How did your politics change as you aged? (conversation, adult, support)

[Retire in MB]

I was born and raised as a Democrat in a Union Town. Now it depends on where I am.
Here in San Francisco I am considered a moderate Democrat. When I visit my hometown in Wisconsin I am considered a Progressive Democrat. My new home will be in South Carolina where I will probably be considered a ^%$&^%* Liberal and the illegitimate sister of Michael Moore.

[Serious Conversation]

I went from a liberal kid in college to a severely conservative adult.

[Larry Caldwell]

I have been an independent for over 40 years. I think treating government like a football game with two sides is destructive to the country. I vote for the most reasonable candidate, and for the most reasonable ballot measures. I oppose military adventurism, like the invasion of Iraq. I told everyone I knew that it was a diplomatic error that would leave us in a worse situation rather than better, and took a lot of flack at work because I wouldn't wave the flag and "support our troops." Years later, and what do you know? We are in a worse diplomatic position than we were before we got stupid.

My politics haven't changed, but the country sure has. I used to vote for Republicans because they were progressives interested in building America's future. I still vote Republican sometimes, but not as often. Far too many of the real Republicans have been forced out of the party by the right wing whackos. Mostly any more I vote for centrist Democrats, because that is my only realistic option.

[jack_pine]

I like mathjak107's post.

It also cracks me up when someone says they are liberal because they are intelligent. Yuk, yuk.

For me I lean conservative but have come much closer to the center as I have aged. I can't stand the far extremes either way. Seems to me the only way to get things done is to find some common ground and build some compromise from there. Otherwise it seems like WWI with folks in their trenches shooting at each other.

Could just be me though.

[matisse12]

a progressive and a liberal Democrat since age 18

my politics never changed

would NEVER vote for a Republican, and have never done so for any level of political office

have been involved in political campaigns

[longneckone]

I try to learn as much as possible about each candidate from President to local councilmen. I vote for the person not the political party.

[BellaDL]

Originally Posted by seeriously

Exactly what Reach said. The more I knew the more liberal I became.

+1

I grew up in a very conservative Republican Catholic family. Most of my siblings remain conservative except myself and another sister. The two of us appear to possess more intellectual curiosity than other family members. We shifted to the left of the political spectrum as we acquire more knowledge and broader world views.

Between my sister and myself, we have 9 college degrees (4 undergrad and 5 graduate degrees) so I think that we still have pretty good brains while retaining our bleeding hearts ;-)

[ReachTheBeach]

Originally Posted by jack_pine

I like mathjak107's post.

It also cracks me up when someone says they are liberal because they are intelligent. Yuk, yuk.

For me I lean conservative but have come much closer to the center as I have aged. I can't stand the far extremes either way. Seems to me the only way to get things done is to find some common ground and build some compromise from there. Otherwise it seems like WWI with folks in their trenches shooting at each other.

Could just be me though.

Education doesn't always equal intelligence, but the statistics say the more educated tend to identify as Dems, who are likely more liberal:
A Deep Dive Into Party Affiliation | Pew Research Center

Democrats lead by 22 points (57%-35%) in leaned party identification among adults with post-graduate degrees. The Democrats’ edge is narrower among those with college degrees or some post-graduate experience (49%-42%), and those with less education (47%-39%). Across all educational categories, women are more likely than men to affiliate with the Democratic Party or lean Democratic. The Democrats’ advantage is 35 points (64%-29%) among women with post-graduate degrees, but only eight points (50%-42%) among post-grad men.

[jack_pine]

Originally Posted by ReachTheBeach

Education doesn't always equal intelligence, but the statistics say the more educated tend to identify as Dems, who are likely more liberal:
A Deep Dive Into Party Affiliation | Pew Research Center

Must be an aberration then.

Just pointing out that people sure do like saying how smart they are.

[ktaadin]

When in college, I was fairly conservative, in a more libertarian sense of the word. Each year since I've graduated, I've become more liberal (which isn't to say that I identify strongly with the democratic party).