Post by **Red Squirrel** » Fri May 20, 2005 4:44 pm

sintekk wrote:
Cicero wrote:
Red Squirrel wrote: Speaking of politics, Canada won't have another election, it was voted today. Glad, since it would of been a waste of money anyway.

But I still find it good of the fact that the option was there. The goverment made a mistake and went as far as allowing citizens to re-elect a different party, or what not.

So Canada is a dictatorship now? I'd say America already has plans to invade.

rofl, I think he meant that Prime Minister Martin won the no-confidence vote and there won't be an early election

LOL ya that's what I meant. I tend to follow US politics but I guess not all americans follow ours, so you probably did not know about the sponsorship scandle and that they were going to have a re-election.

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sintekk · Post by **sintekk** » Fri May 20, 2005 9:39 pm

Red Squirrel wrote:
sintekk wrote:
Cicero wrote:

So Canada is a dictatorship now? I'd say America already has plans to invade.

rofl, I think he meant that Prime Minister Martin won the no-confidence vote and there won't be an early election

LOL ya that's what I meant. I tend to follow US politics but I guess not all americans follow ours, so you probably did not know about the sponsorship scandle and that they were going to have a re-election.

I follow the politics of Canadia

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Red Squirrel · Post by **Red Squirrel** » Fri May 20, 2005 9:53 pm

Really? don't you find it boring compared to your politics?

Mind you this sponsorship scandle did make things interesting, but it's not like you get to see people get shot behind the reporter as a bomb goes off a bit more in the background with the headline "Welcome to CNN".

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Cicero · Post by **Cicero** » Sat May 21, 2005 5:31 am

I bearly follow the politics in my own country let alone other ones.

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Doug · Post by **Doug** » Sat Jul 02, 2005 5:19 am

Anyone else?

Last call!

I've posted this question on a number of forums, and within the next few weeks I shall collate and summarize the replies and post a precis of the answers.

Doug

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Chris Vogel · Post by **Chris Vogel** » Sat Jul 02, 2005 1:36 pm

Doug at a removed duplicate thread in the Anything Goes section wrote: I posted this in the Debates and Heated Discussions thread a couple of months ago, but I realize I should have posted it here, for maximum exposure. I hope the mods will let it stay.

Since I feel that this thread is also appropriate in the Anything Goes section, and since having two identical threads bothers me, this thread was moved to that section at the time of this post. The duplicate was removed shortly before.

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Bookworm · Post by **Bookworm** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 2:02 am

I never posted in this thread previously because I've never changed my political views. I voted for Ronald Reagon when I turned 18, and I've voted Republican ever since.

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Shinizo · Post by **Shinizo** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 11:45 am

Ronald Reagen* You misspelled it! I've always been Republican, although, I think Bush is crazy, but I'd still vote for him.

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000 · Post by **000** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 12:37 am

Crazy man

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Brooklynite · Post by **Brooklynite** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 1:59 am

I started out being conservative, but since the war in Iraq, I have changed my opinions greatly. I would now consider myself to be socialy libertarian and economically conservative, and I'm moderate in those views.

I didnt hear anything about this election scandal in Canada. What happened there?

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Red Squirrel · Post by **Red Squirrel** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 8:04 am

I did not follow it that much. There was this sponsorship thing to you donate money to, but the goverment had ended up using the money for all sorts of other things so they were going to have a re-election to see if people want the liberals out. But it did not happen. It dragged too much too, so I bet liberal would have won anyway. Have not heard anything from that so far, not sure if they gave the money back or what.

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