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So have you changed your political lean since you've been here?

So you've crossed the aisle or changed ideology?


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American

Trump Grump Whisperer
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That's right, here's your chance to tell us all how you've changed your ways, seen the light, or whatever that made you jump to the other side because of all this convincing debate you've engaged in. There will only be two choices, so all of you middle-of-the-roaders and two party haters can buzz off for this one.
 
You would be a terrible salesman.
 
I realized I didn't want to align with either side because the adamant ideologues absolutely disgust me.
 
I've changed some of my stances on a few issues somewhat, but not drastically enough to make me change my lean. I'm still a solid liberal for the most part, although I have been becoming much more libertarian on certain issues (or, at the very least, if I don't agree with them, I can appreciate the libertarian position on certain issues much more than I used to before I joined the forum.)
 
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Stopped being a libertarian, but that has to do with other forums, not this one.

I still support free markets, but libertarianism is self-destructive in exposing property rights and contracts to cultural relativism. It also provides no guarantee against child abuse, nor does it provide a definitive benchmark for graduating children into maturity.

Wouldn't call myself more conservative though because pragmatism and historicism are the problems, not the solutions. In this sense, progressivism is really just conservatism on steroids too, so can't call myself more progressive either.
 
It didn't really change my lean (center-left by German standards), but debating with Americans online has made me understand the American perspective on many issues a lot. Maybe I even was a pacifist quite a while ago, and debating made me change this view. Not debate on this forum in particular, but other forums I used to debate on before.

And I've come to appreciate libertarian positions on many issues, even when I don't agree with them (I'm still too skeptical of markets to consider myself libertarian). But I see the strengthes of markets better now than I used to.
 
That's right, here's your chance to tell us all how you've changed your ways, seen the light, or whatever that made you jump to the other side because of all this convincing debate you've engaged in. There will only be two choices, so all of you middle-of-the-roaders and two party haters can buzz off for this one.

I learned life isn't binary.

BOOM!
 
I haven't changed my lean, so I didn't vote. I became more liberal after 8 years under Bush. I used to become outraged almost every week by things like the Patriot Act, and Terri Shiavo; actions of groups like the Tea Party & others. The right's plan to polerize the parties worked with me.
 
Only one change in about 15 years. I was a militant atheist ~5 years ago.

Now, I think the supression of metaphysical expression is low class (1) and authoritarian (2).

(1) Anyone who's ever had an extra dollar in their pocket (thus a bit of free time), has contemplated the unseen/unknown.
(2) It's like saying "shut up, don't express your metaphysical beliefs unless they fall within my own paradigm".


I'm still atheist (always have been), but now I find religion interesting because it gives people an avenue of expression that's fascinating to investigate.
 
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Maybe I even was a pacifist quite a while ago, and debating made me change this view. Not debate on this forum in particular, but other forums I used to debate on before.

Oh, come on. Give me credit where credit is due. ;)

Don't worry, I'll still call you a pacifist when you resist my push for world domination/annihilation.
 
I really did not become a free market communist until experiencing the myriad charms of this forum.
 
I changed my party many years ago simply because my party changed, now I look at this joke going on and am absolutely sure I did the right thing.

Reagan would be so damn pissed right now!
 
Not enough options. Noone absolutely changes. Moderation often occurs. Drift. Middle ground begins to have some attraction. I consider Republicans NeoCons, not basic conservatives.
 
I consider Republicans NeoCons

Last I heard, neocons were libertarian hawks... but the definition changes with every pundit and angle of demonization.
 
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my political ideology has never changed since i knew myself...
 
Other than Ron Paul, I thought it certain I would vote for ANY Republican over Obama and overall also just vote against all incumbents (both tickets) that I get to vote about. Now I will vote against ALL Republicans for national office and probably state office.

The ever escalating extreme contest between Republicans and their talking heads of who more vows to more extremely use the federal government to impose and enforce religious doctrines reached a point of intolerance.

But predictably. Almost all of that is targeted at my direct family, my friends, and myself. Each one of us as the evil the vow to rein in, punish, restrict or stop. Mostly, that evil of our existing at all or not sharing their religious doctrines to be specific.

I will vote against Republicans because I oppose an evangelical theocratic federal government pursuing enforced evangelical theocratic policies thru government power against us - and everyone else.

The Republican Party has rapidly discarded many of its platforms to replace those with a zealous pursuit instead of religious dogmatic doctrines. Since I disagree with all of those and are we are one of there many, many targets, obviously can't vote Republican.
 
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Maybe a bit. Over the years since I've joined this forum, I've evolved from having vaguely libertarian-ish views to being a more solid liberal. I'm not sure if this had anything to do with this forum itself, or merely the fact that this time period coincided with me growing up, finishing college, and realizing that it's silly to try to attempt to fit every political issue into a neat ideological box (rather than evaluating each individual issue on its merits).
 
I have learned a great many things here, but in an overall sense, if anything, being here has cemented my views. My political life's journey has roughly been Republican/Conservative --> Libertarian --> Centrist. Now, I am even more committed to 'centrist' as many here have convinced me of some of the unrealistic and absurd positions of the Libertarian philosophy. When taken to the extreme, I mean.

Rather than pick on Libertarians specifically... to be fair, they are only the most recent disappointment for me, not the only... maybe a better way to phrase it would be to say that the extreme of any of the political ideologies would be realistically unworkable if implemented in real life. In a nutshell, any of the ideologies will work on paper, and could work if everybody involved were like-minded, but that's precisely the huge failing of all the ideologies... they fail to take into account that human nature doesn't allow for lock-step agreement and that human nature will thwart them and their best intentions every single time. Hence, centrism, here I am.
 
Being here (and in other political forums) where I've read the arguments presented by various posters where I had to weave through all the nonsense, lies, bigotry, and hatred searching for truth I can honestly say I've moved much farther left.

Bee
 
I have learned a great many things here, but in an overall sense, if anything, being here has cemented my views. My political life's journey has roughly been Republican/Conservative --> Libertarian --> Centrist. Now, I am even more committed to 'centrist' as many here have convinced me of some of the unrealistic and absurd positions of the Libertarian philosophy. When taken to the extreme, I mean.

Rather than pick on Libertarians specifically... to be fair, they are only the most recent disappointment for me, not the only... maybe a better way to phrase it would be to say that the extreme of any of the political ideologies would be realistically unworkable if implemented in real life. In a nutshell, any of the ideologies will work on paper, and could work if everybody involved were like-minded, but that's precisely the huge failing of all the ideologies... they fail to take into account that human nature doesn't allow for lock-step agreement and that human nature will thwart them and their best intentions every single time. Hence, centrism, here I am.

In essence...you have studied more than enough in both main parties to be dissatisfied, looked outside the to other mainstream choices and been dissatisfied again. Welcome to the independent world...they all suck.
 
In essence...you have studied more than enough in both main parties to be dissatisfied, looked outside the to other mainstream choices and been dissatisfied again. Welcome to the independent world...they all suck.
I hate to be so cynical, but I feel like I have no other option.
 
I'm now a centrist, just to piss off American.

You know I was hoping for serious responses, but there are always assholes who have to **** up whatever you try to do.
 
You know I was hoping for serious responses, but there are always assholes who have to **** up whatever you try to do.
Looks like it worked.
 
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