...or the reason Michael Moore is not the Democratic candidate
I am a liberal Democrat. There's no two ways about it, and I'm as proud as any Republican to be who I am.
I had made an argument on the political forums that someone had made the assumption that all liberals were brainwashed. I got a reply that pretty much that was the case considering another forum user made to seem to represent us. (I did blast him back for his wrong view point by asking him if we were supposed to talk the Republican talk show hosts for standing for the party.) This is what's wrong with political debate today. I try not to assume, unless they start spouting similar sentiments, that not all Republicans act like Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, or the rest of the other inflammatory Republican pundits on TV/Radio. Because someone is representive of something doesn't mean they speak for everyone OR that they agree with everything that person has said or even that particular platform. It's kinda like saying that Rice has her pulse on what every black person thinks or feels in this country, because, well, she's black. While she'd understand the psyche of being African American more than I would (I being white), saying she's understanding of every ideal of what it is to be that race is a fallacy in the extreme.
People choose parties to identify (those of us who care deeply enough to do so) because it's closer to our ideal on how we see life to be. I seriously and sincerely believe that everyone should have a roof over their head, food to eat and medicine not to be sick. We're the wealthist industralized nation in the world. It's silly, in my opinion, that the world can't operate that way. However, they will always be someone who will tell me, nicely enough, that I'm full of crap. I'm a Democrat, but that doesn't mean everyone in the party agrees with that--but they do agree with enough of the similar platforms that I do to idenify themselves as such. I'm not that thrilled with abortion. I think it's overused and overrated as a right. While I don't think we should abolish all abortions, I think we should only use them in life threatening situtations or in extreme emotional situations. This deviates considerably with the mainstream liberal/Democrat point of view. I also believe that I won't see abortion reform any time soon, considering the hot potato issue that it is. There's an example.
The idea of debate or of posting ANYTHING that has your name or alias on it, no matter how rabid you might be about it, no matter how inflammatory is this: keep in mind people don't think what you do, even those that idenify themselves as the same party, and that blanket statements about every member of a party might earn you some ridicule when a member who exspouses it comes along to take you down a few pegs. 51% of this country voted for Bush; but 49% voted against him, for Kerry and Nader. We're a divided house, and we all don't believe the same things. So, we identify with what's closest and most familar...and that is why you will never see Michael Moore or Rush Limbaugh BE the candidates for the Democrat or the Republican parties.
the AWM/dragon wolf sadly,
Sol