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[WilliamPitt]

This message was self-deleted by its author (WilliamPitt) on Fri Dec 28, 2012, 09:12 AM. When the original post in a discussion thread is self-deleted, the entire discussion thread is automatically locked so new replies cannot be posted.

[NYC_SKP]

1. Well that's two of us....

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. make that a trifecta!

[DevonRex]

3. As am I. Cheers. nt

[CherokeeDem]

4. Proud member here!

Thanks to my grannies and my mom, die-hard Democrats all....

[XRubicon]

5. I voted for Mondale when I was 19

Absentee, on an aircraft carrier off the coast of Japan.

[bahrbearian]

6. Last Call

[WilliamPitt]

8. Durr

...do better.

[RKP5637]

7. K&R !!!

Same here at 18 and still the same!

[loyalkydem]

9. I hope I'm not showing my age

but the very first President I voted for was Bill Clinton

[Purveyor]

10. Voted for Jimmy Carter in '76, my first vote cast as an adult of 18. Never looked back. eom

[jillan]

14. My first vote went to Carter also :)

[oldhippydude]

29. my first HHH in 68

[Purveyor]

30. My first 5th grade debate...advocating for HHH. Oh and remember how those old election

returns came in on CBS (only the one of two channels we could receive). Mechanical board spinning up the numbers not unlike the first numerical clocks that appeared on the market a few years later.

[InsultComicDog]

63. same here

although technically I did vote in the primary first, for Ted Kennedy.

I can count on 3 fingers the number of Democrats I voted against in my lifetime. Two of them were not real Democrats, they were Lyndon LaRouche-ites who managed to get on the Democratic ballot. The other case was Bob Casey Sr. (father of the guy now in the Senate) when he ran for Governor of PA vs. William Scranton III. This was due to my dislike of the "guru" ad run by Casey (which was actually some of James Carville's early work) and because of Casey's pro-life position. That ad, by the way, is said to have won the election for Casey. For more about that see

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/weekinreview/10ferrick.html?_r=0

That was in 1986 and, to date, the last Republican I ever have voted for.

[hrmjustin]

11. Me too.

I registered in 1996 as a democrat when I was 18, and I will stay a democrat till the day I die.

[curlyred]

28. Me three

Never been prouder.

[AverageJoe90]

12. Didn't become a Democrat until after Obama won the election.

But I have been one since late '09, early '10, and I'm not looking back.

[WilliamPitt]

13. For The Record

I deployed this thread as a means of taking stock. It's been getting awfully lonely around here lately.

This is DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND.

I understand the argument; I have been here longer than the sink in the men's room. I get it.

But I'm a Democrat.

So, yeah.

I'm a Democrat.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

17. Deployed...I love it.

I'm a Democrat...when I'm not a Socialist. But I do like looking at all sides of every issue.

[NRaleighLiberal]

20. tactic well understood, Will!

[Fridays Child]

41. I'm a Democrat. I'm a proud, unreconstructed, card-carrying Democrat.

And until the planet reverses its spin, I will remain a Democrat.

Yes, this is DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND but it does seem a lonelier place, lately--maybe, all the more to those of us who have been here since the beginning. It was a refuge, a place for Democrats who felt utterly helpless, as the political crime of the ages had been committed before our very eyes. An election was stolen in broad daylight and we had this place. It was a saving grace.

Democratic Underground was so much smaller back then. I wonder how many members we had by the end of 2001. In so many ways, this place is richer for having grown from a small town to a large city. Maybe, though, that's also part of the reason it feels lonelier, too.

But it became my home page the day I found it and that has never changed. It's still the first site I want to read every day. It cannot be bested as a reliable news source. It was a gem of a site, in 2001, and it's a gem of a site, today. Skinner, EarlG, and Elad have done a remarkable thing. I hope they know that.

[graham4anything]

42. I have voted 100% for a democrat for decades and decades and will for decades more

yet you keep arguing against me.

interesting.

you are falling for the wedge issues over party

Party is more important than any wedge issue, because as long as party wins, you can debate the wedge.

If the republican/tea/libertarians win, you can't debate anything

so, as they say stop sweating the small stuff and think of the party itself

[tavalon]

55. Ah, context

I see. Well, when I decided to move on to Bernie Sanders "party", I decided that it didn't disqualify me for Democratic Underground.

