Would someone explain to me the difference between a leftist and a centrist?

[rhett o rick]

I see on DU often references to the Blue Chickens as centrists. I think that is bullshit. They seem to favor the same stands as the republicans. Some one please tell me different.

This is a series question, what do the centrists stand for on issues?

I support a health plan with a strong public option.

End “Don’t ask don’t tell”

Repeal the Patriot Act and the MCA.

Reestablish posse Comitatus and habeas corpus.

End domestic spying.

I favor equal rights for the gay community including marriage.

I support tariffs and measures that encourage manufacturing in the USA.

Someone tell me how the so-called centrists stand on these issues.

[ProudDad]

1. "Centrists" are agin' 'em all... (n/t)

[anigbrowl]

18. So, the right are even more against them than the centrists?

That's just daft. I don't agree with all the points in the OP, but most of them I do, and I think most centrists would too.

[Political Heretic]

2. Leftists are socialists, communists - left of your standard Democrat.

Liberals and Centrists exist in that mushy center-left area still well grounded in the narrow mainstream of accepted American political discourse.

Leftists exists outside that narrow sliver of political acceptability and instead talk about class conflict, the working class, and the solidarity of the working class against the tyranny of the ruling elite.

It's all a spectrum.... the specifics of individual definitions vary some.

[sam sarrha]

3. well here in Texas there aint noth'n in th center of the road cept a yellow stripe n dead Armadillos

[rhett o rick]

4. What stands do the centrists have that differ from the leftists?

I want specifics. I see only two sides in the health care issue. Strong public option and status quo. What do the centrists want?

[omega minimo]

9. That's not true

People from all walks of life, whatever political persuasion, talk about "the solidarity of the working class against the tyranny of the ruling elite." Joe Sixpack knows corporations run the show. Ask him who killed Kennedy.

Don't pretend there's some fringe radical left. What a crock.

[Political Heretic]

20. That's not at all what I was trying to say.

[omega minimo]

35. "Leftists exists outside that narrow sliver of political acceptability"

"Leftists exists outside that narrow sliver of political acceptability and instead talk about class conflict, the working class, and the solidarity of the working class against the tyranny of the ruling elite."


OIC. Did you mean that in an innocuous way? The crux is what created an impression of extremism: "...outside that narrow sliver of political acceptability and instead talk about class conflict..."

[anigbrowl]

16. yeah, social policy and economic policy are certainly different dimensions

To me being an economic liberal means being pro-trade and for low barriers to entry (eg easy to start a small business). Some people on the left seem very hostile to any kind of business.

[ProudDad]

53. Economic "liberalism" is killing the Planet Earth (n/t)

[FatDave]

59. "Some people on the left seem very hostile to any kind of business."

Not that I've ever seen. Ever.

I've seen people on the left hostile towards giant corporations that use their size and clout to crush competition. But that's not hostility towards business. It's actually protective of small business. Despite what conservative fairy tales say about us, in my experience we liberals are extremely pro small business while republicans, despite their lip service, don't give a shit about any business that isn't publicly traded and doesn't bring in millions. And even then, they don't give a shit about the working class employees of the huge businesses.

[katkat]

68. not hostile to business

I'm leftist = liberal.

I'm not hostile to business.

I'm hostile to megacorporations that pay their CEOs $100 million a year while they offshore jobs to places with no worker benefits and no environmental regulations and lay off U.S. workers. I'm hostile to Big Oil, that rips off consumers like the fraud in California that cost billions and that Bushco did nothing about. I'm hostile to BigPharma, that charges dying cancer patients $100,000 a month for meds that prolong their life, when the total actual cost of the meds and the research that produced them (often actually done by the government) is like $500 a month. I'm hostile to businesses that have tossed away customer service. I'm hostile to businesses that buy legislators to keep this morally horrible crap going.

I love small local businesses and make sure to patronize them. If I see a bigger company, like Amy's Frozen Foods, do something good, I patronize them as well.

[nadinbrzezinski]

41. Hmm given that the poltiical center in the US keeps drifting right

I guess that definition is somewhat correct.

That reality of right drift, also means that civil rights will become a "leftist" no longer mainstream issue as well...

[ProudDad]

52. Today's "centrists"

are what would have been called right-wing 40 years ago.

