First of all let me say that I’m a 31 year-old software engineer living in Fitchburg, and I’m a registered Republican. I’ve come here hoping that I can can find interesting dialogue with people who hold dissimilar ideas to my own.
I’ve frequented other news boards (Boston Hearald, Boston.Com), but am increasingly finding that they’ve become the extreme left screaming at the extreme right and back again rather than a place for constructive debate.
Hopefully I’ve come to the right place.
Cheers,
Mike
Please share widely!
Hi Mike..
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Welcome to BMG from what many on this blog would consider a purple Democrat. I’m glad you’re hear and look forward to hearing your thoughts on various subjects.
On what is your definition of “EXTREME” Left????
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Because IMHO the are no EXTREME left Democrats comparative to the extreme right who want to dictate how people live work and die.
Regardless of their politics, a person can seem extreme through excess use of capital letters and punctuation marks.
I consider the extrmes of the parties to be those who refuse to listen to ideas, but are rather for or against something based on which party is talking.
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The extreme left right now is characterized by those people that have to go out of their way to find fault with Bush no matter what.
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He’s not my favorite guy, and I’ll gladly say when I think he’s wrong: (his plan for immigration reform, Constitutional amendment to define marriage, the occupation of Iraq, spending money like a drunken sailor, etc.)
And let the civil discourse begin!
I would like your take on what the 2006 Republican Party stands for and why you would align yourself with their positions
Honestly my parents were republicans, and my first memories of a political figure where at the age of 5 when I saw Reagan on TV. I kind of identified with him as a grandfatherly figure.
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As I grew up I valued small government and personal freedom (and responsibility) decided that of the two major parties the Republicans (present administration notwithstanding) more redily represented my beliefs.
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As for current events, I am PHENOMINALLY disappointed with the Bush Administration.
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(But Mike, I could see you voting for Bush in 2000, not really understanding that his line about compassionate conservatism was BS, but you voted for him in 2004!)
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True, though I didn’t vote for Bush in 2000 (I voted for Harry Browne, the Libertarian candidate) I did cast my ballot for him in 2004. Why is that?
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1. I didn’t think Bush or Kerry had good ideas regarding solving the Iraq issue, but in matters of war I always give a slight edge to the incumbent.
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2. Kerry wanted increased international input in our foreign policy. I disagree with this position. I want us to make our one choices independent of bodies such as the UN. I beleive, as radio talk show host Jay Severin once put it, “Nations don’t have friends, they have interests.”
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3. I think they are both fiscally liberal wheras I am more of a libertarian belieing in very limited goverment.
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Overall, as in 2000, I was not impressed with the candidate of either major party.
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So what was the one issue that tipped the scales? The fact that a President has only 8 years to do as much good or harm as they will to this country, but the one part of their legacy that outlives their stay in the Oval Office is their appointments to this nation’s highest court. In 2004, there were two to three vacancies looming on the court. I would not give that choice to a liberal if I could help it. I favor conservative justices. So THAT is why I voted for Bush in 2004, knowing that I would have to put up with his brand of crap for four more years.
cough oops, sorry, we were just talking immigration and that slipped out.
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Welcome aboard. As you can see, everyone here is committed to raising the bar.
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Cheers,
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Ed
Doesn’t mean Red. So, there is hope. We’ll get you cheering for reality and supporting progress instead of regression by the time we are done with you. If all goes well, you’ll appear as an earnest poster child for the Democratic nominee against Healey this autumn: “I used to be a Republican, but after I learned about how wonderful progress is at BMG …”
the Kool-Aid drinking cult members.
Please stick around and have some fun.