Old Guys Political Differences

L

Lon

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Central California
Jim AZ and I are miles apart politically and yet we are about the same age, grew up in California. He being a self professed liberal and me a self professed conservative independant. We both served in the military, worked for a major corporation, bought homes and raised a family in California. My first presidential election was Dwight D. Eisenhower and I stayed Repub all the way to Johnson and then grew disallusioned with our goverments Foreign Policy and went independant. I personally did well under both liberal and conservative governments The Bushes once again caused me concern over our Foreign Policy and I went to Obama and now once again I am pissed about our Foreign Polixy and will not vote for a Dem because of what would be a ontinuation of Obama's Foreign Policy. Likewise I won't go for a Repub either because of where I see them going. So what made Jim and I Politcally speaking? I am not sure I can answer for myself and I sure can't for Jim.
 

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Funny story with our family. My parents, all the relatives were across the board Republican, there was no other choice, it's who you were. My brother was a draft card burning hippie. You know that went over well. Fast forward forty years later. My Dad had a transformation to independent and here he is fighting with his son. My brother became NRA conservative and Dad was telling him to stop being so narrow minded...what happened there I have no idea;).
 
Political "Position" and the meaning for Everyday Folks

As a young adult, I recall hearing folks say don't talk "politics", or they don't understand "politics", or any of a number of other nuances relating to politics. I never
really thought about it much, certainly a lot less then than now. Why? Not sure. Years back, talk was, or example, that Social Security would "dry up" before my generation became of benefit age. It did not. Today, politicos talk much more openly about it, even declaring predictive years for it happening.

My parents' talk about politics was very limited at home, while a kid growing up. My Dad talked technical stuff with friends, the only politically-motivated discussions I recall were about Trade Unions vs. Non-Union. Not too terribly political.

Having gradually become a part of my generation's adulthood, learning, observing, wondering, hearing all the innuendos and blatant lies, I gradually came to be distrustful of government in general, and politics specifically.

Promises, always promises. Pessimist. Always a pessimist.

Maybe that's the "crux" of my faulty social structuring, eh? imp
 

Politically I make two things the touchstone of why I do what I do at then polls. (1) I don't believe much of what any politician says and most importantly I (2) do not vote against my personal expectations of government. I have been both Republican and and Democrat. I began my political presence with IKE. He was why I became a Republican. I continued and voted for Nixon, Reagan, then I began to realize what was happening. Republicans were making it difficult for me personally, they were picking my pocket but they were sly about it. They were voting against legislation that would have made life easier for people and at the same time Democrats were supporting those same programs. I was happy about Clinton and his tenure in office and I am proud of President Obama who came into office with three strikes against him and faced opposition to everything he has tried to do. I will not vote for the party who believes in robbing the little man to make the fat wealthy even richer. I will not vote for the hatred of the Republicans of today. I never left the Republican party, they left me.
 
There is a saying that goes if you are not a liberal until age fifty you don't have a heart, and if you are not a conservative after fifty you don't have a brain...
 
Churchill was one of the greatest leaders ever. Had he not kept the Brits defiant and willing to fight to the death Hitler could have won the war. He was brilliant even while imbibing his share and more of alcohol...
 
Ralphy1 said:
Churchill was one of the greatest leaders ever. Had he not kept the Brits defiant and willing to fight to the death Hitler could have won the war. He was brilliant even while imbibing his share and more of alcohol...
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Not everyone was a fan of Churchill. He didn't give a sh*t about the Scots, except for using their soldiers. http://atrueindependentscotland.com/churchill-masterclass-westminster-whitewashing/

Churchhill was the Home Secretary who ordered troops and tanks in to quell this strike in Glasgow:

http://news.stv.tv/west-central/72969-glasgow-remembers-battle-of-george-square/
 
Ralphy1 said:
There is a saying that goes if you are not a liberal until age fifty you don't have a heart, and if you are not a conservative after fifty you don't have a brain...
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That was when being a conservative meant something entirely different than it does today.. Doubt if Churchill would utter those same words today after listening to this current crew talk.
 
No one denies that Churchill was a great figure in war torn Europe.. BUT.. the idea that he would have supported the current brand of Conservatism is ridiculous. It bears no resemblance to what it meant to be Conservative back in Churchill's time. His brand would have been the same as that of Eisenhower... Ike would in no way have been able to run in today's modern Republican party. He would be considered the most bleeding of the bleeding hearts.
 
