I am curious about how and when you were “reformed”.
Grew up in a Democrat family. Went to college in the 60s, joined several groups: ADA, SDS. Was full of idealism and believed wholeheartedly in bootstrap capitalism. Got shot down over and over for enterpreneurial ideas aimed at lifting people from ignorance and poverty. Participated in a food co-op in an Hispanic immigrant community. Watched the Hispanic manager stealing cases out of the back room. Was told by the organizer to ignore it; it was no big deal. Finally was told that the groups did what they were directed to do and creative solutions were not allowed.
In the early 1970s, my Jewish friends began telling me they were ashamed of Israel winning the Yom Kippur war. PC began and I was admonished for any unapproved speech. I was told I was weird, but usually right, but the weird mattered more than the correctness.
In the 1980s, was selling my designs/goods at street art fairs. Suddenly, after the Carter years, under Reagan, we began to actually earn a real living. We turned the business into a successful wholesale enterprise and grew up in many ways. Made a really good friend who was Christian. My liberal friends went to lengths to laugh at and demean my Christian friends. Then, my liberal friends went to lengths to do the same to me as a form of peer pressure. Demeaned and denigrated for everything from enthusiasm for computers to making money to not being part of the swinging set. Attacks were not only personal, they were attempts to destroy my businesses. Watched this happen to others and observed how they were subjected to assigned nannies in order to separate them from any conservative ideas. Understood that liberalism was about control and power. All of it, spiritual, economic, personal, political. Had a visceral negative reaction to the entire idea of being controlled in order to contribute to my own abuse. By that I mean I developed a severe ulcer and would literally vomit after having to be around the committed liberals.
Then watched as the liberals discovered computers and justified them, inherited money and declared it a usable tool to accomplish their goals and experienced success in businesses financed by the State under grants only to become caricatures of the *Boss*, while avoiding taxes at all costs and laughing at those of us who paid them.
Finally, saw it all for what it was and simply stopped having anything to do with the liberals if I could help it. Began to really pay attention to politics at the street level and to connect the dots in the donk agenda while discovering many others who had already done so and were living enjoyable lives under conservative values.
Found FR in 1998 and lurked until 2000. Politically active in GOP politics until after the 2004 election, when I experienced the heavy hand of the DC operatives for the B/C 04 campaign and began to understand that I wasn’t even a Republican any longer.