FORMER CONGRESSMAN: I’M QUITTING GOP

[HoneyBadger]

I used to like Tom Tancredo but I still blame him for Hickenlooper.

That seems kind of silly... Hickenlooper still had more votes than Tancredo and Maes combined.

[Bailey Guns]

NOT trying to start anything but.... if you vote Dem lite, you will get Dem lite, and as long as this continues nothing will change. Just sayin'

And if you vote democrat or any third party you'll get full-blown, unedited, liberal democrat. Just sayin'.

So it sounds like real conservatives are screwed no matter what, huh?

And let's face it. There are a HUGE number of dem-lite people right on this forum (and it's doubtful any will admit to it)...that believe in gay marriage, legalization of some drugs, being soft on illegal immigration and so forth (the socially liberal and libertarian types). Many of the self-described conservatives on this forum really don't seem to know what that term means.

[Dave_L]

And let's face it. There are a HUGE number of dem-lite people right on this forum (and it's doubtful any will admit to it)...that believe in gay marriage, legalization of some drugs, being soft on illegal immigration and so forth (the socially liberal and libertarian types). Many of the self-described conservatives on this forum really don't seem to know what that term means.

I've learned that there is no compromising with lefties. You can try and "meet them in the middle" on ideas but they'll only agree to their ideas. Otherwise, you're labeled as an ignorant bigot. Their idea of compromise is "We'll tell you how it'll be and you'll be happy with whatever we let you have.". They use emotion to sway people. They use guilt to make you feel bad for believing in what you do. Meanwhile, they laugh and poke and prod at everyone's expense that isn't on their side all the while, claiming to be "empathetic". It's a farce and I'm very tired of being labeled a bad/stupid person for having conservative beliefs.

[milwaukeeshaker]

Just for the record, myself, I'm proudly not in the Dem lite company. But I'm also NOT happy with the party that I've been in my whole life, the Repubs. They have the reins since the last election and NOTHING has changed, and nothing will.
Have you heard of "between a rock and a hard place", yeah, that's us.

And if you vote democrat or any third party you'll get full-blown, unedited, liberal democrat. Just sayin'.

So it sounds like real conservatives are screwed no matter what, huh?

And let's face it. There are a HUGE number of dem-lite people right on this forum (and it's doubtful any will admit to it)...that believe in gay marriage, legalization of some drugs, being soft on illegal immigration and so forth (the socially liberal and libertarian types). Many of the self-described conservatives on this forum really don't seem to know what that term means.

[Bailey Guns]

I've learned that there is no compromising with lefties. You can try and "meet them in the middle" on ideas but they'll only agree to their ideas. Otherwise, you're labeled as an ignorant bigot. Their idea of compromise is "We'll tell you how it'll be and you'll be happy with whatever we let you have.". They use emotion to sway people. They use guilt to make you feel bad for believing in what you do. Meanwhile, they laugh and poke and prod at everyone's expense that isn't on their side all the while, claiming to be "empathetic". It's a farce and I'm very tired of being labeled a bad/stupid person for having conservative beliefs.

Couldn't agree more. That's why I hate liberalism with a passion.

[Bailey Guns]

Just for the record, myself, I'm proudly not in the Dem lite company. But I'm also NOT happy with the party that I've been in my whole life, the Repubs. They have the reins since the last election and NOTHING has changed, and nothing will.
Have you heard of "between a rock and a hard place", yeah, that's us.

I'm not happy with the bulk of the republican party, either. I don't think I've ever said I am. But, in my opinion, it's a far better option than voting for any other party. I like your "rock/hard place" analogy far better than the "choice of evils" platitude I hear so often.

There are conservatives in the republican party that are trying to change things...even if only in baby steps. A few are even running for president.

[Dave_L]

And when stuck between a rock and a hard place, it's nice to have a firearm. That's why I vote the way I vote.

[Gman]

Once the candidates are chosen, you hold your nose and vote for the lesser of 2 evils.

[HoneyBadger]

And if you vote democrat or any third party you'll get full-blown, unedited, liberal democrat. Just sayin'.

So it sounds like real conservatives are screwed no matter what, huh?

And let's face it. There are a HUGE number of dem-lite people right on this forum (and it's doubtful any will admit to it)...that believe in gay marriage, legalization of some drugs, being soft on illegal immigration and so forth (the socially liberal and libertarian types). Many of the self-described conservatives on this forum really don't seem to know what that term means.

Lets be clear: Libertarian is NOT Dem-lite. Not even close. This is a fundamental flaw in the way many conservative people see the (L) party (Consequently, many progressives posit that the (L) party is GOP-lite).

Libertarians are the extreme opposite of liberalism. Libertarianism is about maximizing the liberty of the individual, while liberalism (or progressivism, or whatever they want to brand it as) is about maximizing the liberty of the state. The fact that some of the (D) party platform lines up with the (L) party platform is simply pandering by the (D) party to sway people who are not (L), but instead just somewhere between (D) and (R). The reason the GOP has lost so much support recently and the number of independents and libertarians is higher than ever before is because there is a freight-train full of evidence that the GOP also wants to maximize the liberty of the state (some of which Tancredo points out in his editorial).

This is why many times libertarians don't like "party-line" GOP supporters and make the simplistic argument that (D) and (R) are the same thing (or BUSH/OBAMA are the same). At the end of the day, both (D) and (R) are headed toward the same thing, but taking different routes to get there. (L) is trying to turn the train around. You can argue all you want that the GOP is trying to turn the train, but the evidence shows that your party has betrayed you. Go ahead and flame me if you wish, but continuing to deny the betrayal by the GOP isn't going to make the mountain of evidence disappear.

[Dave_L]

Can someone tell me the difference between Bernie's platform of "We're tired of mainstay politics" and the drum the libertarians have been beating? I find it humorous that all these "democrats" are so pro-Bernie but never even thought twice about a libertarian candidate. Isn't that the big idea behind libertarians? That's how I know the Bernie movement is a sham. We've had this idea that the 2 party system is rigged yet only when it's on a socialist platform, do they get behind it.