As a conservative, It is astounding to me how I am becoming more and more alienated by the Republican Party, especially during this past election cycle. Yeah, I am a registered Republican who voted for the Democrats this time around.

For a bunch of God fearing, church going folk, they sure do not care much about social welfare, the poor, and the disenfranchised. I am starting to get sick of them focusing on shiat like women's access to abortion when they should be focusing on why she is needing one in the first place and fixing that - poor, young, uneducated, forced into prostitution, whatever...

Maybe it is because I am almost 30 and now with a little bit of life behind me, and have escaped my hometown - Orange County, SoCal...I am starting to see things a little differently...but the amount of crazy in the Republican Party is horrifying. While it is my own anecdotal observation...and don't get me wrong, the Dems have their mixed bag of far left cray cray too, I see the Dems as a lot more mainstream than anything else...it appears to me that they have done a pretty good job distancing themselves from the mega crazy and the Republicans need to do the same with the extreme religious right.

Endive Wombat: As a conservative

A real conservative would've bought an American car.

lennavan: Endive Wombat: As a conservative, It is astounding to me how I am becoming more and more alienated by the Republican Party, especially during this past election cycle. Yeah, I am a registered Republican who voted for the Democrats this time around.

For a bunch of God fearing, church going folk, they sure do not care much about social welfare, the poor, and the disenfranchised. I am starting to get sick of them focusing on shiat like women's access to abortion when they should be focusing on why she is needing one in the first place and fixing that - poor, young, uneducated, forced into prostitution, whatever...

Maybe it is because I am almost 30 and now with a little bit of life behind me, and have escaped my hometown - Orange County, SoCal...I am starting to see things a little differently...but the amount of crazy in the Republican Party is horrifying. While it is my own anecdotal observation...and don't get me wrong, the Dems have their mixed bag of far left cray cray too, I see the Dems as a lot more mainstream than anything else...it appears to me that they have done a pretty good job distancing themselves from the mega crazy and the Republicans need to do the same with the extreme religious right.

So that was a pretty decent post but I have an honest question. Why exactly do you consider yourself conservative? Specifically - if the GOP included the reforms you want, how exactly would it differ from the Democrats?

I'm also pretty curious about this one--if the Republicans moderate on their backward social policies, how are they different from democrats?

I'm pretty sure the first thing one could say is "Obama is raising taxes", or something like it--but if a Republican was in the White House right now, I'm sure they'd be doing the same thing. No one wants to be in charge during this financial mess, because no matter whom it happens to be, they'll have to answer for tax increases.

Glockenspiel Hero: The segment right after that was brilliant- watch the whole episode.

Stewart had a clip of O'Reilly and Bernie Goldberg discussing the demographic changes and how the old America was now gone.



It's not your father's America. Women can leave the kitchen and black people can vote. THE HORROR!


what a bunch of assholes.

lennavan:
We really don't. This last election I saw a dude in the center and a dude on the far right. Everyone wants to expand or at least maintain the military. Why? What are we so afraid of?

Probably our citizens.

lennavan: So that was a pretty decent post but I have an honest question. Why exactly do you consider yourself conservative? Specifically - if the GOP included the reforms you want, how exactly would it differ from the Democrats?

Let me explain myself this way:

I believe in a more practical and hands on approach to dealing with various socioeconomic and societial woes.

Drugs, legalize, regulate and tax. "But lots of junkines will start filling up the workforce" Simple - give tax cuts to employers that drug test. Incentiveize the job makers. Make DUI laws far more strict than they are now. First DUI - Jail for one year. Second - Crush your car, jail 5 years. Third - Lifetime sentence. That is what you call a law with deterrence.

As I mentioned abortion earlier - Personally, I think that once the nervous system of the developing fetus surpasses the complexity of a lobster, abortion is murder. I think abortion is horrible, but I understand its need. Those who seek an abortion should be able to without fear and intimidation, they should have access to the cleanest, most well maintained facilities. The fact that most people and politicians are focused on the act itself and not what lead to the need for the abortion shows me that people just do not care enough to deal with it. I think sex education needs to be expanded and be mandatory. We teach our kids about other aspects of basic health, why suddenly do we (conservative society) freak out when it is time to discuss our "naughty bits?" I think we need to set up better adoption facilities and make them more accessible for women who don't want to abort, but cannot raise a child.

Taxes - We live in a wonderful nation. It costs a lot to protect and maintain it. Those who have made their millions have done so off the backs of many who earn a lot less and who have set you up for success. The government built and staffed the school you went to, they built and maintain the roads that you drive on, they built and maintain the water, sewage, etc...

Homelessness, the poor and living wages - I wish more conservatives were willing to admit that not every single person is destined for college and a $100K salaried job. There are still going to be janitors, maids, street sweepers, burger flippers, etc. So the idea of a fair living wage needs to be discussed without the right yelling "socialism or redistribution of wealth"

Healthcare - We need to protect Doctors from frivolous lawsuits and reduce healthcare costs. We all know that Doctors perform a lot of useless and expensive tests so they can cover their ass...this only adds to the expense of an ER visit. If I break my foot, it should not cost $8,000 to get it fixed...that is insane. A healthy nation is a productive nation in my opinion.

Teh Gheys - Look conservatives, homosexuals have always existed and will always exist. Let's stop putting barriers up because "its icky" and show some compassion and dignity. At the end of the day, all the homosexual community wants is the same level of access to basic services and benefits as straight couples. Making them jump through all kinds of legal hoops in order to spend their lovers last dying moments together is evil and completely unacceptable. I also believe that you need to stop using the "ruining of the sanctity of marriage" argument if you've been divorced.

I see limited sized government more in a what I can and cannot do aspect rather than a monetary aspect. If I want to build a 60ft tall pink dildo on my property, I should be allowed.

You pickin' up what I'm throwin' down?

Jon Stewart reaches into the Obama 2012 gift bag

in our new segment, "Jon Stewart checks out a man's sack".

Bleyo: We just haven't updated what we label ourselves.

People always fight to label themselves conservative. Part of it is making themselves seem sensible and part of it is the dirty connotation that liberal or progressive has become within american society.

Generally, people are also agreed on reducing government spending (just not the parts they like) and everybody feels their taste in music is the best.

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Lennavan has a point though. What people imagine democrats to be is not actually what democrats are. Meanwhile, it is very hard to describe conservatives worse than what they actually are.

Endive Wombat is really going to trip balls when he realizes that every time he describes an additional point that makes him conservative...it just gets more liberals on Fark to point out that they agree with it too