How many former Republicans are there here?

[Zynx]

I used to be a Republican, though I supported Democratic candidates much of the time. The Republican party, as I see it, left me when it went so heavily into the right-wing authoritarian kick that they are currently in. The far-"Christian" right scares the crap out of me and prompted me to leave them for good. If this were the Republican party of the 1950s, I would probably be a Republican, but the last of the liberal Republicans are dead or in New England.

How about the rest of you?

[JohnnyCougar]

1. Me.

Used to be a Belling/Limbaugh listener when I was a teenager.

[Zynx]

3. Belling is even worse than Limbaugh.

I used to listen to Limbaugh from time to time, but I always found him to be moronic.

[distantearlywarning]

2. I am still a registered Libertarian. I have voted Repub in the past.

That was before the rise of the Christian Reich. I will never vote Republican again until that faction is purged from the party. They have hijacked and twisted every good thing the Republicans ever stood for.

[Cats Against Frist]

4. Maybe this isn't the same thing

But I used to be a Democrat that supported a broad welfare state, and the religious and extreme corpo-fascist right scared the fuck out of me, so much -- that I became a small-l libertarian...In theory. But I will always vote Dem, as long as there is a GOP to defeat. When the Dems have solid control, we'll start talking about some of my left-wing libertarian solutions....:)

[Okieprogie]

5. I'm with you...

You and I pretty much have the same background.

[brentspeak]

6. I did vote for Marge Roukema when I was first eligible to vote

I had this dumb teenager idea that I needed to "be fair" when it came to voting: ie. If one votes Democrat for president, then you should "balance" things out by voting Republican for congressional races.

:dunce:

[Skittles]

7. not me

I was never, ever fooled by republicans

[DURHAM D]

8. I used to work for the Republican party. Left during Nixon's

first term. The whole party was starting to make dramatic turn to
the right. Phyllis Schaffley (sp?) was starting to bark about the ERA, Sprio Agnew was a bully (soon replaced by barking Bob Dole), Ross Perot was getting a lot of attention, everyone in the party openly hated fellow republicans Nelson Rockefeller, Mayor Lindsay, the two Senators from NY, and black Senator Brooke from MA. They even hated Ike because he had not cleaned out career federal employees that were left over from other administrations.

I have always said I did not leave the party - it left me and it happened so quickly. Most of my friends left as well.

I just realized one day these were not my people. Just got up and quit. I have hated repugs every since. My entire family is still drinking from the cup, however.

[happynewyear]

9. I did vote for a republican once

It was about 10+ years ago I think. It was the insurance commissioner and he was the incumbent. His name, now get this (no joke) was Quakenbush. Quakenbush ended up losing his job for being found to be corrupt. It was quite the story if I remember right.

Anyway, that is the 1st and the only Republican I have ever voted for. There were lessons aplenty with the Quakenbush experience. That right there should have warned the populace in general.

:think:

:dem:

[KarenS]

10. I was never registered as a Republican, but

I was raised in a military family ~ so many of my beliefs were formed by Republican parents,,,,, I voted for Nixon & Reagan,,,, thought Goldwater was awesome,,,,

that was a lifetime ago,,,, now I am sooooo left, Kucinich was my choice for the Dems this year,,,,

[Seldona]

11. I voted for a local Repub,

years ago.

I always did the research and backed whomever I though was best for the job.

She was NOT a wacko fundy, but with the developments in the last 8 or 9 years no way I would do that again.

Voted straight Dem ticket this year and always will from now on.

But I have to admit to being pretty conservative fiscally.

Not that I do not believe in a safety net or anything.

Having to use it myself at this point and time.

I just believe in pulling yourself up by the bootstraps and getting on with it, which I am currently in the process of doing.

Shutting down my families small business of four years on the 18th.

Merry Christmas to me.

[DieboldMustDie]

12. I was a registered Republican from '92 to '02...

though I crossed over and voted for Gore in 2000. I changed party affiliation to vote in the PA gubernatorial primary, and also due to my increasing disgust with President Dumbass.

[Der Blaue Engel]

13. I am embarrassed to say

I voted for (please don't hurt me) Reagan...in 1984. I had just turned 18 and had only been out of my fundie father's house for a month, which wasn't enough time to learn how to think for myself yet. (It took about one more month.) My father came to my college campus with my absentee ballot and a voting sheet with who I should vote for, then sat there while I filled it out and put it in the mail for me.

That was the first and last time I ever voted Republican. I remained a Repug on the books for five years, just to be perverse and vote completely against ticket. When I graduated from college and moved from Tucson to San Francisco, I registered as a Democrat at a Republican registration drive, much to the irriration of the Young Repugs who were running it.

[phaseolus]

14. never registered, but identified with Republicans before ... 1980 or so

Basically Reaganism scared the shit outta me, with all it's simple axiomatic pandering Reader's Digest crap. Never looked back.