My family is mixed Dems and Repubs but all gun owners and RKBA supporters.  The Dems in the family vote Rep now BTW.  But I was a kid and I remember Reagan.  He seemed like your Dad, Grandfather, and nextdoor neighber all in one.  He seemed to me at least to care deeply about what he spoke and genuine, I liked him immediately.  I was 9-10 years old and gun control was not on my watch list but the guy really struck a chord.  I was interested in politics ever since.  I was just 20 years old and I was talking some politics at work and one of the bosses asked me if I vote and I said I had not yet had the opportunity to vote in a election.  He helped register me and that was that.  

Stupidity and the idiocy of my youth.  I think I'm still a registered Democrat because I never changed it.  If so, I'm voting for Al Sharpton in the primaries! [}:D]

Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

It just came naturally.

I never thought any other way then conservative.

Sgtar15

PS Only later did I find out my parents were "old style" democrats

Sgatr15

sgtAr15,

My grandfather is a registered Dem and he votes Rep.  he says the Dem party is nothing even close to the party it was 60 years ago.  He says their all a bunch of Red Commies now!

The first vote I ever cast in my life was for Reagan. I savored that moment when I cast my vote for him.

My own family is full bore conservatives every last one. Always have been.


[Personal Insight Mode]

When I first met my wife in college she was a hardcore liberal. Anti-conservative, anti-business, bleeding heart liberal feminist - she even took "Women's Studies" classes. We had MANY MANY debates about every issue under the sun.

Over the years she began to see the hypocrisy and irrationality of the left. After some years together with me she began to change. I was able to steer her away from voting for Clinton in 92 (she bought his "I feel your pain" BS hook, line and sinker). But she had IMMENSE respect for Hillary then. Yet over the years she slowly came to reject the radical, lying, quackery of the feminists and the stifiling, class-warfare dependancy of the entire liberal establishment.

Within the last couple years she's become quiet a staunch conservative. Today she prefers FNC over CNN, rejects feminists, hates Daschle, despises Hillary and thinks Bush is a hell of a President. She used to hate the idea of guns in the house too but now feels a lot safer with them here as long as they're locked up (understandable as we have a 3year old in the house).

It took a while, but I'm proud to say... "as for me and my house, we are conservatives".

[/Personal Insight Mode]

I thought it was funny to sit down in front of the uptight woman at the bank and tell her the long haired guy with the leather jacket and spike bracelets who happened to be stoned wanted to register republican.

Holy Crap if Tammy Bruce can see the light, I think EVERYONE can.

I was a total leftist liberal in every sense of the word. I thought the Gubmint was there to take care of me and if you get 'stressed' out at work, you should be able to sue your employer under Worker's Comp.

I [b]WAS[/b] a mess!

But thank you Bill Clinton for making me see the error in my ways. there was NO WAY I could be on the same side as Clinton, Streisand, and Jessie Jackson... Oh and that doorknob for a head "CHER"

Yet I like guns when I was a Liberal. Came here and you guys pretty much finished me off.

Thanks!

If you voted in or before 1984 in Texas and weren't a registered democrat you effectively couldn't vote, as most local candidates were democrat vs. democrat. Still is that way to a [i]certain[/i] estent.  With the Reagan & Bush 43 revolutions, it became possible to register as a Republican and vote with some efficacy. I am now a registered (I HATE THAT WORD) Republican.  However I'm a Libertarian/South Park Republican.  I vote Libertarian in most local and statewide races unless an anti RKBA demo is likely to win.  I even have my mom doing that now.

TS

What [b]influenced[/b] me?  Well in 1988 I registered as a Democrat for the above stated reasons.  I was Reaganized by my brother (before 1988)and voted for GHWB in 1988 and 1992.  With the bans and similar measures during the Cliton administration, I became more radical in my beliefs.  Actually, I think I just came to know what they really were and started on my Libertarian path.

TS

I used to be a big-time liberal. Supported Dinkins over Giuliani (whoa!!!), Klinton over Bush Sr. I even went vegetarian for a few days (impressionable kid in a public school, what can I say?). Ahh, the follies of youth.

But I had a strong libertarian streak, and hated (for mostly personal reasons) Red China. One day the Yankees went into a rain delay, and they cut to the regular programming....which was Limbaugh. This was the '96 campaign, and the allegations of Clinton having been bought out by the Reds were flying about. Looked into it and gave Clinton and the Dems a big F U. Spent the next few years hooked on talk radio (I was a Hannity listener back when he did late nights on WABC), wavered between Libertarian and Conservative until I met some real(kooky) Libertarians. Yeah, that was an eye-opener. I consider myself a pragmatic libertarian, and I'm a registered Republican.

So yeah, neocon is not an inappropriate label for myself.

[b]Q: So what influenced your party membership or registration?[/b]

A: This.

[img]http://www.lslproducts.com/BillNHillary.jpg[/img]

Well, Wisconsin does not have 'party registration', so I'm not 'registered' with one or the other.

