Are you a democ rat or republican?

[AlperEngin93]

and why

[nightdrot]

Republican, but that says less than people assume. American political parties are not ideological parties as you tend to see in Europe. Rather they are lose knit coalitions of regional, religious, ethnic, racial, income and other groups that have come together in part by common interests and in part by historical accident.

In the case of the GOP, it is a coalition made up of classical liberals - which Americans call conservatives - libertarians, small and medium sized business, religious and social traditionalists, lower middle and upper middle income earners, farmers, rural and exurban populations, and historically older voters. It tends to dominate the South, the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountain West and the state of Alaska - though this is starting to change somewhat.

On the Democratic side you get, ethnic and religious minorities, middle and high income wage earners, big business and entertainment industries, urban and inner suburban votes, radical liberals - which Americans call liberals. (Note, the term "radical" here does not mean as Americans use it, i. e. "extremist," but rather as the ancient Greeks used the term, meaning "to the root of.") The regions where it is dominant are northeast, the mid-Atlantic, the Pacific coast and the state of Hawaii. (Though again, this is starting to change and is one of the reasons that Mrs. Clinton was defeated in 2016.)

This is how you get a Republican Party that runs from Ted Cruz at one end to Susan Collins at the other, with the libertarian Rand Paul thrown into the mix. This is how you get a Democratic Party that runs from Joe Manchin at one end to Elizabeth Warren at the other. Quite simply, party identification is not about ideological identity.

This being even more complicated by the fact that both parties are experiencing a populist phase as happened in the late 19th century and again in the 1960s and 70s. Populism not being a schematic philosophy, but rather a cultural attitude characterized by distrust of complexity, a disdain for elites, and a belief that the common man is the font of all virtue but that he is oppressed by the elites and the "special interests." This manifesting itself in a mishmash of policies that are more often related by sentiment than any coherent overarching theoretical structure.

Thus President Trump in the GOP. He is NOT a conservative. Thus the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the Democratic party. She is not a liberal nor a socialist. Rather both appeal to feelings of envy and resentment in the electorate and toss out random policies to appease those sentiments.

For my part, I am conservative, but I put an asterisk over it. My conservatism is not what Americans typically call conservative. Because, as noted, what Americans call conservative is, historically speaking, not conservatism at all but is, rather, classical liberalism. Albeit with a streak of social traditionalism rooted in the Protestant Reformation.

My conservatism, which is classical or Tory conservatism, traces its intellectual pedigree through Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, the 18th century British statesman and political philosopher, Edmund Burke, and also the British Prime Ministers Benjamin Disraeli and Lord Salisbury.

Classical conservatives emphasize the nurturing of civic virtue, see free markets as a tool as opposed to the end purpose of government, and believe that politics should take its bearings not from human reason, but human nature. As Burke said, "The effect of liberty to individuals is that they may do what they please. We ought see what it will please them to do before we risk congratulations."

There is much more to it, but this summarizes it.

[NeeleyCM]

I'm a Constitutionalist Libertarian. Meaning, I'm all for personal rights, just as long as:
A) it doesn't violate the Constitution.
B) it doesn't violate anyone else's Constitutional rights.
C) it doesn't get funding through taxpayer dollars.

With that being said, if I had to choose between the two main political parties, it would be the Republicans. I simply cannot bring myself to ever vote democrat, given their evil history.

[normalice]

Democrat because the Republican party has been taken over by scammers and con artists. Its such a shame because fiscal responsibility makes a ton of sense, but the only ones preaching it are doing it for no reason other than to free up more money for themselves to grab..

[ibodi]

I dont support both
if they fight like that then the system is problem
we should look for another road.

[OddBeMe]

I’m a Democ rat. Bc they represent majority of my opinions. Not all. But most.

[NorthwestRider]

Neither, both are stupid and corrupt

We need a new party to rise up

[Posterboy56]

I'm a citizen, the same as anyone else in America who pays their taxes.

That's all.

[hknmhmn4]

I am not an American but frankly I find Republicans closer to my political views

[severance]

I'm a piece of Muenster cheese

[Darcia]

Neither

[updog45]

Registered as republican.

[Anonymous]

Demigod

[Anonymous]

Libertarian because it is closest to my beliefs

[najekim]

Neither.