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Once a Republican, now lean Democrat but have found that............

Luckyone

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For over 30 years I was a Republican but for the past 16 years I have leaned Democrat. Why did I change? Mostly because of the experience that comes with age and realizing that sharing, fairness, and family are more important than economics.

As a side note but still using it as an example, I have met quite a few very rich people that were not loved and had no one to share their wealth with (meaning an empty life) and have seen poor people that had quite a few economics problems but their lives were full of love, sharing and sacrifice for each other. The latter were much happier than the former as money cannot buy love and sacrifice for each other. I personally value emotional happiness than economic wealth.

The Republican mentality is more about personal accomplishment and removing obstacles to accomplishing that and the Democratic mentality is more about sharing the wealth among all the American family and finding ways to open doors for equal opportunity for all for economic advancement for those that did not start with a "silver spoon" in their mouths and were having trouble going forward even though talented because of economic and living conditions.

Having said all of that, I never went forward to vote because every candidate for the presidency had some redeeming quality to them that ultimately would have them try to do the right thing and given that all of us are imperfect, if a president did something imperfect (like Bush Jr. did), those imperfections would not be deadly to the nation and would be overcome ultimately by others that followed.

As such, party affiliation and party platforms were never all that important to me.

I have said all of the above to say unequivocally that my negative posts about Trump have nothing to do with the politics of one side or the other though if asked, I do have opinions but my opinions are not strong enough either way as to say one side is totally wrong or right.

Nonetheless, when it comes to the man that is leading this nation (not talking about the party), that is a complete other matter. Trump is incompetent, a liar, uncaring about doing right, has no morals, principles, ethics or humanity and such a person can do untold and often irreparable damage to the nation and to the people. One simple example of this is the lack of trust that is now felt against this country because of him. If he loses reelection and someone else comes in that lack of trust will not go away simply because someone trustworthy might be in charge. All nations now know that this country is flawed deeply just because we allowed such a person to be elected. They will not trust us anymore (as they did in the past) given that a trustworthy person may only be around 4-8 years and even if he is going to be trustworthy for that period of time, can we ever get back together as a nation with people like McConnell running the Senate? This is irreparable damage that has occurred.


All of us (both Republicans and Democrats) have to get together to get rid of "bad" persons in spite of our party leanings. Bad people will ultimately be bad for everyone. If we have a person that has at least one of the requisites (morals, ethics, principles, and humanity) we will survive as a nation. With people like Trump and McConnell, we die.
 
For over 30 years I was a Republican but for the past 16 years I have leaned Democrat. Why did I change? Mostly because of the experience that comes with age and realizing that sharing, fairness, and family are more important than economics.

As a side note but still using it as an example, I have met quite a few very rich people that were not loved and had no one to share their wealth with (meaning an empty life) and have seen poor people that had quite a few economics problems but their lives were full of love, sharing and sacrifice for each other. The latter were much happier than the former as money cannot buy love and sacrifice for each other. I personally value emotional happiness than economic wealth.

The Republican mentality is more about personal accomplishment and removing obstacles to accomplishing that and the Democratic mentality is more about sharing the wealth among all the American family and finding ways to open doors for equal opportunity for all for economic advancement for those that did not start with a "silver spoon" in their mouths and were having trouble going forward even though talented because of economic and living conditions.

Having said all of that, I never went forward to vote because every candidate for the presidency had some redeeming quality to them that ultimately would have them try to do the right thing and given that all of us are imperfect, if a president did something imperfect (like Bush Jr. did), those imperfections would not be deadly to the nation and would be overcome ultimately by others that followed.

As such, party affiliation and party platforms were never all that important to me.

I have said all of the above to say unequivocally that my negative posts about Trump have nothing to do with the politics of one side or the other though if asked, I do have opinions but my opinions are not strong enough either way as to say one side is totally wrong or right.

