Am I a "liberal"? Hmm, that is a question I have been asking myself as of late especially considering the turn of events in the recent election.
When you run for an office you usually fall into Democrat, Republican or Independent categories or maybe the fringe groups such as the green party or the libertarians (which is not liberal and yes there are many more parties but I to draw the line somewhere in naming them).
Growing up in the late 50's and early 60's the way of the day was you usually chose a party and that is the way you voted. You were choosing a party 'line' or philosophy so there was always a chance that at some point you voted for someone not because you really wanted that person in office but because that person belong to and was backed by the party you followed.
Politics are confusing to say the least. I was taught at a young age that my vote counted (although there seems to be times the old electoral system counts more) and here is the radical part of my upbringing by fairly conservative parents, I didn't have to 'belong' to one party. I could actually choose a candidate and vote for them based on their merits not their party.
For years I have declared myself an independent. The only part of that I was ever sure of was it meant I was not associating with either of the "big two" parties, Republicans or Democrats. One problem with this is during primaries you must take either a Republican or Democratic ballot to vote. Yep, I do see that as a problem. I don't want to belong to either but I am forced to if I want to vote in a primary. So I guess I could just skip over primaries and wait for a general election but that could mean someone that I would like to run won't be able to because of the lack of support in a primary. A "Catch 22" right there.
Then I started this odd thought process that I have, exactly what creature is a Republican, Democrat, Independent or a Liberal?
So I looked up the definitions of the "big two" and this is what I came up with -
n.
It works at times. But does it fully describe my political or non-political leanings? Now mind you I am just looking into the broad stroke definitions of 4 more or less political persuasions.
I think there are many of us that do not think about the political system and those we have voted into office until an election year, a scandal or some other news worthy item comes up about that elected official. We just go along with what is in place, like the electoral college. How many of us actually understand that system, where it came from and why we are still using it? Does it still benefit our country in this day and age of electronic communication? Maybe there should be an updated version of it. Heaven knows, it has never benefited Vermont. The only time presidential candidates come here is if they accidentally cross over the border from New Hampshire. Okay, maybe on occasion one has made a brief trip to the northern section of the state.
Seriously, I have more questions than answers after this debacle, this farce, that was the recent presidential election. How could we even let 2 people run for the highest office in the land with the questionable backgrounds that they both had? Not saying any presidential candidate has been perfect but these 2 topped the loser lists big time and yet one is now our president-elect.
Well the last definition I looked up was liberal and guess what? That one suits me to a tee.
Really a portion of any of the first 3 definitions could fit me but that last says it best. I hope I am open to new ideas, to change when change is needed, not to following a party line just because it is the party line, voting my conscience because I personally feel that is what I have to do and rather than casting my vote blindly, not voting because that is also my right.
I first voted in 1972 the year of Nixon vs. McGovern. Yep, my candidate lost. My Dad and stauch Nixon supporter called me to tell me his candidate had won and I returned the favor when several months later there was a movement to impeach Nixon and he left office.
I can't say over the years how many of my votes have gone to winners or losers but they have been used to vote my conscience and as I said, sometimes my conscience has left the 'tick' box empty.
Yes, I am a "Liberal" with leanings towards Republican, Democrat and Independent. I can see the usefulness of all the parties if they make us stop and think about what we are voting on or who we are voting for. We should not longer 'toe the line' because one party or another says this is so. We should be flexible and try to see the whole picture to see who really would be best for any office. From our smallest towns to the largest cities, we should have people in office that care about the people not in office. Which I realize is a bit of a utopian idea but I have faith in humanity. We have done well so far, but are in need of some major reality checks. America is not perfect and what happened before the election with the backstabbing and vindictivness of the candidates and after the election, with tensions flaring between those who consider themselves winners and those who consider themselves losers only serves to divide the country and make us look foolish to the rest of the world.
Trump may not be 'your' president, but he will still be president and lets honor that office. But let us also keep our eyes wide open to the man in office whether or not you voted for him. His words condoned many actions that people have spent years fighting against. Let's not slip back in time and lose all the good that this country has bought forth to the world.
I am proud to be a Liberal American. I stand by the immigrants, as 2 generations ago my family were immigrants, I stand by those who are disabled, as any one of them could be my son or my daughter, I stand by LBGTQ because I was taught that God makes no mistakes, the list goes on and I am there, because I am an Amercan and damn, proud of it.
When you run for an office you usually fall into Democrat, Republican or Independent categories or maybe the fringe groups such as the green party or the libertarians (which is not liberal and yes there are many more parties but I to draw the line somewhere in naming them).
Growing up in the late 50's and early 60's the way of the day was you usually chose a party and that is the way you voted. You were choosing a party 'line' or philosophy so there was always a chance that at some point you voted for someone not because you really wanted that person in office but because that person belong to and was backed by the party you followed.