Ralphy1 said:
Poor Churchill brought the Brits thru the war only to be tossed out as soon as it ended...
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Americans see Churchhill as a hero only because all they know about him is WWII. They have no idea what kind of PM he was domestically, or prior to that as Home Secretary.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8234000/8234106.stm

When Obama took office he had the bust of Churchill, which was put in the oval office by Bush, returned to Britain.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...e-dark-side-of-winston-churchill-2118317.html
 
You are quite right Annie.. We don't know anything about Churchill other than his actions during WWII.. and we do tend to glamorize him.. Just as many tent to glamorize the war itself... It was the hallmark of that generation.. Kind of like us Boomers glamorize the '60's
 
My parents voted Republican in the 50's.. that I know... However after that they were really rather vague about their vote.. I think mom and dad voted for different parties... but didn't want to fight.. Me personally? I was very apolitical up until about 20 years ago. I didn't even vote... amazed are you? Then when I did start paying attention I found that the ideology of the Democratic party fit my personal beliefs more closely that that of the Republican party. I have watched the evolving of the Republican party to what is has become today... I will only vote Democratic.. There is such a difference in ideology that I don't understand how people can be Independent.. Seriously.. how could anyone vote Republican in one election and then vote Democratic? They are day and night..
 
Churchill may be revered in Britain but certainly not in Australia. He was responsible for the debacle at Gallipoli and in WW2 he was willing to sacrifice Australia. Our PM John Curtin luckily was strong enough to over ride Churchill and brought Australian troops home to defend Australia against Japan.
 
QuickSilver said:
My parents voted Republican in the 50's.. that I know... However after that they were really rather vague about their vote.. I think mom and dad voted for different parties... but didn't want to fight.. Me personally? I was very apolitical up until about 20 years ago. I didn't even vote... amazed are you? Then when I did start paying attention I found that the ideology of the Democratic party fit my personal beliefs more closely that that of the Republican party. I have watched the evolving of the Republican party to what is has become today... I will only vote Democratic.. There is such a difference in ideology that I don't understand how people can be Independent.. Seriously.. how could anyone vote Republican in one election and then vote Democratic? They are day and night..
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I think my parents often cancelled each other out. Dad was definitely a Democrat. I didn't pay much attention to politics either, but I knew in 1972 when I voted the first time that Nixon was not a good guy. Next vote was sometime in the 1980's for a Michigan governor. I didn't bother to vote again until 1992 for Clinton. That's when I started paying some attention to politics. I pay attention now but moreso to UK politics as my husband has always been political.
 
mitchezz said:
Churchill may be revered in Britain but certainly not in Australia. He was responsible for the debacle at Gallipoli and in WW2 he was willing to sacrifice Australia. Our PM John Curtin luckily was strong enough to over ride Churchill and brought Australian troops home to defend Australia against Japan.
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I don't know about the rest of Britain but I'd say most of Scotland does not revere him.

He was seriously a racist as well.
 
I started paying attention to politics about 40 years ago and after observing how the two parties voted and researching, I remain a democrat.


I believe the claim of the republican party that they are the 'party of morals' is a fraud that too many of their members have fell for, and that that the republican voting record plainly disputes.......NO way would I ever vote republican, the Democrat party speaks for me.
 
For me to discuss politics today, I must revert back to this country's original conservatism. We form govt. as an evil necessity, limited only to protect our inalienable rights. It became both. Our founders were against the corporation, central banking, save for Hamilton, the father of crony capitalism and against turning paper into money. They thought America economically would be a mix of agriculture and industry. The federalists wanted what Hamilton did, a debt based industrial economy run by wall street, its banks and the corporations.

Suffice it to say that both party's hands were forced by the monopolists, the barons and even tried to re-institute the income tax when Cleveland stopped them and both parties merged ideals and went to hell when the allowed the Fed, approved the 16th amend. (income tax) 17th amend. (direct election of the senate) That was the 'revolution' of 1913 and the rest as they say...is history. Either they backed businesses and worshiped at the alter of profits and neither party ever acted in the interest of limited govt., OR we saw the birth of today's big L Liberalism since the post war 50's that has been a reaction to the failure of conservatism as originally practiced by the right and progressive repubs. We (family) were Michigan repubs, mother even working for Geo. Romney but along came Nixon, the Reagan, Bush I & II and independence now means...voting for the lesser of two evils.
 
I would love to be a Republican, however the current itineration of that party forces me to vote Democrat. If the adults ever manage to regain control of that party,I will look at coming back.
 
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