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...
***Some politicians age like fine wine.Jimmah’s aging like milk.***
A wonderful line. Mind if we ALL borrow it?
Fred Thompson THE ONLY TRUE CONSERTAIVE with a chance.
I was originally a coin-toss Democrat. Long ago my wife and I came to believe that it was time to become involved in voting. We were both pretty conservative but hereabouts at that time-late seventies- if one wished to have a say in local politics one was a Democrat. We flipped a real nickel to determine which of us would be the Democrat. I was elected. After a while it was very satisfying to write to the Democrat governor’s office or to a state legislator and begin my letter with “As a registered Democrat...” and proceed to air my very right of center views or complaints. My registration could be checked and was checked. I never changed my registration and get invites to county conventions and such. Well this locality is solid Republican now though a Democrat does occasionally get elected to something like the school board but only because the Republican in the case is a notably bad choice.
It was while watching the 1992 vice presidential debate that I first realized something was rotten in the state of Commietown. Vice president Dan Quayle made a comment against abortion which I thought made a lot of sense. I mentioned it to my maternal unit, and through her gin fueled haze she called me a religious wacko. Once again, my parents made no sense, but what else was new?
Then after BJ “Bill Jefferson” Clinton waddled into the Oval Office with his pants around his ankles, a friend introduced me to El Rushbo. I stayed up late at night to watch his TV show. The same friend gave me copies of Rush’s two books for Christmas that year. My long nightmare was over. I was a conservative.
In 1996, I mentioned that Bill Clinton was “an obese communist retard” at the dinner table and that I was voting for Bob Dole. My father nearly dropped his precious beer in his rage. He threatened to kick me out of the house if I dared to vote Republican. I do not take orders like a mindless Democrap sheep. I told him that I’d vote for whomever I liked, and he didn’t have the stones to stop me. The fight was broken up by my sister.
Anyway, long story short, after I got married, my parents disowned me. (Which is really a pity. I was in line to inherit some lovely Yosemite Sam mud flaps). I haven’t spoken to them in ten years. And I have never cast a vote for an America hating Democrap.
I voted for Reagan twice, but didn’t bother to register as a Republican until Pat Robertson ran for President. I wanted to make sure I could vote against him if he was still in the running when the NY primary was held.
So far, you are the only poster to mention September 11, 2001. Looks like most of us came around a little before.
But I know it certainly cemented my position. Watching the Democrats trying to surrender on the War on Terror has convinced me again that they cannot be trusted with power.
***He pooled my allowance with my sister’s and split it and kept the odd cent; I was out 8 cents.
I’ve been a no holds barred, capitalistic, running-dog, death to commies pinkos, socialists, liberals and other fellow travelers, Conservative ever since.***
Wonderful!
the day I entered this world in 1950....
That program put the emphasis on me and what I was doing wrong, including my lack of faith in God.
I began to see that the world wasn't created to satisfy me and that I was created to satisfy the world and that I had a duty to live standing on my hind feet.
I changed my party registration to Repub in January 1989, just a few days after Reagan left office. I believe that if Reagan had not been president I would still be a Dem. I got a chance to see him speak in March of that year. I took my 5 year old son with me and got a picture of him with Reagan in the background. Now he can tell his grandkids about the day he was in the same room as a giant of history and have the proof.
Okay, THAT was funny. You use to write for Seinfeld right? LOL!
bookmark
Your post is full of wisdom. Reforms must come from within. Fortunately, we have the primary process.
I see that Ronald Reagan was key for a lot of people. A useful lesson for Republicans today. If you want to have a lot of Republicans, be more like Ronald Reagan.
I don’t see anybody saying that Bob Dole brought them into the party.
I’m not a Republican. I am a conservative. I will always seek the most qualified conservative candidate. My conservatism has grown throughout life as I gained responsibility, knowledge and wisdom.
Oh, and it’s pretty clear I am the Noobie around here...
bookmark for late nite reading.
Just curious, when was the last time you voted for a Donk for House, Senate or President? When was the last time you voted for somebody other than a Republican? Did that person win?
Maybe it is time to stop dating and get married!
I come from a long line of lefties and moonbats...a Quaker married to a Jew on one side, and Irish Catholics on the other. I honestly was almost 20 before I even knew their were Republican Catholics (God rest my former in-laws souls). My father, uncle and grandfather and great grandfather were all decades long politicians from the State House to the US Congress and Lt. Gov. I was deeply embedded in political junkieness form an early age.
At 5 I begged my mother to let me stay up to watch the Nixon/McGovern election returns. I cried when Nixon won (and names my cat McGovern...but it came out Madovan).
In junior high, something just didn’t seem right. The preaching I heard from my family did not seem to match the Dem party nor, frankly, did it match many of their own behaviors and personal views. Jon Porter, the wonderful conservative politician, came to our school looking for volunteers and, though I am sure he was hoping for older kids, he got me...at all of 12 years old.
He was one of the most decent, honorable, wonderful men. He took me politicking, took me seriously, and debated and educated me.
As I got older, enter the man himself, Ronald Reagan.
Oh I admit I chaffed at him at first, much like a rebellious child butting heads with a parent they know knows better, but don’t want to admit it.
In College, I went back to the darkside for awhile. Seriously, it was just easier and more fun.
And then came the Clintons....and my new role as a mother....and it all became so clear and obvious. And for the last almost 20 years, I have never strayed from the things that made so much sense to me as a 12 year old.
To whit....I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jon Porter for being a kind, generous man who took a 12 year old seriously. Ronald Reagan, who has taught me more than any of the male members of my family and been a better patriarch. Bill Buckley, whose meaty words and deep analysis have challenged me, often befuddled me, but taught me so much. To my departed in-laws, who taught me so much even when I wanted to throttle them at times. To Jim Robinson who gave me the Freeper water cooler for so many years when I was at home raising babies....you helped me stay connected and educated.
And to the Clintons, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid,Ted Kennedy and too many Ds to mention.....every day you give me another reason to be proud of the lessons I have learned and grateful that you stand on the other side of the aisle.
1980, America Held Hostage. A union guy was trying to get some of we technicians at DEC to join. He went down a list of benefits the union could provide at great expense to ourselves. DEC had them beat on every issue. He got pissed off and asked if we were a bunch of bleeping Republicans. I went to city hall after work and joined the GOP. Then I heard an man named Reagan.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.