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Dragonfli

(10,622 posts)
59. I have been the same Democrat I have been for 35 years
Tue Apr 10, 2012, 03:59 PM
Apr 2012

I have always summed up my political position thus:

"We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. “Necessitous men are not free men.” People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.

In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed.

Among these are:

The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;

The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

The right of every family to a decent home;

The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

The right to a good education.

All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.

America’s own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for our citizens."


Because the parties have moved further and further right with each election cycle, largely due to our party adopting their positions while they continue to move even further right, to an outside observer it merely appears that I have been moving leftward at light speed since my first votes over thirty years ago.
In truth tho, I have not changed.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

In my youth, I was merely liberal. no_hypocrisy Apr 2012 #1
Now, that is a good explanation of where I feel like I am coming from. Hepburn Apr 2012 #2
For the win! mac56 Apr 2012 #3
At the ripe old age of 52..... Howler Apr 2012 #4
"I also seem to be getting too liberal for the existing Democratic party." CrispyQ Apr 2012 #57
Its so sad isnt it!!! Howler Apr 2012 #64
I'm there too! Greybnk48 Apr 2012 #5
Me too! I used to think of myself as conservative until I realized SharonAnn Apr 2012 #26
Same here at 61 duhneece Apr 2012 #6
I think I've become more conservative paulk Apr 2012 #7
The more conservative policy gets crammed down my throat, the more liberal/progressive I get. Old and In the Way Apr 2012 #8
I'm in the same boat! Of course these days one can just stand still and RKP5637 Apr 2012 #9
Same for me. hifiguy Apr 2012 #10
Was raised in moderate Dem house kctim Apr 2012 #11
You're still younger than the average Fox News viewer. onehandle Apr 2012 #12
I have definitely become more... Whiskeytide Apr 2012 #13
Multiple shifts FreeJoe Apr 2012 #14
I'm the same... Magoo48 Apr 2012 #15
I've resisted the categorization of American politics created by the media tularetom Apr 2012 #16
Absolutely. ananda Apr 2012 #17
I find that I'm a Progressive who's become impatient with centrist liberals and Bluedogs leveymg Apr 2012 #18
Same here, though I was born only in the 70's. Poll_Blind Apr 2012 #19
That's pretty much where I am. Lugnut Apr 2012 #20
Love the replies here, they give me a tiny bit of hope. Egalitarian Thug Apr 2012 #21
Count me in! blitzburgh55 Apr 2012 #22
As I age I found that I have become more cautios... wandy Apr 2012 #23
~lol CrispyQ Apr 2012 #58
The country has moved to the right felix_numinous Apr 2012 #24
I've become more cynical about establishment politics as I've aged. Tierra_y_Libertad Apr 2012 #25
At 70, my position would be a liberal, but in Eisenhower-Kennedy years, my same position was... dmosh42 Apr 2012 #27
Count me in! nt avebury Apr 2012 #28
Nah. lolita Apr 2012 #29
I went from ignorant conservative to far-left liberal in a very few short weeks 40 years ago.... Scuba Apr 2012 #30
Is being a liberal a choice or is this how you were made? AngryAmish Apr 2012 #31
As I grow older I get more experience that confirms what I thought when I was younger. Thus jwirr Apr 2012 #32
More steadfastly and confidently liberal, but less optimistic about the near-term prospects TahitiNut Apr 2012 #33
I'll be 64 in November HockeyMom Apr 2012 #34
Awesome post, HockeyMom! Kath1 Apr 2012 #66
Hey Scorpio! I'll be 64 on Nov. 9th! Greybnk48 Apr 2012 #80
I grew up in a home full of conservatives abelenkpe Apr 2012 #35
I'm not sure the spectrum just hasn't shifted under my feet. TheKentuckian Apr 2012 #36
Exactly. I may be slightly more Liberal. But our government is a *lot* more Rightist. n/t ieoeja Apr 2012 #46
I'm not sure if this counts, but... Jamaal510 Apr 2012 #37
I haven't changed much....... socialist_n_TN Apr 2012 #38
In my case, yes! Ron Obvious Apr 2012 #39
I was a Republican until it became asjr Apr 2012 #40
I was a right-wing jackass when I was 18 Papagoose Apr 2012 #41
been liberal cindyperry2010 Apr 2012 #42
I've become more Conservative. Doc_Technical Apr 2012 #43
I remain the same. But why I am liberal is much more clarified. MissMarple Apr 2012 #44
I've become more conservative as I have aged. Bette Noir Apr 2012 #45
where do you lean? LittleGirl Apr 2012 #47
I have always felt I was a social democrat. southernyankeebelle Apr 2012 #48
I would say what you said..perfect... movonne Apr 2012 #49
I find I'm the same everyone else has moved so far right nineteen50 Apr 2012 #50
I just turned 50 but have been moving leftward over the past half dozen years Populist_Prole Apr 2012 #51
Same here! Kath1 Apr 2012 #52
I voted for Jimmy Carter and measured my own political beliefs then as a little left of his. hunter Apr 2012 #53
As long as I can think, see and hear.... Chakaconcarne Apr 2012 #54
I was always a progressive/populist, but in the last 15 years... ColesCountyDem Apr 2012 #55
I have been pretty liberal since 1992, when I first became interested in politics. Jennicut Apr 2012 #56
You'll probably become more liberal. Kath1 Apr 2012 #61
I have been the same Democrat I have been for 35 years Dragonfli Apr 2012 #59
Yes, absolutely, BUT mojowork_n Apr 2012 #60
a president trying to pass Republican policies from circa 1992 is considered flaming leftest Johonny Apr 2012 #62
Oh hell yeah. I've moved from "radical liberal" to "totally gone beyond left" Zorra Apr 2012 #63
Good for you, Zorra! Kath1 Apr 2012 #65
But still not quite ready for "Comrade Zorra"......... socialist_n_TN Apr 2012 #71
lol! Actually, "Comrade Zorra" Zorra Apr 2012 #75
damn, can't remember where I read it (because I am getting old) rufus dog Apr 2012 #67
I thought I was liberal in my youth and then I got a lot older Irishonly Apr 2012 #68
I'm just a tad older than you, but I have walked the same path Stinky The Clown Apr 2012 #69
Oh yes XanaDUer Apr 2012 #70
Am I getting more liberal, or is the country around me getting more wing-nutty? n/t SpankMe Apr 2012 #72
Truly, sometimes I feel like Nixon would be raouldukelives Apr 2012 #76
If I grow more liberal when I age... Neoma Apr 2012 #73
Although my views change at the margins, I'm about as liberal as I was as a 19 year old. lumberjack_jeff Apr 2012 #74
Yup. The longer we live, the more we have a chance to learn. MineralMan Apr 2012 #77
Same here madokie Apr 2012 #78
What's crazy is that I used to consider myself a moderate liberal - but now I find out that jillan Apr 2012 #79
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