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What were your parents' political stances, and what effect did they have on you?
My father was a staunch Republican with a libertarian edge. He thought that the government collected too much in revenue and spent way too much on welfare, opposed any infringements on his Second Amendment rights, and hated affirmative action. He often called into local conservative as well as liberal talk radio shows (back when they existed!) and even knew a few of the hosts on a first-name basis. He was vehemently opposed to the Clinton administration, thought global warming and other environmental issues were mostly shams, supported the War on Iraq (although he first had questions about it), and told me that I was not going on my high school Spanish class trip to Costa Rica if Kerry was elected. He started out rather liberal on social issues, with the exception of gay rights, but moved further towards the right in that respect around the time of his conversion to Catholicism, my mother's religion.
As for her, she was not really political at all, concentrating more on being a mother. She mostly just tagged along with my dad, except she was always really opposed to abortion. Her father was/is a strong supporter of the Democratic party.
My political beliefs from around the time I first had them (at the Bush v. Clinton election, when I was in kindergarten) until when I was 11 years old were roughly the same as my father's. Beginning when I was 11, I began to question many of his stances, as I had a religious "revival" experience which led me to disagree with him on such issues as aid to third-world countries, and later the U.S.'s involvement in Iraq.
My mother is a self-centered, egotistical, child abusing, feminist and a yellow dog democrat. I, basically, decided to do everything in my life the very opposite way my mother did.
The impact it had on me? We'll I enjoyed an upbringing filled with him complaining about the direction the country was going, and the damage liberals were doing I found it entertaining, but I had a pretty rocky relationship with my father growing up. None the less I turned out to be a conservative on most fronts like my father. We have a few disagreements. I support union labor, support efforts to balance trade and punish unfair trade practices, don't really want to see government spending cut during a nasty recession due to the effect it will have, and so forth.
My father was a Republican and my mother is a Democrat. We never discussed politics until I was older, about the time Bush decided to invade Iraq, and my father and I butted heads terribly(I knew it was a huge mistake). My father passed away in 2005, and I can promise you there was no way he would have voted for Obama, but I went door to door for the President. My mother has become quite the outspoken liberal as she's gotten older, even calling Limbaugh an A-hole to some friends that listen to his obnoxious show at a dinner party. She's loves to watch Colbert and Stewart, so we have a lot in common and share many political ideologies. Of my 3 brothers, 1 is a staunch republican and the other 2 Dems. We do discuss politics at family get togethers, but there are never any screaming matches, we respectfully disagree with each other.
My father's side of the family were all Republicans and my mother's side were all Democrats. I'm an independent, although I've voted GOP more them Dem over the years. I currently oppose the religious right dominated GOP, though. And on this forum that makes me a radical leftist.
Both my parents are Republicans, but they have some liberal views. I know my mom is against the death penalty and pro-pot legalization and my dad is for amnesty for illegal immigrants (I have no idea why). I think that the primary issue they consider when voting is taxes, though I get the impression they're both fairly fiscally conservative in general. Also, my dad is a Vietnam vet and views the GOP as being more pro-defense/pro-military. I don't know how they feel about issues like gays and abortion.
Not sure exactly what my mother was although she grew up in the depression and adored FDR. My father died when I was young so don't know his politics. I know they were both very anti-union as am I. I know my mother voted every time they opened the polls as do I. That is what I find amazing - that so many people do not vote!
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I found it entertaining, but I had a pretty rocky relationship with my father growing up. None the less I turned out to be a conservative on most fronts like my father. We have a few disagreements. I support union labor, support efforts to balance trade and punish unfair trade practices, don't really want to see government spending cut during a nasty recession due to the effect it will have, and so forth.
