"Are you now, or have you ever been a Republican? Answer the question!"
Posted on 12/11/2007 4:57:57 AM PST by gridlock
I was looking at a Hillary thread today, which said that if she won the nomination, a lot of Democrats would abandon the Democrat Party. It reminded me of when I finally left the Democrats and "turned to the Dark Side", as my family says. It struck me that FReepers must have a lot of interesting stories about how they came to be here, and that these stories should be told.
Please post your testimony below. I'll start...
I want to respectfully disagree. We are far too pessimistic about this. Actually, conservatives are by far in control. This process is open to anyone choosing to participate. The only thing that will derail us is if we begin believing that we are victims. We're not. We will prevail. We are prevailing but let's not give up any territory we have already conquered.
Rush, and other talk show hosts have provided all of us with courage. We conquer the hill a little bit at a time if we can't storm the hill.
It was in fifth grade when Reagan was running. A girl from my class said that if Reagan was elected, her dad said he was going to start a war. Well, I listened to my parents too and told the class, “that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard!” No one said anything to contradict me, Reagan was elected, I watched my dad’s business grow to 45 employees (when he got to keep his money, he invested it in his business and hired more people!), his and our quality of life improved considerably and I have been a republican ever since.
I grew up in South Texas when everyone was a Democrat. I was 14 years old when JFK was elected president and I remember that there was a question about the results that could have changed the outcome.
Nixon conceded.
The second factor was when JFK provided no military support for the Bay of Pigs invasion.
The third and final deciding point was when I listened to Barry Goldwater campaigning for president and he sounded like I thought.
I have voted for one Democrat. My uncle for county sheriff. If he were running today, it would be as a Republican.
My mother gave me Barbara Amiel’s book “Confessions” many years ago. No one can read that book and remain a supporter of the left.
The Republicans are not so far gone that with the right leader and a little courage they could not come back to be a great party and an effective force for conservative principles of limited government and personal freedom.
The Democrats are too far gone, and will never be able to recover to the point where they can support these things. Therefore they must be opposed, and the Republicans are the only ones out there to oppose them.
When I was growing up my parents were registered Democrats, but they found over the years that they were voting more and more for Republicans. My father always said that they didn’t leave the Democrat party, the Democrats left them and they ended up registering as Republicans.
Politics and voting were serious things in my household. There was much discussion around the dinner table leading up to an election and the night before an election was always a family night where we sat around and discussed the issues and the candidates (even if you weren’t old enough to vote yet).
We didn’t always agree and my father told us that we didn’t have to agree, but we better be informed and always know why we were voting for a certain person or for/against an issue.
When I first registered to vote I registered as an independent because I didn’t want to be “labeled” LOL!
My 18th birthday was on election day Nov 4, 1976. I was so excited that I was getting to make my first vote for President. I voted for Ford and I was heartbroken when Carter won and I was sure that I had jinxed Ford.
When Reagan came along he won me over lock, stock and barrel and I registered as a Republican and have never had a second thought about being “labeled” as a Republican until this last year. Now, I might be registered as a Republican, but I am not as proud of it as I once was and I prefer to think of myself as just a Conservative. I hear my father’s words echoing in my ears and I think the Republicans are leaving me.
So, is there anybody out there who was pushed over the edge by Algore's attempt to steal the Presidency in Florida 2000? I know that reinforced my position, cosiderably!
You and I did the same thing. I was one of those farmer sons who voted the same as dear old Dad. I used to vote for the candidates who were closely aligned with my views. Jimma catta changed that completely. I have never voted for anyone with a (d) behind their name since '76.
If we do, we are consigning ourselves to electoral oblivion. We are frittering away the great work built by Ronald Reagan.
I was born and raised in a Republican household. In 1968, I actually had the privilege to shake hands with President Richard Nixon while he was campaigning in Illinois. Shortly thereafter, I went to college and became confused for a few years (sound familiar?) I came back to my senses in 1973 and have never looked back. Somehow, facing the real world and the need to earn my own way brought me back to my roots. I’ve voted straight Republican ever since and will continue to until the day I die.
P.S. I still have my Mother’s campaign buttons from those days. My favorite is the “Nixon-Now more than ever” button.
I voted for Carter in 76. His performance was so pathetic that I promised myself I’d never vote Democrat again. And I haven’t.
You and I did the same thing. I was one of those farmer sons who voted the same as dear old Dad. I used to vote for the candidates who were closely aligned with my views. Jimma catta changed that completely. I have never voted for anyone with a (d) behind their name since '76.
Tell me about it. I went to UC Berkeley. I think I was catatonic for two of those years...
I could not hold my nose long enough and drink the cool aid fast enough to become a Republican.
I am an Independent Christian Conservative that votes Republican when the right person is nominated.
I was born and raised a conservative.
I hold my nose and vote Republican.
On RARE occasion have I voted Dem and when I have, it has always been at the local govt level, someone with a decent reputation, etc.
I was in the Navy in the early ‘80’s and before the Pres. election in ‘83 I think. Our squadron had a meeting where a retired Chief was invited to speak. The Chief spoke about our duty to vote and choosing a strong leader which would support the military and do what is right for our nation. Right then I knew I had to vote for President Reagan. I was 19 and it was the first election I voted in and have been a Republican ever since, but I am now more a Conservative than Republican.
August 11, 1977.
I will be delighted if I am proven wrong. Please feel free to rub my nose in it if we land jam side up. ;-)
Frankly, I did not know where this was going when I started this thread. But it has been clear, over the last 100 posts, that Ronald Reagan stands large as the reason many of us became Republicans and/or Conservatives.
This is something modern Republican leaders should take to heart. In as much as they are like Reagan, they will continue to command the respect and loyalty of vast numbers of Republicans and bring more into the fold. But when they compromise their positions and move toward the squishy middle they will lose us.
Not to make anybody feel old, but Ronald Reagan was President a long time ago. As a unifying force for the Party, he grows weaker with every passing year. To kids voting for the first time, he is a figure out of history books, not a cherished memory. We need leaders of today who can assume the mantle of Ronald Reagan, draw in new voters, and move our Party forward.
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