That's how degraded the political system has become thanks to the rise of corporate money and corporate influence.

"Centrists" walk around in a self-induced fog of fear and lack of values or understanding about what's really being done to them by those "upper classes" they refuse to believe in.

"Centrists" keep waiting for the magician, the messiah, the tooth fairy, the charismatic leader to swoop down and rescue them from those few bad republicans that are pissing in their soup.

"Centrists" vote for the lesser of two weevils 'cause they have no real values to vote for.

"Centrists" are middle of the road -- where the yellow lines and dead Armadillos lay...

"Centrists" haven't a clue what "political acceptability" would be since they have no courage to work for what really IS "politically necessary".

"Centrists" are a bigger problem than the right-wing...'cause "Centrists" are so easily led into voting against their own self-interest.

[cui bono]

61. Leftists are marginalized and considered outcasts while extreme right wingnuts are allowed on MSM.

:puke:

[TahitiNut]

5. It's all about 'change'

Loose change vs. tightly-wrapped change.

:dunce:

[Mott_De_Hoopil]

6. difference between leftist and centrist

I don't think there really is one. A leftist admits they are a liberal. A centrist really is a liberal but just will not admit it. There are exceptions but if there were so many so called centrists they would have their own party.

[lapfog_1]

7. What is now a leftist (radical liberal)

used to be a centrist (sensible middle of the road type).

Does that help?

[omega minimo]

8. A "Centrist" voted for Reagan or Bush at least once.

[omega minimo]

54. Brilliant observation. Sums it up quite well. No one bothered even refuting it.

[billh58]

10. The term

"centrist" was coined by the Third Way proponents who claim that the standard Left vs. Right ideologies in the USA are no longer useful. The Third Way movement morphed into the DLC, and was brought to fruition by Will Marshall (Progressive Policy Institute) and Al From (Democratic Leadership Council). It should be noted that Will Marshall (PPI) agreed fully with John McCain, and Joe Lieberman (DLC) who were early sponsors of the Project for a New American Century (PNAC). Collectively, these Third Way proponents call themselves "neoliberals," or New Democrats. You can Google all of these organizations for more info.

PPI, and the DLC all receive funding from essentially the same sources as the neoconservatives. They are, for all intent and purpose, infiltrators of the Liberal Democrat (Howard Dean wing) Party of the New Deal.

I once asked a prominent Democratic blog owner, who calls himself a "Progressive," what his views were on the differences between "Progressives," and "Liberals." His answer was, that Liberals are not militant enough, and too willing to compromise with Conservatives.

I tend to agree with Will Rogers: "I don't belong to any organized political party. I'm a Democrat."

[Horse with no Name]

11. Leftists actually stand for ideals

Centrists are the mushy middle. Corporocrats. Worthless.

[omega minimo]

12. R Lite

[anigbrowl]

14. Sure, right. There are only two possible alternatives.

There is just no way you could have an in-between point of view on any topic based on actual principle :sarcasm:

Your kind of thinking is what's wrong with American politics - not that you're left, but that you assume political choices are one-dimensional.

[el_bryanto]

67. Depends on the centrist - alternatively they might agre with the left on some issues

and with the right on other issues.

Bryant

[rhett o rick]

70. That's exactly my question. Which issues do the centrists agree with republicans? Please

I am trying to understand.

[el_bryanto]

71. For example, the "need for a strong military" and continued military spending

To name one.

"Fiscal Responsibility" for another. Again both Democrats and Republicans presumably believe in a strong military and fiscal responsibility, but how they implement these goals is different.

Bryant

[anigbrowl]

13. I think the blue dogs are pretty right-wing. Meanwhile I'm pretty centrist.

As a centrist I agree with most of what you have on there except for two:

I'm OK with domestic spying (as long as a warrant is obtained), since there are some legitimate cases where you might want to do that. Anti-government militia groups spring to mind, I have no problem monitoring Tim McVeigh wannabes, KKK groups and so on.

And I don't support tariffs. economically I think they're worse than the problem they purport to fix, and that more jobs are created through trade and relatively open borders than through tariffs and protectionism.