Politics are confusing to say the least. I was taught at a young age that my vote counted (although there seems to be times the old electoral system counts more) and here is the radical part of my upbringing by fairly conservative parents, I didn't have to 'belong' to one party. I could actually choose a candidate and vote for them based on their merits not their party.
For years I have declared myself an independent. The only part of that I was ever sure of was it meant I was not associating with either of the "big two" parties, Republicans or Democrats. One problem with this is during primaries you must take either a Republican or Democratic ballot to vote. Yep, I do see that as a problem. I don't want to belong to either but I am forced to if I want to vote in a primary. So I guess I could just skip over primaries and wait for a general election but that could mean someone that I would like to run won't be able to because of the lack of support in a primary. A "Catch 22" right there.
Then I started this odd thought process that I have, exactly what creature is a Republican, Democrat, Independent or a Liberal?
So I looked up the definitions of the "big two" and this is what I came up with -
re·pub·li·can (rĭ-pŭb′lĭ-kən)
adj.
1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a republic.
2. Favoring a republic as the best form of government.
3. Republican Of, relating to, characteristic of, or belonging to the Republican Party of the United States.
1. One who favors a republic as the best form of government.
2. Republican A member of the Republican Party of the United States.
dem·o·crat (dĕm′ə-krăt′)
n.
1.
a. An advocate of democracy.
b. One who believes in social equality or discounts distinctions in rank.
2. Democrat A member of the Democratic Party.
You know what? Neither of these terms really tells me anything. I am not political and I admit it so sometime using a dictionary isn't useful because these terms are just that, terms. They give me no history, and don't tell me what each party believes in. I mean really, I could belong to either party based on those rather vague definitions.
I also looked up Independent which I found equally unsatisfying.
adjective
in·de·pen·dent
\ˌin-də-ˈpen-dənt\
1 : not dependent: as a (1) : not subject to control by others (2) : not affiliated with a larger controlling unit <an independent bookstore> b (1) : not requiring or relying on something else : not contingent <an independent conclusion> (2) : not looking to others for one's opinions or for guidance in conduct (3) : not bound by or committed to a political party.It works at times. But does it fully describe my political or non-political leanings? Now mind you I am just looking into the broad stroke definitions of 4 more or less political persuasions.
I think there are many of us that do not think about the political system and those we have voted into office until an election year, a scandal or some other news worthy item comes up about that elected official. We just go along with what is in place, like the electoral college. How many of us actually understand that system, where it came from and why we are still using it? Does it still benefit our country in this day and age of electronic communication? Maybe there should be an updated version of it. Heaven knows, it has never benefited Vermont. The only time presidential candidates come here is if they accidentally cross over the border from New Hampshire. Okay, maybe on occasion one has made a brief trip to the northern section of the state.
Seriously, I have more questions than answers after this debacle, this farce, that was the recent presidential election. How could we even let 2 people run for the highest office in the land with the questionable backgrounds that they both had? Not saying any presidential candidate has been perfect but these 2 topped the loser lists big time and yet one is now our president-elect.
Well the last definition I looked up was liberal and guess what? That one suits me to a tee.
lib·er·al (lĭb′ər-əl, lĭb′rəl) adj.
1.
a. Favoring reform, open to new ideas, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; not bound by traditional thinking; broad-minded.
b. Of, relating to, or characteristic of liberalism.
c. Liberal Of, designating, or characteristic of a political party founded on or associated with principles of social and political liberalism, especially in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States.
I first voted in 1972 the year of Nixon vs. McGovern. Yep, my candidate lost. My Dad and stauch Nixon supporter called me to tell me his candidate had won and I returned the favor when several months later there was a movement to impeach Nixon and he left office.
I can't say over the years how many of my votes have gone to winners or losers but they have been used to vote my conscience and as I said, sometimes my conscience has left the 'tick' box empty.
Yes, I am a "Liberal" with leanings towards Republican, Democrat and Independent. I can see the usefulness of all the parties if they make us stop and think about what we are voting on or who we are voting for. We should not longer 'toe the line' because one party or another says this is so. We should be flexible and try to see the whole picture to see who really would be best for any office. From our smallest towns to the largest cities, we should have people in office that care about the people not in office. Which I realize is a bit of a utopian idea but I have faith in humanity. We have done well so far, but are in need of some major reality checks. America is not perfect and what happened before the election with the backstabbing and vindictivness of the candidates and after the election, with tensions flaring between those who consider themselves winners and those who consider themselves losers only serves to divide the country and make us look foolish to the rest of the world.
Trump may not be 'your' president, but he will still be president and lets honor that office. But let us also keep our eyes wide open to the man in office whether or not you voted for him. His words condoned many actions that people have spent years fighting against. Let's not slip back in time and lose all the good that this country has bought forth to the world.
I am proud to be a Liberal American. I stand by the immigrants, as 2 generations ago my family were immigrants, I stand by those who are disabled, as any one of them could be my son or my daughter, I stand by LBGTQ because I was taught that God makes no mistakes, the list goes on and I am there, because I am an Amercan and damn, proud of it.
