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Originally Posted by Ustwo
If someone can explain to me the difference between a European socialist and say Obama let me know, I'm still waiting for this explanation the last time a democrat had a hissy fit I called the socialists.
IF someone can tell me how they differ substantially PLEASE let me know.
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A hissy fit, huh? Baraku explained the difference better than I could (Kudos to our northern neighbor)....but then again, progressive liberal Democrats here have been called socialists, communists, anti-American and anti-military appeasers of terrorism, and generally responsible for the downfall of the country.
What I have observed here at TFP since the last election (and most recently throughout this thread) is the meltdown of the conservative Republican members of our little slice of the world here.
What they are unwilling to recognize is that nearly every indicator points to more and mroe Americans leaning towards or embracing the Democratic ideals and principles and abandoning the Republican party.
The Pew Center does an annual poll on "Trends in Political Values and Core Attitudes". From the latest (last March):
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Increased public support for the social safety net, signs of growing public concern about income inequality, and a diminished appetite for assertive national security policies have improved the political landscape for the Democrats as the 2008 presidential campaign gets underway.
At the same time, many of the key trends that nurtured the Republican resurgence in the mid-1990s have moderated, according to Pew's longitudinal measures of the public's basic political, social and economic values. The proportion of Americans who support traditional social values has edged downward since 1994, while the proportion of Americans expressing strong personal religious commitment also has declined modestly.
Even more striking than the changes in some core political and social values is the dramatic shift in party identification that has occurred during the past five years. In 2002, the country was equally divided along partisan lines: 43% identified with the Republican Party or leaned to the GOP, while an identical proportion said they were Democrats. Today, half of the public (50%) either identifies as a Democrat or says they lean to the Democratic Party, compared with 35% who align with the GOP.
Summary of Findings
Full Report (pdf)
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THe full report is worth reading. Other recent Gallup and ABC polls have similar findings. prefering the Democratic party over the Republican party by large majorities on every issue - from economy and taxes/spending to national security/terrorism and even family values.
So, Ustwo...call us what you want if it makes you feel better. I call us, including Barack Obama, the face of America
And, Alladin Sane...if you serious believe that voting Democrat is "tactical", then go for it. It certainly wont strengthen your position, your party, or the views you espouse.