Other non-lefty opinions I hold are that unions are not automatically right all the time, that there are good reasons for the US to keep fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan for maybe another 2 years, and that we should slightly lower corporation tax, lower but extend payroll tax, and levy a carbon tax.

Being European I think of myself as a social democrat rather than a socialist. Although to be honest, if there was a functional green party in the Us and there wasn't this dreadful 2 party system, I'd probably be a Green (I don't think the green party here with Ralph Nader etc. is good for anything except complaining, they don't have many practical ideas).

[ProudDad]

55. And most folks think the blue-dogs are centrist...

That's how far the discourse has been degraded by corporate $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$...

"And I don't support tariffs. economically I think they're worse than the problem they purport to fix, and that more jobs are created through trade and relatively open borders than through tariffs and protectionism."

You need to do some readin'

Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism
http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Samaritans-Secret-History-Capitalism/dp/1596913991

No tariffs are great for the already rich.

They screw the majority of poor companies.

Check it out.

PS: Ralph Nader is not and never has been a registered Green...

PPS: Thanks to the pro-two right-wings of the Corporate Big Business party bias of the electoral systems in the USAmerikan Empire a third party has NO chance of gaining any power.

PPPS: The Green Party has the BEST ideas but -- see previous Post-Post-Script... What in the following do you NOT agree with?


1. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY
Every human being deserves a say in the decisions that affect their lives and not be subject to the will of another. Therefore, we will work to increase public participation at every level of government and to ensure that our public representatives are fully accountable to the people who elect them. We will also work to create new types of political organizations which expand the process of participatory democracy by directly including citizens in the decision-making process.

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6. COMMUNITY-BASED ECONOMICS AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE
We recognize it is essential to create a vibrant and sustainable economic system, one that can create jobs and provide a decent standard of living for all people while maintaining a healthy ecological balance. A successful economic system will offer meaningful work with dignity, while paying a “living wage” which reflects the real value of a person’s work.

Local communities must look to economic development that assures protection of the environment and workers’ rights; broad citizen participation in planning; and enhancement of our “quality of life.” We support independently owned and operated companies which are socially responsible, as well as co-operatives and public enterprises that distribute resources and control to more people through democratic participation.

7. FEMINISM AND GENDER EQUITY
We have inherited a social system based on male domination of politics and economics. We call for the replacement of the cultural ethics of domination and control with more cooperative ways of interacting that respect differences of opinion and gender. Human values such as equity between the sexes, interpersonal responsibility, and honesty must be developed with moral conscience. We should remember that the process that determines our decisions and actions is just as important as achieving the outcome we want.

8. RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY
We believe it is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across these lines.

We believe that the many diverse elements of society should be reflected in our organizations and decision-making bodies, and we support the leadership of people who have been traditionally closed out of leadership roles. We acknowledge and encourage respect for other life forms than our own and the preservation of biodiversity.

9. PERSONAL AND GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY
We encourage individuals to act to improve their personal well-being and, at the same time, to enhance ecological balance and social harmony. We seek to join with people and organizations around the world to foster peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet.

10. FUTURE FOCUS AND SUSTAINABILITY
Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, safely disposing of or “unmaking” all waste we create, while developing a sustainable economics that does not depend on continual expansion for survival. We must counterbalance the drive for short-term profits by assuring that economic development, new technologies, and fiscal policies are responsible to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions.

[katkat]

69. jobs

anigbrowl, I'm interested in how you think free trade creates US jobs. We have essentially a case study of the opposite happening in the US in the last decade or two.

[Sebastian Doyle]

15. "Centrism" is just another word for "corporatism"

Not to say there aren't actual moderates out there, but that has NEVER been the goal of the DLC/Blue Balled Cowards. They're all about the Benjamins.... as Max Bluecross and Kent Co-op are proving daily.

[tkmorris]

17. Leftists have a full slate of things they believe in

Centrists... well...

[Greyhound]

19. How about these; The centrist says he's for fairness and then votes against it.

The centrist is all for helping the less fortunate, unless it costs her money or inconvenience.

The centrist votes for the right team, but has illegal immigrants cleaning the house and doing the yard work.

The centrist wants freedom for everyone, but not too much.

The centrist claims to be in favor of restraining capitalism and preserving the environment, as long as it doesn't effect his portfolio.

