Ravenwood - 11/05/02 08:44 AM
While I voted mostly Republican today, I don't always. As a Libertarian, I always find myself sitting the fence with candidates. Surprisingly, up until a few years ago, I didn't know what I was. I wasn't a Democrat, Republican, or a Libertarian. I guess I was an Independent, although I usually voted Democratic. I voted for Clinton in '92 and '96. (I've regretted it since 1998 too.)
Oddly enough, I must have some how subconsiously known that I wasn't meant to be a Democrat. People would ask me who I voted for and I was always ashamed to admit it. I would also come home from the polls and start scrubbing myself down with a brillo pad. I once found myself defending my political leanings from Lope. I shouted, "I AM NOT A DEMOCRAT! I AM A HUMAN BEING!" I should actually thank him, because he pointed out that if I was afraid to admit who I voted for, I probably didn't really support the candidate.
All that changed with the Clinton administration in 1998. His lies and trickeration drove me away from the Democrats forever. Now, having embraced my conservative roots and the Libertarian party, I stand tall and proud. And as a gun owner, I don't have to worry about being bullied and harassed by liberal whiners either.
I'm really surprised at how much I've changed politically over the last few years. I have pretty much always eschewed the party line while a registered, GASP!, Democrat because I couldn't believe everything I was reading. Now, I spend a lot more time researching than ever before...in places that aren't designed to paint pretty pictures of the candidates. I want to know as much as I can.
I don't do political blogging. That's not my style. But, I do research. I do read. I do pay attention. (I'm just a selfish bitch and I don't share all my thoughts on this topic.) It surprises me that I can spend so much time on this stuff and yet, not blog about it. I don't feel confident enough about politics to do so.
Why is it that the more astute I become about things, the less I want to discuss them? WHY?
Still and all, I find it fascinating to compare my attitude NOW to my attitude THEN and see how far I've come.
Posted by: Da Goddess at November 6, 2002 3:09 AMI'm in political limbo these days. Long ago, I was a registered Republican who crossed party lines all the time. In 1988, I registered as a Libertarian, because I felt energized by their agenda, and thought they'd straighten out the mess this country's gotten itself into.
I'm still a registered Libertarian, and I'd love to see about 100 Libertarians in Congress and a dozen or so in the Senate. But that's just to balance the far-left Socialist Democrats and left-leaning Republicans that are already in those bodies.
Pure Libertarianism would be harder to achieve than pure Communism, and wouldn't look at all like the Libertarians imagine. And I hear higher-echelon Libertarians talk about making all roads private, etc., and I start feeling that they are so wrapped up in distilling their message to 100% purity that they can't see the practical matter of just getting elected and making government smaller by increment instead of taking a hatchet to it right away.
Okay, enough rambling. Time to start my day!
Posted by: Steve at November 6, 2002 9:33 AM(c) Ravenwood and Associates, 1990 - 2014
