Who would Alex P. Keaton (Family Ties) vote for?

[Hamlette]

It’s been almost 20 years since “Family Ties” went off the air. And Alex P. Keaton’s political idols, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, have each gone off to their deserved places in history. Yet I still get asked a lot — O.K. maybe not a lot but more than twice — whether Alex Keaton would be a Republican today. And, if so, who would be his candidate in the 2008 presidential election.

snip

I think that Alex might just be ready to take a chance. I can picture him stepping into the voting booth, closing the curtain behind him, taking a deep breath and then for the first time in his life putting his hand up to the Democratic Party lever. He’d touch it tentatively, trying to get comfortable. Take his hand off. Put it back. He’d grasp the lever firmly. Squeeze it. And as he was about to pull, we FADE OUT.

For what it’s worth Michael J. Fox and I have differing opinions about just where Alex Keaton is today. I believe he does pro bono legal work for the Children’s Defense Fund.

Mike thinks he’s just now getting out of prison.

http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/what-would-alex-keaton-do/index.html

[CoffeeCat]

1. Alex P Keaton...

...supported conservatism, when it was still conservatism.

The neocon wolves have commandeered conservatism and twisted it into some kind of
freakish nightmare.

Conservatism has some valid principles. You may disagree or agree with smaller government,
more defense spending, less governmental intrusion--but those things are meaningless now
in today's "conservatism." The right-wing nutters have run the party off of its rails.

Alex, if he stood true to his principles, would be for NO ONE.

Maybe he'd run on the Republican ticket.

[Ian David]

2. Over his lifetime, the character of Alex P. Keaton evolved, much like Archie Bunker did.

I think you're right that the Alex P. Keaton of today would be voting Democratic.

But I don't think there would be a moment's hesitation.