The centrist rubs shoulders with those "below" and has "lots of _______ friends", as long as they remember their proper place.

[Echo In Light]

30. As one who wears his Leftiness on his sleeve, I'd say "moderate" should replace "centrist"

Moderate is essentially the same thing, but a far more socially condoned term due to its play-it-safe, corporate friendly stance. Hence it's used more often and generally thought of (from establishment ideals) as preferable since moderate/center is that much closer to the Right, which is really what the Right wants since they realize their actual numbers of true believers is low; politically minded types who, per their views/beliefs, pose less opposition to their aims.

[OHdem10]

21. Centrist in DC are Conservative Democrats. This is why they

often vote more with Republican Party than their own party.

[rhett o rick]

22. But in my way of thinking, the repubs are sooo far right that a true centrist would never support

them. I believe that centrists are the old conservative republicans that have been pushed out of the republican party by the whacko's.

[slackmaster]

23. Most of the positions you describe are neither left nor right

Except for the protectionist trade measures, they're all libertarian.

:hide:

[rhett o rick]

26. I was trying to find examples. Please help me out. What are the positions of so-called

Centrists on the important issues of the day.

[slackmaster]

27. Centrists balance their views by considering all sides, and that rarely means just two sides

I pick my positions Chinese restaurant style - One from Column A, two from Column B, choice of hot and sour or won-ton soup, with party of five or more you get free egg rolls.

[rhett o rick]

28. I asked how centrists stand on the most significant issues of the day.

I am sure that centrists consider all sides before making a decision.

I gave a list of issues. How do you stand on those issues?

[slackmaster]

29. I agree with you on every one of those except the tariffs

I think trade protection needs to be balanced with the benefits of open competition.

[pampango]

24. Don't go around calling myself a centrist, but the shoe may fit.

Health care: British system is best, Canadian next, and a proposed "health plan with strong public option" third. All a tremendous improvement over our current system.

"End “Don’t ask don’t tell” - Agree

Repeal the Patriot Act and the MCA. - Agree

Reestablish posse Comitatus and habeas corpus. - Agree

End domestic spying. - Would allow with effective court warrants to limit its use to legitimate cases.

I favor equal rights for the gay community including marriage." - Agree

Disagree with your position on trade. Trade creates more jobs and wealth than tariffs do. There are winners and losers with trade as with tariffs. With effective national health care, progressive taxation and corporate regulation, and an effective social safety net, we can handle competition from anywhere (as Canada and Europe do). Without those things, we will continue to be screwed as a country no matter how much we take out our frustration on foreigners and their stuff.

How do you feel about immigration? Is a liberal immigration policy one that is relatively open and allows more immigrants or is it one that is more strict and allows in few immigrants?

[rhett o rick]

25. Thanks for responding. Seems you agree with the lefties on many issues.

I am a poor one to speak for the left but i don't believe anyone supports illegal immigration. To control that we need to hit the corporations hard that encourage the problem.

[QC]

31. A centrist is a Republican who only goes to church two or three times a week. n/t

[TexasObserver]

32. There are three kinds of Democratic centrists.

One is the DINO, the Democrat who is really a GOP voting rep.

One is the true centrist, from a conservative leaning district, who truly finds the middle the happy place.

One is the liberal who is weary from losing issue after issue, and becomes a centrist to get things done.

All three are bedeviling the process right now.

[rhett o rick]

34. I hear you. But the centrists I speak to all seem to support the same issues

the left supports.

[Echo In Light]

40. I've encountered several moderates who view HC reform as "socialism," and oppose it

Which clearly leans toward and favors the Right's profits over people sensibilities.

[Jennicut]

39. +1

I always saw it that way...lots of different types.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[Romulox]

36. Current "centrists" are the old George HW Bush Republicans. nt

[rhett o rick]

44. I agree. And they oppose health care reform. nm

[JHB]

37. In Washington/MSM usage (which often spills over to here)...

..."centrist" is a label you give yourself (and then the press will repeat it) to imply that you are thoughtful, reasonable, and rational, as opposed to the "extreme liberals" and "radical leftists" who would upend our whole society if allowed to run rampant.

It's most often used by the "pro-business" wing of the party, which is another skewed label, and actually means the "profiteer" wing.

