Would you still be my friend? If I were a democrat, would you still think I was worth knowing? If I were a democrat, would you still view me as important? If I were a democrat, would you lend me your Mercedes-Benz? Seriously, what if I were a democrat? Ok, ok, joking aside I could still be a democrat. What's your political affiliation? (R)
This would be way cooler if it were done to the tune of "If I Were a Rich Man". If I were a Democrat Ya ba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dum All day long, I'd biddy biddy bum
If you want me You can find me Left of center Off of the strip In the outskirts In the fringes In the corner Out of the grip Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Ah. Identity politics. The need for Americans to pick a side (one of exactly two) and sport the label on their shirtsleeves... Sorry, I've stumbled into the wrong thread.
Partisan politics pertaining to patriotic pursuits and progress perpetrate a perplexing paradigm for politicians and patriots alike. Democracy determined deals, deliberated destinies, and dumb witted democratic determinations via democratically deliberated destituted democrats deluded down democracy by deliberate delusion via mass media inaccuracies. A republican reach wanes as reactionary results set to ratify self righteously rued rebels revolting in futile revolt against reversed ratification. Senseless seamstresses seaming the seams of sanctified sanctity in the name of sacred rights gone awry. Is he speaking to me? No. He's not speaking. These are just words on a screen, an attempt to illustrate the partisan pitfalls of democracy. The red The blue And the who?
"I am not a member of any organized political party — I am a Democrat." - Will Rogers While not entirely true, in that I am not a member of any party - period. But Democrat is generally a little closer to my leanings than Republican is.
I lean to the left side of the conservative coin, but only inasmuch as it pertains to smaller government as most understand it. We the people is my idea of an effective government and what most view to be the government, a vehicle utilized for us- the government ( we the people) to establish our future as a nation. Smaller government, greater civic duty, and greater private sector impact ... Respectively.
I'm a democrat, as most thinking people in the developed world are. It seems to be a nasty oddity of the USA at present that one political party seems to have given up on democracy.
An oddity it may be. The uphill battle is nothing new, no matter which side of the fence you're standing on. I guess that's the struggle. I myself required balance, so I decided to increase my balancing ability. The middle road, although more desired, is less effective, but .... It offers a greater window between parties. That's where I stand, even as a republican. I like the window. There's opportunity there beyond just the red or blue.
It's not like "everyone" is totally bereft of common ground. Progressives are still capitalists (just in leftangelical drag); and even if "social democrats" or legit red-rose folks (in whatever country) had the numbers and firearms to nostalgically carry out another revolution, all of their projects of the past have stalled out at either the state capitalism stage or a mix of both state-owned and private enterprises. Post-capitalism has never been achieved, and speculative proposals for such often wind-up with "capital" as physical property replaced with something else (like either achievers or an advantaged class arising via having special knowledge or intellectual property). Which is to say, any social organization still produces a hierarchical structure. With the USSR it was the proto-oligarch bureaucrats who became the privileged "all done in the name of protecting our beloved proles from the machinations of the oppressive West". They finally realized they could become wealthier parasites if they just let the old system die. In North Korea, the collectivist commune and its cult personality leader simply expands to a nation-wide level. But to focus on the US itself, which seems to be the actual intent of the "Can't we all just get along?" theme... Red states still feature Democrat controlled cities and counties where either a majority or a significant number of voters may be registered Democrats (via the momentum of family tradition). Which is to say, local communities can and do work out such political diversity on their own without Romper Room autocratic dictates from Arch White Sibling. Though doubtless some of the intelligentsia envision constant bloodshed and mayhem in the streets and countryside, demanding intervention in the name of high moral and altruistic concerns. But scholars who sample events and people located elsewhere via sucking up a mitigated understanding through the straw of entertainment industry stereotypes and statistical and conceptualized versions of the world[1] outputted by synopsis and formal media and publishing filters (I vaguely recollect a writer/pundit in the The New Yorker acknowledging something to the effect that "I'm terrified of leaving the metropolitan area, of meeting that barbaric realm I read or hear so about") are thereby too reality-impaired and sheltered to be reliable secular priests. (Though, like the mathematical purist working in the attic, that doesn't dismiss some of their abstractions being useful). - - - footnote - - - [1] Direct personal experience is still a key item for individual guidance, even if "what works for me and what I've directly witnessed" can't be packaged and promoted for generalized humanity (i.e., only what safely applies to the whole bulk can be allowed due to litigation fears, the universal nature of legislation, etc). _
Lord won't you buy him a Mercedes-Benz? His friends all drive Porsches and he must make amends Worked hard all his lifetime, no help from his friends Oh lord won't you buy him a Mercedes-Benz? Indepdendent.
No, we manage to maintain some sense of common ground, so no ... We're not totally bereft of it. It's typically isolated to the "can't we all just get along" civilly crowd of which I am a part of. The fears associated with some areas are not unwarranted, and even a guy like myself who often travels the back city streets take caution. The problem, at least as I acknowledge it, is in the unaware status of our citizens and our citizens propensity to vote color, whether red or blue. It seems to be expected and going against the grain is never easy, so we end up towing the line and while other drums are beating, few drift from the status quo expectations of political affiliation. I appreciate your contributions.
I've always had Republican friends, but the Republican party is now the party of extremist white racists and violent rifle waving anti-democratic bigots. "Small government" is code for evicerating social programs that disproportionally help minorities, and that's been true since Ronald Reagan. I can't count a Republican as a true friend anymore, I'm not friends with racists. That doesn't mean I embrace the Democratic party either, but at least they accept some basic premises of an inclusive society, at least in theory.