Nonetheless, when it comes to the man that is leading this nation (not talking about the party), that is a complete other matter. Trump is incompetent, a liar, uncaring about doing right, has no morals, principles, ethics or humanity and such a person can do untold and often irreparable damage to the nation and to the people. One simple example of this is the lack of trust that is now felt against this country because of him. If he loses reelection and someone else comes in that lack of trust will not go away simply because someone trustworthy might be in charge. All nations now know that this country is flawed deeply just because we allowed such a person to be elected. They will not trust us anymore (as they did in the past) given that a trustworthy person may only be around 4-8 years and even if he is going to be trustworthy for that period of time, can we ever get back together as a nation with people like McConnell running the Senate? This is irreparable damage that has occurred.


All of us (both Republicans and Democrats) have to get together to get rid of "bad" persons in spite of our party leanings. Bad people will ultimately be bad for everyone. If we have a person that has at least one of the requisites (morals, ethics, principles, and humanity) we will survive as a nation. With people like Trump and McConnell, we die.

I was a registered Republican for more than 30 years. I switched my affiliation to Independent, then switched in 2004 to Democrat. Best political decision I ever made in my life.

You're right, we do have to unite as a country but how will that happen if half the country refuses to accept testimony from people who have worked in the State Dept for decades that are no longer there because they refused to go along with what Trump was trying to do in Ukraine? How can we move forward unless republicans acknowledge that Trump is bad for this country? I just don't see it happening.
 
You're right, we do have to unite as a country but how will that happen if half the country refuses to accept testimony from people who have worked in the State Dept for decades that are no longer there because they refused to go along with what Trump was trying to do in Ukraine? How can we move forward unless republicans acknowledge that Trump is bad for this country? I just don't see it happening.

Of COURSE it's always entirely the other guy's fault, and you don't have to budge at all because you're already righteous.
 
For over 30 years I was a Republican but for the past 16 years I have leaned Democrat. Why did I change? Mostly because of the experience that comes with age and realizing that sharing, fairness, and family are more important than economics.

Not that I want to hijack this otherwise meaningful post, but I really must a take issue with this silly trope about economics. Historically the Economy has consistently performed better when Democrats are in the White house. When you look at the various states in this country almost all of the wealthiest states are blue liberal states. Almost all of the poorest states are Republican. States like Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, South Carolina are some of the most Right wing Republican states you'll find, and they consistently have some of the worst economies in the country.

Republicans are not good for the economy. Republicans make life easy for business owners, but businesses are not economies. Businesses are one tiny piece of an economy, and contrary to popular belief they are not even remotely the most important piece. We live in a consumer based economy, and the lion share of consumers are laborers. Businesses are the beneficiaries of a strong economy, not the drivers of it. The drivers of the economy are consumers and workers.

I'm sick of this nonsensical myth that some how Liberals are these bleeding hearts who want to be nice to everybody, but Republicans are the party of cold hard economic realities. That has never been true. Just because something is cold hearted does not make it reality. That is the core delusion at the heart of this very presidency. The belief that Trump's cruelty is some how wise.

Stupid people just assume that assholes are honest. They tell it like it is no matter how unpopular it is. There is not now nor has their ever been a correlation between being a prick and being correct.
 
For over 30 years I was a Republican but for the past 16 years I have leaned Democrat. Why did I change? Mostly because of the experience that comes with age and realizing that sharing, fairness, and family are more important than economics.

As a side note but still using it as an example, I have met quite a few very rich people that were not loved and had no one to share their wealth with (meaning an empty life) and have seen poor people that had quite a few economics problems but their lives were full of love, sharing and sacrifice for each other. The latter were much happier than the former as money cannot buy love and sacrifice for each other. I personally value emotional happiness than economic wealth.

The Republican mentality is more about personal accomplishment and removing obstacles to accomplishing that and the Democratic mentality is more about sharing the wealth among all the American family and finding ways to open doors for equal opportunity for all for economic advancement for those that did not start with a "silver spoon" in their mouths and were having trouble going forward even though talented because of economic and living conditions.

Having said all of that, I never went forward to vote because every candidate for the presidency had some redeeming quality to them that ultimately would have them try to do the right thing and given that all of us are imperfect, if a president did something imperfect (like Bush Jr. did), those imperfections would not be deadly to the nation and would be overcome ultimately by others that followed.

As such, party affiliation and party platforms were never all that important to me.

I have said all of the above to say unequivocally that my negative posts about Trump have nothing to do with the politics of one side or the other though if asked, I do have opinions but my opinions are not strong enough either way as to say one side is totally wrong or right.