[rhett o rick]

45. Sounds about right. Thanks. nm

[Prophet0621]

38. I consider myself a moderate and could probably be classified as

an Independent. The reason I consider myself a moderate is because I don't always agree with the left on every issue or if I do agree with their position I disagree on how to obtain it.
To me a moderate is someone who will consider other options and sides and is not so closed off to believe they have all the facts or so blinded they refuse to see anything that may not support their point of view. Someone who doesn't follow along on each and every issue with what they are told they should believe. I often hear people claim you can't be a Dem if you disagree in any way with X or if you agree with Y. Seems like a pretty narrow party to me, actually sounds a lot like the other party.

[nadinbrzezinski]

42. First we would have to define what is the center in the US.

But the "Centrists" are neo liberals in the classic sense of the word, and they are not liberals...

Neo liberalism defined

Neoliberalism (shorthand for neoclassical liberalism<1><2>) is a label for the resurgence or reformulation of classical economic liberalism. The term was coined 1938 at the Colloque Walter Lippmann by the German sociologist and economist Alexander Rüstow, one of the fathers of Social market economy.<3> The label is referring to a redefinition of classical liberalism, influenced by the neoclassical theories of economics.

In the United States, neoliberalism can also refer to a political movement in which members of the American left and right endorse free market positions, such as free market economics, globalized free-trade and welfare reform.<4><5> This term should not be confused with Social liberalism, for which the term new liberalism or neoliberalism is also used in the United States.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoliberalism

And no, under this definition, things you advocate are not ones that a neoliberal will advocate.

It is a movement and a rather successful one, that has marginalized the classic liberal, aka you, as too radical.

[rhett o rick]

57. Well put. My point and I think I had one, is that supporting basic health care as a right

isn't leftist. Medicare isn't a leftist program.

[kctim]

43. I'm a 'centrist'

And the main difference between us and leftists is the amount of govt involvement we will accept. I can think for myself and I don't need anybody else deciding what is best for me.
- I support a health plan with a voluntary option.
- I'm for ending DADT, but I know it won't mean or change anything.
- Revisit the Patriot Act, make some corrections, but it is still needed.
- Spying requires a warrant.
- I support gay marriage, but am not losing any sleep over it. Especially since one of the Democrats largest voting blocs, African Americans, disapprove of it in such large numbers. It's going to take time and I am willing to give it time.
- I too believe free trade is vital to our economy, so any tariffs must respect that.

How about global warming? Of course its happening, but don't go around all fearful and start imposing harmful restrictions and penalties on the people.
2nd Amendment? Its an undisputable right in our Constitution and common sense, not fear, is what determines so.
Abortion? I support the right, but don't want it used as birth control.

It's nothing but a matter of degree's.

[Romulox]

46. Your positions are mainstream Republican positions. What makes you think they are "centrist"?

:shrug:

[kctim]

47. They are centrist

because they are moderate positions stuck between the two far sides. Truth be told, it is usually personal issues and the matter of degree for govt involvement one accepts, that determines if one is a moderate Dem or Rep. That is why there are so many more moderates, why they will vote for a moderate Dem or a far-right Rep, or vice-versa, and why they determine elections. That is why President Obama ran as a centrist.
You would see alot more of it here at DU if people weren't so afraid of being pounced on or even tombstoned for expressing their 'bluedog' beliefs.

As for me, I consider myself a centrist Dem because I usually favor more social programs and care less about personal things like gay marriage, than centrist Reps.
So, call me a mainstream Republican if you wish, but you are only lying to yourselves if you actually believe you can win elections without our support.

[Greyhound]

50. LOL! Being between the conservative and the extremely conservative

is not the center. It's just less crazy than the craziest.

[rhett o rick]

48. Give me a break. You are infavor of good stuff but not enough to fight for em. What are you willing

to fight for?
It isn't leftist to believe the scientist when they say if we don't fuckin change our ways we will kill the earth. But you don't want to hurt corporate profits. Explain how that is centrist. It is republican all the way.

Free trade is bull shit. It is what we been using for 20 years and has killed the economy. How much more "free trade" can we stand before we die.

you, sir are a republican calling yourself a centrist Democrat. This is exactly what I feared.

