delete..

[kentuck]

Poll question: delete..

How do you describe yourself as a Democrat? Do you feel you are in the majority of the Party or the minority in the Party?

(text does not take????)

[mark414]

1. leftist and other

they both kind of seemed the same

but i'd vote for both if i could

[mzmolly]

2. I would weigh each issue and *compromise individually. I don't slide into

any one category easilly. ;)

[LoZoccolo]

3. Neither; this poll sucks and I puke on it.

Or do you consider yourself a "centrist" that understand there has to be compromise in order to make any progress? Although you dislike intensely the Republicans in power, you are ready to compromise

:puke:

How about:

Or do you consider yourself a "centrist" because it's a more reasonable, nuanced, worthy-of-the-complexity-of-reality position than trying to impress the kind of people that write loaded biased polls designed to embarass you?

[kentuck]

6. I think you described your position quite well...

:)

[LoZoccolo]

9. Moderation does not necessarily equal compromise.

My views are where they are for a reason and try to balance competing goals because our situations are complex enough to warrant that.

(Thanks, though. I think people kind-of know by now that I'm real confrontative but not to be taken too seriously on it. :) )

[Forkboy]

13. Lol...the irony is killing me

[Piperay]

4. Centrist nt

[bigwillq]

5. Did not vote. Would vote for other

if it wasn't phrased the way it is put there.

I am leftist on a lot of things like abortion, gay rights, the environment but on certain issues I lean towards the center as far as some compromise is necessary for progress.

[louis c]

7. I voted centrist

But I'm really a realist. It's difficult to be an unyielding leftist when the other side controls the executive, both houses, and the supreme court. With the nation so evenly divided, real power or none at all can be determined by just a hand full of votes. I hope I'm in the majority of the party, but it's more important for us to be in the majority of the country. If not, the other side makes all the decisions.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

8. Couldn't vote. To many conditions on every answer.

I'm a leftist but that doesn't mean I agree with all the stuff you added to leftist. for the same reason, I couldn't vote 'other'.

[mdguss]

10. I'm a moderate to conservative Democrat:

Being a conservative Democrat doesn't really mean you're a conservative. Lieberman is quite progressive on many issues, and I have no problem with him. Zell Miller is, on the other hand, a conservative Republican who forgot to change his registration. There's a difference between Zell Miller and people like Max Baucus, maybe Lieberman (although he is more of a centrist), John Breaux etc. The former is a Republican posing as a Democrat. The latter are Democrats because they do not agree with the Republicans on social issues/basic issues of fairness.

I voted conservative Democrat, but I do have a problem with Zell Miller--he isn't any kind of Democrat.

[wyldwolf]

11. looks like you need to re-edit it...

...some of the choices are incomplete.

[Warren DeMontague]

12. I recognize that

There needs to be compromise to make progress, but this is reflective of electoral reality and the political landscape of the US. I've had countless arguments with various Nader-supporting friends of mine (there are fewer, this time, than there were 4 years ago, but I've still got a few) saying, essentially, that "even if I did agree with Ralph Nader on 100% of the issues, which I don't, I still wouldn't vote for him- because in a nation where someone corporate and business-friendly like Al Gore (the 2000, not the 2004 model) is considered a raving communist by the FOX News, Freeper contingent, Ralph Nader can't win." I mean, you have millions of republicans who, given their druthers, would much rather have someone like Pat Robertson or Fred Phelps in the White House. Unfortunately for them, Bush isn't going to start burning gays and fornicators and unbelievers at the stake, at least not until next year. But they compromise and recognize that they must coalesce around their man- even though it's not that hard, since his "compassionate conservatism" has proven to be somewhere between Mussolini and Attila the Hun...

Anyway, this poll does kind of suck. I consider myself a left-libertarian. I also don't think that being pro-choice is anything resembling a "hard left" position.. the majority of Americans, including about half the republican party, by some estimates, support a woman's right to choose. It's pretty friggin' moderate.
I support a single payer health care system, and Bush's corporate shennanigans, along with Enron's, have pushed me much farther to the left on socio-economic issues than I ever was during the Clinton Years. I lean hard libertarian on personal (not corporate) freedom issues, at least ones that don't involve communal responsibilty. For instance, I think the drug war is a tragedy and a sham, and I am continually disappointed (although I do understand why it happens) by the Democratic Party's constantly being sucked into "tough on crime" mandatory minimum, prison-industrial financing one-upmanship.

A far better measure of one's political placement on the grid, for my money, can be found here:

The Political Compass

For the record, these were my results:

Economic Left/Right: -4.38 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -6.97

edit:basic punctuation

[wyldwolf]

14. Isn't The Political Compass geared towards European politics?

[Warren DeMontague]

15. You could probably argue that,

But I don't think that's because of the nature of the questions they pose.. It's probably because they have more choices in Europe.

I took the quiz, it seemed to be a fairly accurate representation of how I feel.

[Trajan]

16. Being a 'centrist' doesnt necessarily mean to comprimise ...

If one is centrist, then one holds true that specific policies are correct and valid, and that others are not ... It just so happens that the policies supported fall into a 'central' ground, falling between two opposing extreme alternatives ... such a position may be 'right', and not only a comprimise ...

Take the Welfare battles of the past: I whole heartedly believe that the state has the obligation to provide for those in need when it can ....

IF it has the ability to help, and the resources, then it SHOULD help ...

Nevertheless: One neednt accept the excesses that marked the particular application of this philosophy in practice during the 70's, where some used the gracious benevolence of their fellow citizens to shirk ALL personal responsibility, and live on the public dole perchance forever .... This was simply wrong ...

I dont agree with lifetime limits on relief; who knows WHAT may happen in the future: but there is NO DOUBT that the implementation of Welfare in the past was counter productive .... it needed to be CHANGED, NOT eradicated ...

Yet: is this 'comprimise' ? .. hardly ...

The middle ground WAS the proper path, in my view ...

So: a 'centrist' position can be viewed as a ends to itself, and not a moderation of values to accomodate the opposition ...

Somethings are worth comprimising though: ... finding consensus leads to moderation of societal pressures .... Isnt that a worthy goal in itself ? ...

The problem with the GOP is: they do not want moderation or consensus building: they want it ALL THEIR WAY ...

They talk about 'bipartisanship' as they JAM OUR FACES INTO THE MUD ...

NO man is a perfect leftist, and no man can possibly adhere to EVERY nuance of political persuasion in a way that exactly tracks that of another man ... Leftists disagree ... Rightists disagree .... that is the reality ...

Centrism is a 'happy medium' that is neither happy nor medium, but such ends can benefit society by providing the GREATEST good for the most citizens ...

[wyldwolf]

17. yeah, uh... what he/she said!

[MisterP]

18. the questions are broken; "Do you consider yoruself a"

[kentuck]

20. ??? The text deleted itself....

I don't know what happened...I guess it wasn't a good poll? :)

[MrSlayer]

19. I don't think I can be pigeonholed into a category.

I have views that span the political spectrum. Left leaning centrist is probably closest but still not completely accurate.