Nonetheless, when it comes to the man that is leading this nation (not talking about the party), that is a complete other matter. Trump is incompetent, a liar, uncaring about doing right, has no morals, principles, ethics or humanity and such a person can do untold and often irreparable damage to the nation and to the people. One simple example of this is the lack of trust that is now felt against this country because of him. If he loses reelection and someone else comes in that lack of trust will not go away simply because someone trustworthy might be in charge. All nations now know that this country is flawed deeply just because we allowed such a person to be elected. They will not trust us anymore (as they did in the past) given that a trustworthy person may only be around 4-8 years and even if he is going to be trustworthy for that period of time, can we ever get back together as a nation with people like McConnell running the Senate? This is irreparable damage that has occurred.


All of us (both Republicans and Democrats) have to get together to get rid of "bad" persons in spite of our party leanings. Bad people will ultimately be bad for everyone. If we have a person that has at least one of the requisites (morals, ethics, principles, and humanity) we will survive as a nation. With people like Trump and McConnell, we die.

Be sure and VOTE 2020. That's how change takes place in this republic.
Why do you think Trump won in an electoral landslide in 2016? The polls showed people thought Hillarity was even less trustworthy than Trump.

Btw, throughout this entire impeachment farce, Trump's marks rise on handling the economy while his approval numbers remain steady.
I'll let you think about that.
 
Of COURSE it's always entirely the other guy's fault, and you don't have to budge at all because you're already righteous.

We are not righteous, but we are right about Trump. The man and his intentions and actions are as simple as they come.

Btw, throughout this entire impeachment farce, Trump's marks rise on handling the economy while his approval numbers remain steady.
I'll let you think about that.

In case you did not know, Presidents barely, if any, affect economy during their term. More important factors include business cycle, investment / inventory cycle, demographic changes, Fed, and only then a combination of Congress and President enacting fiscal policy, which takes years to unfold.

Source one
Source two
Source three
 
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Both parties suck, and the majority of people who actually seek the job of president, do as well.
 
Nice to hear the stories of political conversion. For myself, I have been a Democrat every day of my life since I was in the sixth grade and John F. Kennedy ran for President.

I am now 70. I hope to be here in a decade and update my status.
 
I was a registered Republican for more than 30 years. I switched my affiliation to Independent, then switched in 2004 to Democrat. Best political decision I ever made in my life.

You're right, we do have to unite as a country but how will that happen if half the country refuses to accept testimony from people who have worked in the State Dept for decades that are no longer there because they refused to go along with what Trump was trying to do in Ukraine? How can we move forward unless republicans acknowledge that Trump is bad for this country? I just don't see it happening.

I agree with you and that is why it is so sad.

I continue to try and will continue to try. It is my only reason for being on this board. My day is full doing many other things but I come back here and try, and try, and try again as I believe that ultimately reason usually wins. So far though, I have been a total failure as far as bringing reason to any Trump supporter. My score so far is 0 wins and so far 33 losses (those on ignore). It is depressing and disappointing, especially when I am not trying to change anyone's political beliefs, just trying to point that Trump is a sociopath and all the negatives associated with that kind of personality.
These are negatives that will affect everyone, regardless of party affiliation.
 
For over 30 years I was a Republican but for the past 16 years I have leaned Democrat. Why did I change? Mostly because of the experience that comes with age and realizing that sharing, fairness, and family are more important than economics.

As a side note but still using it as an example, I have met quite a few very rich people that were not loved and had no one to share their wealth with (meaning an empty life) and have seen poor people that had quite a few economics problems but their lives were full of love, sharing and sacrifice for each other. The latter were much happier than the former as money cannot buy love and sacrifice for each other. I personally value emotional happiness than economic wealth.

The Republican mentality is more about personal accomplishment and removing obstacles to accomplishing that and the Democratic mentality is more about sharing the wealth among all the American family and finding ways to open doors for equal opportunity for all for economic advancement for those that did not start with a "silver spoon" in their mouths and were having trouble going forward even though talented because of economic and living conditions.

