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, 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.

I am a conservative registered Republican (for the moment, more down-comment). I voted for Obama and did not vote for a single Republican. Where I could, I voted for Libertarians. I found Romney morally repugnant in ways I didn't think possible, since I don't hold politicians in high regard to start with. Obama, in spite of being called a Marxist-Communist-Socialist, seemed to be a moderate choice, so I went with him as a compromise. When the only other choice is the not-crazy half-way decent guy standing over there without a spittle covered face, you make the only choice you can make.

The 47% comment offended me in so many ways. To get to 47%, Romney has to include soldiers who are in war zones (combat pay is tax exempt); people who have literally worked for half a century who are now on Social Security; and the working poor. The GOP had worked to expand the EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) many times. The EITC is why many poor people don't pay federal taxes, and has always been treated as a giant step up from welfare. We'd rather people work than be on welfare, and if they make very little, we won't tax them to below welfare levels.

One of the largest expansions of the EITC was under Reagan. The GOP has traditionally been for the poor working as a way to help themselves, rather than getting welfare. Now, with the 47% comment and the "Gifts" comment, Romney has thrown decades of GOP policy down to toilet. He's now saying, "No welfare, no EITC, screw you, poor people. Go starve in the streets. You're not getting a step up, you're not getting shiat.

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...

When Romney was caught back in June talking to the business owners, telling them that it was legal to tell their employees who to vote for, I got a whiff of "Eu de Robber Barron", which I found most distasteful. Romney is not my better. Romney isn't worthy to spit shine my shoes or the shoes of any American who goes to work every day. It was at that point that I decided that the GOP n' me were no longer a good fit.

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.

For me, it's the fact that the GOP was 100% confident that they had this election sewn up, and it finally didn't matter what they said or who they said it to. It didn't matter if they made enemies. What were our alternatives? Were we really gonna vote for the blah guy over Romney? Of course not. Now do what you're told and vote for Mitt.

One of my proudest moments as a conservative was watching the election results. Knowing that a lot of other conservatives did what I did, and voted for Obama. Or they did nothing and stayed home, knowing that Obama would get in by default. I don't think that anyone in the Republican Party has any idea yet what they wrought with this election. I don't think they know or could even guess how many conservatives they've turned away, many for good.

I have the paperwork here to re-register with another party. I wanted to wait until after the election so that there would be no confusion and my vote against Romney would count. It'll either be independent or Libertarian. Not sure, but I am no longer a Republican. They left me. I didn't leave them. Sounds like they've left you, too.

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.

Good for you, I'm the same, only two elections back. That means you don't belong to the hive mind that both sides of the aisle just assumes of you.

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?

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: 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.