How many Freepers were once liberals or Democrats?

Slyfox

[Slyfox]

How many Freepers were once liberals or Democrats? Please explain to us how and why you became a conservative. What was the defining moment?

[pissant]

I drink liberal amounts of beer, does that count?

[Peter vE]

Who says we're not still DemocRats?

[kinoxi]

vanity

[eyespysomething]

Me, click my name and read my homepage.

[Slyfox]

This one's for you.

[RepoGirl]

Interesting question. I was never a Dem, even in the deepest, darkest parts of my purple hair and combat boot days.

I admit, college was difficult, especially with the non-stop onslaught of leftist teachers and fellow students. It just made me even MORE contrarian.

[elhombrelibre]

Long ago. Carter cured me.

[lormand]

Me!

My Mom told me to register as a RAT when I was 18 back in 1977. She said, "vote Democrat because Republicans are only for rich people".

I registered RAT accordingly.

Then came the Iranian revolution, and then Ronald Reagan.

I never voted RAT then or since, and changed my party affiliation before voting Reagan the second time.

[pookie18]

I didn't realize that I was a registered Democrat until trying to vote in a Republican primary in 2001. I actually had been apolitical until I closely watched Clinton's impeachment proceedings. After that, started listening to talk radio...

[Brilliant]

I was a liberal in highschool. I became a conservative when I studied economics in college.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

Being a Democrat and a liberal were not necessarily the same thing in the South before the late 1970's.

[Slyfox]

Mine came when I was in college eating beans and Ole' Jimmy Carter got a tax increase passed that meant that anyone making over $15,000 was going to be hit with tax bill. We made $15,976 that year. Sure enough, after we had already paid $400 in taxes, we got a notice that we owed another $400. And we had to take it OUT OF OUR SAVINGS. I am blistered just thinking about it today. Thank God for Ronald Reagan.

[Poser]

Dick Nixon drafted me. I voted for McGovern.

[Mikey_1962]

Once a proud, union member Democrat.

I didn't leave them, they left me.

That was when Democrats had people like Scoop Jackson....

[ladyinred]

I was never a liberal, but I was a die hard democrat for many years. My defining moment was Bill and Hillary Clinton. While I voted for that piece of dirt the first time, he quickly made me regret being fooled by him. I changed parties, something I NEVER thought I would do upon realizing the party was so far left that I could no longer stand being a part of it.

[Republicanprofessor]

Well, I wasn't quite a liberal or Democrat per se. I was registered Republican but I never voted for Reagan, probably because I believed what the press said back then. I voted for Anderson and for Mondale because of his female running mate Geraldine Ferraro. (I was nuts...)

The turning point came for me with the collapse of the Berlin wall, when Reagan's arms build-up suddenly made sense and was effective. But the Democrats never saw this; I was turned off to them.

The final straw was the Supreme Court nomination of Clarence Thomas. I listened to every bit of those hearings and could not believe the credence given to Anita Hill.

I'm an artist and an art historian. It was natural for me to follow the left until I finally woke up and started thinking for myself. (My husband's Republican family helped a lot here, as did my Republican father.)

[KeyLargo]

I am sure there was some Reagan Democrats, but with the actions of the current administration regarding our border protection I would imagine that they have returned to the Democrats fold.

[Izzy Dunne]

Carter cured me.

Yeah, she has that effect on people.

[vetsvette]

I was a Democrat from a Democratic household until I ran into the "new" Dim's in San Francisco upon returning from my 2nd combat tour in Vietnam. That cured me!