Having said all of that, I never went forward to vote because every candidate for the presidency had some redeeming quality to them that ultimately would have them try to do the right thing and given that all of us are imperfect, if a president did something imperfect (like Bush Jr. did), those imperfections would not be deadly to the nation and would be overcome ultimately by others that followed.

As such, party affiliation and party platforms were never all that important to me.

I have said all of the above to say unequivocally that my negative posts about Trump have nothing to do with the politics of one side or the other though if asked, I do have opinions but my opinions are not strong enough either way as to say one side is totally wrong or right.

Nonetheless, when it comes to the man that is leading this nation (not talking about the party), that is a complete other matter. Trump is incompetent, a liar, uncaring about doing right, has no morals, principles, ethics or humanity and such a person can do untold and often irreparable damage to the nation and to the people. One simple example of this is the lack of trust that is now felt against this country because of him. If he loses reelection and someone else comes in that lack of trust will not go away simply because someone trustworthy might be in charge. All nations now know that this country is flawed deeply just because we allowed such a person to be elected. They will not trust us anymore (as they did in the past) given that a trustworthy person may only be around 4-8 years and even if he is going to be trustworthy for that period of time, can we ever get back together as a nation with people like McConnell running the Senate? This is irreparable damage that has occurred.


All of us (both Republicans and Democrats) have to get together to get rid of "bad" persons in spite of our party leanings. Bad people will ultimately be bad for everyone. If we have a person that has at least one of the requisites (morals, ethics, principles, and humanity) we will survive as a nation. With people like Trump and McConnell, we die.

Your post is your opinion regarding the purpose of Republicans and Democrats. I'm certain there are plenty of Rich democrats who have unfullfilled lives and plenty of wealthy Republicans that have been both generous and happy. Your opinion is based on your personal feeling of value of emotional happiness over personnel wealth. I'm sure both can be compatable.

I'm far from wealthy but I do live a comfortable lifestyle and with my family enjoy both the fruits of my labor and emotional happiness.
Republicans Give More to Charity Than Democrats, but There’s a Bigger Story Here - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
 
I was a registered Republican for more than 30 years. I switched my affiliation to Independent, then switched in 2004 to Democrat. Best political decision I ever made in my life.

You're right, we do have to unite as a country but how will that happen if half the country refuses to accept testimony from people who have worked in the State Dept for decades that are no longer there because they refused to go along with what Trump was trying to do in Ukraine? How can we move forward unless republicans acknowledge that Trump is bad for this country? I just don't see it happening.

What about the half of the country that accepted as fact the Collusion with Russia that Trump was accused of and that Mueller said didn't happen? Don't pretend you are some how more moral because you allow the position of taking the live of unborn children. Don't give me your opinion as if you have some moral high ground, you do not.
 
Of COURSE it's always entirely the other guy's fault, and you don't have to budge at all because you're already righteous.

The republican party does nothing but peddle lies and conspiracies anymore.

Why be a member of that nonsense?
 
Not that I want to hijack this otherwise meaningful post, but I really must a take issue with this silly trope about economics. Historically the Economy has consistently performed better when Democrats are in the White house. When you look at the various states in this country almost all of the wealthiest states are blue liberal states. Almost all of the poorest states are Republican. States like Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, South Carolina are some of the most Right wing Republican states you'll find, and they consistently have some of the worst economies in the country.

Republicans are not good for the economy. Republicans make life easy for business owners, but businesses are not economies. Businesses are one tiny piece of an economy, and contrary to popular belief they are not even remotely the most important piece. We live in a consumer based economy, and the lion share of consumers are laborers. Businesses are the beneficiaries of a strong economy, not the drivers of it. The drivers of the economy are consumers and workers.

I'm sick of this nonsensical myth that some how Liberals are these bleeding hearts who want to be nice to everybody, but Republicans are the party of cold hard economic realities. That has never been true. Just because something is cold hearted does not make it reality. That is the core delusion at the heart of this very presidency. The belief that Trump's cruelty is some how wise.

Stupid people just assume that assholes are honest. They tell it like it is no matter how unpopular it is. There is not now nor has their ever been a correlation between being a prick and being correct.