However, I do consider myself a Republican.

Here's why:

The GOP is pro-gun to neutral.
In the case of those that I vote for, they have all been pro.

The GOP opposes Roe v Wade
Now before I get into this, let me state that my position on this has [b]NOTHING TO DO WITH ABORTION[/b]. [u]It has to do with a bunch of liberal supreme court justices dragging a [b]'constitutional right to privacy'[/b] out of a ficticious [b]penumbra of the 14th Ammendment[/b]!!!!![/u] This is by far the most dangerous USSC decision since the Civil War, as it holds the power (if taken full advantage of) to strike down any prohibitive law on the books today (from drug prohibition, to child porn, etc... There are many 'victimless crimes' that (a) should be crimes, and (b) would not be if this 'right' is pushed to the extreme).

The GOP opposes drug legalization.
This is one issue (combined with Foreign Policy) that will prevent me from ever voting for or affilliating myself with the Libertarian Party. I cannot stand anyone who makes policy on the basis of 'So I can Get High', or any party who's leadership is willing to renounce a legitimate law just because people break it. Surrendering to criminals is unforgivable. And yes, this includes MJ (for any purpose. Even 'medicinal' use will promote abuse. You have no idea how many of my former HS classmates would have developed migranes, arthritis, or whatever had medicinal pot been legal when I was in HS. It's all a crock to be able to legally get high.)...

The current GOP is pro tax-cut.
If you run them out of money, they will have to cut the size of government sooner or later. So cutting taxes is the beginning of an important end.

The GOP supports an active, interventionist foreign policy.
This is my other major bone with Libertarianisim. The US needs to be pro-active (er 'Preemptive') with regard to foreign threats and oppertunities. If a country has something that is usefull to us (from natural resources to common enemies) we should support them. If they are hostile to us, we should destroy their ability to act on that hostility (weather this means an economic embargo/blockade ('sanctions' in UNspeak), air raids, an Iraq-style operation to liberate the people from an anti-American government, or a general unrestricted invasion depends on the situation). What we should NOT do is turtle up inside our borders and wait for someone to kick us in the butt before we respond. This sort of isolationisim cost too many American lives in up to and during WWII (since in WWII and before, we were NEVER ready for any war we found ourselves fighting, but rather developed our weapons and tactics from scratch, under fire), and will cost more if we ever revert to it again (far more than the cost of remaining ready and active).

Other issues:
Opposed to socialized national health care. Our local GOP is anti-mass-transit (Milwaukee politics features the GOP (pro-freeway) vs Mayor Norq and the Dems (pro-life-sized-train-set)), and is actually working to shrink local (county) government.

Also, the Republicans may finally accomplish the long overdue task of unifying federal law enforcement under one singular agency (DHS). It hasn't happened quite yet, but it's the logical progression. No more 'ATF, FBI, DEA, EPA, Customs, US Marshals, Border Patrol (who's job should be given to the Army Reserve/National Guard), etc...', just 'DHS'. And if they fire all the redundant desk jockeys (making DHS field-agent-heavy, without the dead weight that came with so many separate agencies), they will actually SAVE MONEY in the process.... And NO, I am NOT worried about PATRIOT, DHS, or any of the rest being part of some 'vast left wing conspiracy' to take over our country/lives...

So that's why I'm a Republican, and 2 reasons why I'm not (and never will be, even if the AWB is renewed, or whatever) a Libertarian.

When I was a kid I was a big fan of Nixon, can't even remember why anymore.  Been a Republican ever since.  Regan was the first president I voted for.

Well, I registered in the 90's, so I have no excuse.  I did not vote for Clinton, however, as I didn't register to vote until after 1996.  I was just then starting to shed off the liberal puke ideology I had subscribed to, thanks to my wife.  If it weren't for her, my success at work, and having kids, I'd probably still be a liberal puke with no morals.  She and I voted Libertarian because we knew Bush was goign to take Texas.  I voted for a Libertarian in every race where one was running, and Republican in any race where it was down to the big two, much like you do.

Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

I haven't found a political party that represents me enough for me to join it.  I just try to pick the best of the available candidates.  However, in SC this allows you to cross party lines in primaries!  Can you say spoiler?!

I registered Republican mostly because I didn't even want to give the democommunist party the implicit support of even a registration.  

I registered a Republican because I oppose the Dems in Calif. I used to campaign for the conservative Dick Mountjoy in s. Calif. He says that the lot of people like to count noses on who is Repub/Dem/others.

I registered Republican in high school.  It ws explained to me this way by an older friend who I really looked up to: "The Democrats like to spend your money to support welfare programs. Not that theres anything wrong with helping your fellow man, but their programs encourage people to stay in the welfare system and be supported by it.  Plus remember, their party symbol is a JACKASS."

I just engaged my brain before I registered.

TXLEWIS

[keanu]'Cause I'm always up fer a good party dude!  I just keep forgetting my name and address...[keanu]

Vote policy not party.