[CherokeeDem]

62. Will...

as Gov. Dean said...I am a member of the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.

[TDale313]

15. As am I.

(Clinton 92 was my first chance to vote for President. have voted Democratic ever since) I would assume most of us are, this being Democratic Underground and all. The beauty of our party is that that can mean very different things to each one of us. It's also what can make being a Democrat sometimes pretty frustrating.

[jillan]

16. Born a Democrat, and it was confirmed when I found a note written by my paternal grandmother in

1956 and it was written on Stevenson for President notepaper

It is in my blood.

[DinahMoeHum]

18. Only time I played hooky in high school. . .

. . .was on the first Friday afternoon after my 18th birthday, to go to my county's Board of Elections and register to vote.

[libdem4life]

19. McGovern...first Presidential Vote. Never, ever voted for an R knowingly, at least.

Dad was a Bircher...go figure.

It takes a lot of herding cats to keep them under the big tent. No reason to change now. Go Dems.

[aikoaiko]

21. Me too. Its just that easy.

[Loudly]

22. I'm not a member of any organized political party.

I'm a Democrat.

~~ Will Rogers

[TDale313]

43. Yep.

And yeah, it is like herding cats.

[union_maid]

23. Max Creek? Cool.

You don't see that every day. My son was on that circuit for a bit, until he decided he needed to get off the road.

Anyway, yes, Democrat here, too. Ever since forever. Almost. I did "like Ike", but I was six years old when he ran for his second term. My father, however, told me that was OK, but he and Mom would be voting for Adlai. See..."I like Ike" was something that even a six year old could understand and spell. That's pretty much the intellectual level the Republicans are mostly aiming for today, as well.

[Arctic Dave]

24. Squints eyes, leans in with rolled up sleeves and says,

"Yeah? What kinda Democrat?"

[tavalon]

56. Reagan Democrat?

JOKE, just a joke.

[Arctic Dave]

67. LOL

Well played.

[hfojvt]

25. so am I

Not sure when I joined though. It wasn't when I turned 18.

I remember voting for Mondale in 1984 (I was 22). Not sure what I did for the rest of the ballot. (It was just luck that I voted for Mondale. I actually flipped a coin in the voting booth - an Eisenhower dollar.) Same for 1986. I cannot remember, but I did talk to a Daschle staffer at the SD State Fair in 1985, encouraging him to run for the Senate. I remember voting for Jesse Jackson in the 1988 Wisconsin primary. So I must have been a registered Democrat by then.

[loyalkydem]

26. TDALE you and I voted around the same time

I was 19 around that time.

[TDale313]

38. I was a college student in '92

When candidate Bill Clinton came to speak to a very large crowd at my University. What an incredible speaker. And I was fortunate enough to get to shake his hand on the rope line. An experience I'll never forget.

[loyalkydem]

39. So jealous

I was also in college at the same time.

[madinmaryland]

27. Signed up on my 18th birthday also, after Carter instituted it, IIRC. I voted for Carter in the

Ohio Primaries and of course the GE. Sad times seeing Reagan get elected.

[Purveyor]

31. We also never had to sign up for the selective service and were able to buy alcohol, which I didn't

do as I smoked pot back in the day and didn't like booze.

[madinmaryland]

32. We had to sign up for the SS, but were able to buy alcohol. 1979. nt

[Purveyor]

33. 1976 born in '57...we didn't have to. Small window thanks Nixon. eom

[sheshe2]

34. You are not alone Will,,,if I may call you that.

I always have been a Democrat and will be to the day that I die!
She

[GoneOffShore]

35. I'm a member of the Democratic Party and this IS Democratic Underground.

I'd love to be able to call out by name those who obviously forget both of those things when posting right wing nut job CT delicate flower talking points on a daily basis on Democratic Underground.

[SunSeeker]

36. K&R

[Jamaal510]

37. The existence of the GOP

was all the motivation I needed to cast my first-ever ballot in '08. They're my motivation for not only getting into politics, but also becoming a Dem.

[Ford_Prefect]

40. According to my father I was born a registered Democrat.

My first vote was against NIXON's Tyranny and for Peace & Justice. Seems like it has been the same every time since. We keep trying to put the tyranny down and they keep re-inventing ways to perpetrate and perpetuate it.