I totally agree with your post. Nonetheless, I am using the word "economics" because that is what Trump is beating his chest on. Unemployment, GDP, Stock market etc, etc, etc. I don't see it as good as others do but that is not what is important. What is important is that Trump believes that is what good he brings to the table.
 
I agree with you and that is why it is so sad.

I continue to try and will continue to try. It is my only reason for being on this board. My day is full doing many other things but I come back here and try, and try, and try again as I believe that ultimately reason usually wins. So far though, I have been a total failure as far as bringing reason to any Trump supporter. My score so far is 0 wins and so far 33 losses (those on ignore). It is depressing and disappointing, especially when I am not trying to change anyone's political beliefs, just trying to point that Trump is a sociopath and all the negatives associated with that kind of personality.
These are negatives that will affect everyone, regardless of party affiliation.

Let me give you a few tips on how to bring people together.
Don't blame them.
Listen to them
Consider their position and their point of view.
Listen and consider openly their suggestions for solutions.
Look at the overall objectives.
Craft a response based on what is said, what the suggestions are, the point of view and not on predisposed talking points.
 
Your post is your opinion regarding the purpose of Republicans and Democrats. I'm certain there are plenty of Rich democrats who have unfullfilled lives and plenty of wealthy Republicans that have been both generous and happy. Your opinion is based on your personal feeling of value of emotional happiness over personnel wealth. I'm sure both can be compatable.

I'm far from wealthy but I do live a comfortable lifestyle and with my family enjoy both the fruits of my labor and emotional happiness.
Republicans Give More to Charity Than Democrats, but There’s a Bigger Story Here - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly

How does your post about rich Republicans donating more to charities than Democrats address this member's genuine concerns? How does your comment give in any way, some thoughts on how parties can be reunited for the betterment of this country? I believe your comment was just another symptom of the problem and not part of the solution to it. You've put out a link and a statement about how much more generous rich Republicans are than rich Democrats. So what? How does that in any way work into this dilemma that the OP has expressed?
 
Let me give you a few tips on how to bring people together.
Don't blame them.
Listen to them
Consider their position and their point of view.
Listen and consider openly their suggestions for solutions.
Look at the overall objectives.
Craft a response based on what is said, what the suggestions are, the point of view and not on predisposed talking points.

Wise words, but as most of us know after reading many of the O/P's diatribes, he won't be willing to take your advice, because he argues everything by the appeal to emotion.
 
What about the half of the country that accepted as fact the Collusion with Russia that Trump was accused of and that Mueller said didn't happen? Don't pretend you are some how more moral because you allow the position of taking the live of unborn children. Don't give me your opinion as if you have some moral high ground, you do not.

Mueller didn't say the he didn't collude with Russia. Mueller--if you've read the transcript, stated the “investigation established multiple links between Trump Campaign officials and individuals tied to the Russian government.” It “did not establish that the Campaign coordinated or conspired with the Russian government in its election-interference activities.”

That means that the investigation could not set up in a firm way a connection to collusion with Russia. Now putting that question mark that still hangs in the air aside, do you seriously believe that Trump did not at least welcome and encourage Russia's help while he is currently undergoing investigation for asking a foreign government to interfere with our U.S. election? Really??
 
We are not righteous, but we are right about Trump. The man and his intentions and actions are as simple as they come.

Not the point.
 
The republican party does nothing but peddle lies and conspiracies anymore.

Why be a member of that nonsense?

I'm not. Not the point.
 
Be sure and VOTE 2020. That's how change takes place in this republic.
Why do you think Trump won in an electoral landslide in 2016? The polls showed people thought Hillarity was even less trustworthy than Trump.

Btw, throughout this entire impeachment farce, Trump's marks rise on handling the economy while his approval numbers remain steady.
I'll let you think about that.

The reality is that in many ways Trump has literally turned to be worse than what Hillary would have been but that isn't saying much as Hillary was flawed as well. Ignorance was the reason in 2016 but after 3 years, ignorance cannot be used as an excuse any more.

There are a lot of reasons why things have remained consistently good but in my "learned and experienced-in-the-stock-market-and-economics" experience, it has not been Trump that is to be given credit for it. It is the Republican Congress that voted for a tax cut and deregulation" that did it and in looking at past history of tax cuts and deregulation, it has ended up badly a few years down the line, meaning the "jury on this is still out on whether this is going to be long term good for the economy or not".