Moderate republicans have taken over the party and call themselves centrists Democrats because the word republican is soo horrible.

[kctim]

58. I fight for plenty

Nobody said it was leftist to believe the scientists, you are only adding your assumptions in order to support your pre-determined conclusions of what you think ALL Democrats should believe. One is not a Republican simply because they favor a gradual move to "green" instead of the instant one leftists favor. An instant move which would affect the regular joe ALOT more than the 'corporate profits' you are fixated on.

Free trade is an important part of our economy and, yet again, one does not have to be a Republican to see that. Common sense tariffs which respect that are fine, but abusive tariffs to kill it are not.

Why fear moderate Democrats instead of respecting and working with them? Does the Democratic Party not say it represents ALL of the people? President Obama sure thought so when he was asking for our votes. Should he have ignored us? Get real. President Obama knew he could not win without our votes and he knows the Democratic Party cannot retain its power without our votes now. That is why he is trying to represent ALL of us instead of just the progressives.
Like it or not, the majority hold moderate views and you cannot win without us. If you could, there would have been a progressive party years ago.

[rhett o rick]

62. Wow, so much to say. First of all republicans don't know or care what green means.

They are 1000% for corporate profits at all costs. Even lives. In eight years they have, at a rapid rate, sold out this country until we are literally ruined. Now some of us want to bring a halt to the looting and you say "go slow".

Free trade is code for let China own us. Move all manufacturing to China. Unless this turns around immediately we are literally dead. No manufacturing, no jobs. Look around, do you see the destruction? The wealth of the rich has doubled while the poor and middle class are suffering like under Hoover.

The republicans and the Blue Chickens are corporatists and if Justice Roberts has his way, we will all be subjects of CorpAmerica. Slaves, the ultimate labor force for capitalists.

You have destroyed us, you have killed us (some literally), but you don't care. Profits are the bottom line. You emulate the rich and spit on the poor. You are not moral and certainly not Christian.

If it were up to you, the world would still be flat. Get out of my party.

[kctim]

66. Aw, I was really hoping you would react with reason rather than emotion

If Republicans don't know or care what green means, then why do you lump moderate Dems who DO care but want a common sense approach, in with them? If we are really Republicans as you say, shouldn't we not care either?

I said a gradual approach is needed with our dealing with global warming and now, since you cannot argue against that fact, you are trying to jump issues? Weak.

No, I do not see the 'destruction' or 'suffering' you allude to and I am lower middle class. But, then again, I happen to think President Obama is doing a fairly good job in running the country.

Actually, slaves are the ultimate labor force for govt. Capitalists have to pay in some way for the peoples labor.

Evil profits? Evil corporations? Evil capitalists? Why in the hell did I think you had a valid point.

Seeing as I am an atheist, I guess you are finally correct, I am not Christian. But, I will tell you just as I tell Christians: My morals are none of your business and you have no right to force your morals onto others.

Get out of YOUR party? Thats very interesting. What a numbnuts statement. There are more people who consider themselves conservative than there are of those who consider themselves liberal, and you want us, the majority of the Democratic Party, to go vote for them?
Seeing how the majority of what you call YOUR party are moderates, wouldn't it be easier if you left, seeing how you disagree with them and all?

[rhett o rick]

63. Get out of my party. In case you missed that in the above post. nm

[LanternWaste]

49. I imagine the difference is little more than the perspective...

I imagine the difference is little more than the ideological perspectives and political biases of the person who labels you that...

[rhett o rick]

51. LOL. Someone went to the trouble to unrecommend a thread with 3 recs. That is the best. nm

[Vidar]

56. Centrist is a camoflage term for conservative or Dixiecrat.

[SoCalDem]

60. Leftist= what's good for the whole country..centrists= whatever the republicans want

:rofl:

[Prophet0621]

64. Sounds as though many are of the opinion that

if one does not agree passionately with issue X, Y and Z then you are not far enough left and therefor you are a Republican. No wonder the Dems finally get total control and still can't get a damn thing done, half their party are Republicans. Funny how they all wanted then during the last mid term elections.

[rhett o rick]

65. What party do you support? You don't sound like a Democrat.

"half their party are Republicans." If it's our party, what's your party?