This forum was always about a range of views on the issues and about discussion in the broadest terms. We have always had strong views expressed over the performance of many in political office and I expect that will continue. The basis of sound government is INFORMED debate, not abject hero worship.

[tavalon]

58. LOL

My grandfather coached me to "just pull the Democratic lever" when I went to vote for my first time. Being a contrary cuss, I researched every politician so that I could vote on issues, not by party. I ended up voting straight Democratic ticket that year anyway, but I still voted for each rather than pulling the straight ticket lever.

It's sad to realize now that my grandfather was actually a Dixiecrat and were he alive now, would be a Republican. Thank goodness he didn't live long enough to put me through that shame.

[Coyotl]

44. I wonder what percentage of DUers can say that? Maybe 5-10%?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

45. As am I.

I always have been. Long before I ever came of age to cast my first vote. It's the party I identify with the most. It's as simple as that.

I care about the least among us. I care about our ecology. I care about fair wages and workers rights. I care about equality for all Americans. To name just a few of my reasons.

[tavalon]

59. Well, even though I've foregone the Democratic party for

socialism, I care about all the things you just listed. And, as I said before, since I don't live in Vermont, "I caucus with the Dems".

[Lone_Star_Dem]

65. It took me a minute to figure out your Vermont statement.

I'm not totally stupid, just getting over the flu and much slower than usual.

I adore Bernie Sanders, who also caucuses with the Dems as a matter of fact.

I've said before here on DU, we're all more alike than we are different. I still hold to that belief.

[tavalon]

66. Yup

I'm sorry you got the flu and I hope you continue to get better quickly and yeah, that's where my quip about caucusing with the Dems comes from. Blessed Bernie Sanders. Love that man.

[freethought]

46. Max Creek? Are they still around? (Dumb Question) Gads! Has it been that long!!!!

I haven't heard that name in years!! I remember that name plus a number of other bands that used to play Boston and the New England area-The Stompers, The Fools, John Butcher Axis Band. If I could wake up more neurons I'm sure I could think of some more names.

[Third Doctor]

47. I voted for Bill Clinton first in my first election.

[young_at_heart]

48. My first election....I voted for Kennedy

Seems so long ago now!

[No Vested Interest]

60. I was about a week too young to vote for Kennedy

You had to be 21 to vote in those days, and my b'day was later in November.

Had to wait another 4 yrs, then voted for Johnson.

I remember when FDR died and the national shock and sadness. People who were in their teens never knew another president but F. Roosevelt.

[krispos42]

49. Voted for Clinton in '96...

...my first presidential. Age 20.

[Lugnut]

50. I was born a Democrat.

I officially joined the ranks of the party when I was legally able to do so in 1966 at age 21 and I registered to vote. Since then I have never failed to vote in either primaries or general elections. I have never voted for a Republican.

[TheKentuckian]

51. I've been a registered Democrat since I was 17

because I was going to be 18 for the general.

Yay me!

[SleeplessinSoCal]

52. Proud Leftie here and member of the Democratic Party since 1995

[Trajan]

53. I am as well ....

I was 16 in 1972, so my first vote was for Carter in 76 ....

I had to sign up for SS in 74 - They stopped the draft soon afterward ...

Yeah ... I'm a Democrat ....

[tavalon]

54. Does this post have a context?

I'm a Socialist but I caucus with the Democrats.

[ReRe]

57. I am too....

... a proud Democrat from a proud Democratic family. We vote as a block.

[Cary]

61. Me too.

[Control-Z]

64. My daddy was a card carrying Bircher.

Not exactly sure if it was the wisdom of youth, or in-the-face defiance, that made me become a member of the Democratic Party. A gift either way, imo.

[UtahLib]

68. I will always be a member of the Democratic Party.

My Father, who was a very wise man, used to say that any working stiff who claims to be republican is rooting for his own demise. It seems that some things never change. If my dad was still here, he would be shaking his head in disgust over the teabagger aberration.

[steve2470]

69. proud Democrat since 1976, voted for Carter that year

My older brother, also a proud Democrat, and both parents. My son will register as a Democrat in 2014.