By the way, I think about this every day given that I am a stock market trader and I have a "successful" service in which I give recommendations to subscribers. I am fully aware of what is going on with the economy and in my opinion we are now in a bubble that will burst at some point in the near future. I can't blame Trump entirely for the bubble as the Republican led Congress will have a good portion of the blame. Trump will have the blame for the portion where he brought about the trade war and though the original decision to have a trade war was not necessarily bad as some statement about what China has/had been doing was necessary, the inability to find a compromise has generated a problem now that is going to make things worse before they get better when someone else gets elected.
 
Now putting that question mark that still hangs in the air aside, do you seriously believe that Trump did not at least welcome and encourage Russia's help while he is currently undergoing investigation for asking a foreign government to interfere with our U.S. election? Really??

Mueller conclusively answered that question positively.
 
It was rhetorical.

Still not the point.

The point, of course, of thinking it's only the "other side" who has to change and do better, never yourself.
 
For over 30 years I was a Republican but for the past 16 years I have leaned Democrat. Why did I change? Mostly because of the experience that comes with age and realizing that sharing, fairness, and family are more important than economics.

As a side note but still using it as an example, I have met quite a few very rich people that were not loved and had no one to share their wealth with (meaning an empty life) and have seen poor people that had quite a few economics problems but their lives were full of love, sharing and sacrifice for each other. The latter were much happier than the former as money cannot buy love and sacrifice for each other. I personally value emotional happiness than economic wealth.

The Republican mentality is more about personal accomplishment and removing obstacles to accomplishing that and the Democratic mentality is more about sharing the wealth among all the American family and finding ways to open doors for equal opportunity for all for economic advancement for those that did not start with a "silver spoon" in their mouths and were having trouble going forward even though talented because of economic and living conditions.

Having said all of that, I never went forward to vote because every candidate for the presidency had some redeeming quality to them that ultimately would have them try to do the right thing and given that all of us are imperfect, if a president did something imperfect (like Bush Jr. did), those imperfections would not be deadly to the nation and would be overcome ultimately by others that followed.

As such, party affiliation and party platforms were never all that important to me.

I have said all of the above to say unequivocally that my negative posts about Trump have nothing to do with the politics of one side or the other though if asked, I do have opinions but my opinions are not strong enough either way as to say one side is totally wrong or right.

Nonetheless, when it comes to the man that is leading this nation (not talking about the party), that is a complete other matter. Trump is incompetent, a liar, uncaring about doing right, has no morals, principles, ethics or humanity and such a person can do untold and often irreparable damage to the nation and to the people. One simple example of this is the lack of trust that is now felt against this country because of him. If he loses reelection and someone else comes in that lack of trust will not go away simply because someone trustworthy might be in charge. All nations now know that this country is flawed deeply just because we allowed such a person to be elected. They will not trust us anymore (as they did in the past) given that a trustworthy person may only be around 4-8 years and even if he is going to be trustworthy for that period of time, can we ever get back together as a nation with people like McConnell running the Senate? This is irreparable damage that has occurred.


All of us (both Republicans and Democrats) have to get together to get rid of "bad" persons in spite of our party leanings. Bad people will ultimately be bad for everyone. If we have a person that has at least one of the requisites (morals, ethics, principles, and humanity) we will survive as a nation. With people like Trump and McConnell, we die.

I was a republican for a long time.....I found that the anger necessary to continue to be a republican wasn't worth it. I live in the real world of people and family and humanity, and I couldn't continue to support what the republicans had become.

I am a much happier person these days.
 
What about the half of the country that accepted as fact the Collusion with Russia that Trump was accused of and that Mueller said didn't happen? Don't pretend you are some how more moral because you allow the position of taking the live of unborn children. Don't give me your opinion as if you have some moral high ground, you do not.

I think that wanting a corrupt president that's a threat to our nation, out of our White House, is a good reason to take a "moral" high ground. Conversely, those that forgive, excuse, pander to and overlook his crimes, his crassness, and his complete ineptitude, are people that are morally bankrupt.
 
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