What Does it Mean to be a Conservative Democrat?

[RainDog]

83. I'm just asking others to see where we differ

I think everyone who isn't part of the political/business/military etc. inner circle thinks our politics should be cleaned up.

Bills - There's pork and then there's pork - some things are needed and useful for states, and that's why they have representation, to bring projects to their areas that will increase employment or build up particular sectors of the economy... I guess my issue is that I see how far down on the food chain the average American is within all this structure and I think DC culture is too insulated to see what's happening in people's lives.

Oh, the Patriot Act. Since 9-11 the intel agencies have had a field day trying to make up for that moment - all of that stuff is alarming to me because I value my privacy, even tho I'm not doing anything particularly wrong. It's part of our culture - and the reason I have that frame of mind - because I grew up thinking the govt was supposed to work to improve quality of life for all, not monitor our every move.

No Child Left Behind - I'm not religious and, often, hostile toward a lot of religious issues because I grew up in a very, to me, negative religious environment. I really, really, really think it's terrible for the govt to provide vouchers to allow religious schooling to flourish, esp. after all we've seen coming out of Falwell's sort of schools. Teaching to a test is ridiculous to me - obviously we have common core educational issues, but the best educators I ever had let students explore subjects of interest to them, rather than doing some sort of rote repetition - I find this sort of thinking is more like propaganda. I think the Republicans want to create mini-me's who don't question the world - and that's bad for us all - it's soul killing, to me.

But, again, I do appreciate your take on things.

I wonder if "conservative" is applied in relation to what is often viewed as the more left wing within the Democratic Party, and it's not so much about differences on most issues as it is about an interior view of oneself as less aligned with a sort of "counter culture" that has long been associated with the left in politics.