What Drives You Politically?

[vcczar]

New poll. Wish I had more time to make it longer. 

[vcczar]

It would be great if everyone took this poll. 

[Pringles]

1, and 2 really (sorry for the he who shall not be named moment.) are too hard for me to narrow down. 
 

I generally am more favorable to the party that has a realistic method of improving not only the country, but the world. That can mean a lot of things to me. I support military intervention to stop atrocities and topple authoritarian dictators (within reason). 
 

I don’t think you can achieve a domestic utopia at home yet remain isolationist or not care about military concerns. I think the best way to improve humanity is by promoting Western “Free World” values. I think capitalism with some obvious regulations is without a doubt the greatest economic system and one of the greatest methods to uplift people in impoverished/authoritarian states. 
 

Im pro technology, pro space exploration and those are issues that are very important to me asides from my top 3: military issues, foreign policy, and economics in that order.
 

The reason I picked a sentence for two is because the GOP leadership, mainly the current “leader” of the party in Donald Trump has taken petty corruption of the past to a whole new level. I view corruption in two different ways, petty corruption like any average politician dabbles in. I don’t judge too harshly on those, but there’s a certain kind of degradation that Trump has brought to the entire US, our politics, and especially my party. 
 

I used to be more of a weirdo populist isolationist MAGAtard with left wing economic views until I began traveling to Eastern Europe around 2018 with my family. I think that is where I started changing my outlook a lot. 

[vcczar]

26 minutes ago, Pringles said:

until I began traveling to Eastern Europe around 2018 with my family. I think that is where I started changing my outlook a lot. 

What exactly about this trip changed your outlook?

[Pringles]

16 minutes ago, vcczar said:

What exactly about this trip changed your outlook?

Being exposed to the different cultures, and seeing how the rest of my family that I rarely ever see live. They live very humble, decent lives. Yet it’s nothing compared to how I live in America. 
 

As I came home I felt that Americans and many people of the Western world in general are spoiled. We have it to good and I’m thankful and blessed for it, but I see a lot of how the status quo in Eastern Europe is prohibiting their ability to thrive as a nation.

Bulgaria has lost so much of its population because so many people have left for better opportunity. The recent influx of Ukrainian refugees is the greatest opportunity in a while to begin the foundation of building a better country. There are problems however.

Bulgarias old school Communist party however doesn’t want to help Ukraine. They want more of the same. Bulgarias recent outgoing Prime Minister Kiril Petkov is a figure I’ve got a lot of respect for over there. He was very proactive in helping Ukraine and he strikes me as a leader who wants a better future.

Bulgarians current President, Rumen Radev is decent. Despite having ties to the old Communists and socialists he’s much more of an independent figure now, but still a lot of work left to do. Not only for Bulgaria but Eastern Europe in general. 
 

Partially this is probably why Ukraine is also the most important thing going on in the world right now tbh. To me that is. 

Edited March 3 by Pringles

[vcczar]

9 minutes ago, Pringles said:

We have it to good and I’m thankful and blessed for it, but I see a lot of how the status quo in Eastern Europe is prohibiting their ability to thrive as a nation.

I guess I need some specifics here as I've never been to Eastern Europe. What do you think is prohibiting their ability to thrive as a nation? What do thriving nations--such as the US, Canada, Sweden, UK, and Germany--have that Bulgaria doesn't, for instance. 

[Pringles]

1 minute ago, vcczar said:

I guess I need some specifics here as I've never been to Eastern Europe. What do you think is prohibiting their ability to thrive as a nation? What do thriving nations--such as the US, Canada, Sweden, UK, and Germany--have that Bulgaria doesn't, for instance. 

First off wages in Bulgaria are extremely low. It’s almost worthless to get a college degree in Bulgaria. Doctors can make as much as a minimum wage cashier does here. A lot of the “essential work” that a Western country would have typically, like reliable energy sources, decent infrastructure, and especially hospitals are state owned and have mountains of debt.

Id imagine the EU statistics can tell you a lot more than I can. But there’s a reason Bulgaria is closer to the bottom in many of these mentioned categories. 2008 hit the country really hard as well.

There are a lot of slums, also quite a substantial amount of petty thievery and organized crime like in any Eastern European country really… which can be what many impoverished people resort to. 
 

Tl:dr, 

Wages are super low, education opportunity is poor, the country is at risk of severe population decline which is already happening.

The only real benefit for an outsider to Bulgaria is the cheap cost of living. (Compared to us that is, not necessarily for a Bulgarian citizen.) Much of Eastern Europe is like this in general, especially Romania and Albania, Belarus I’d imagine is worse. 
 

When we were there in 2018 roughly 25 bucks in USD got us 4 meals at one of the nicest restaurants in the country. The food is also really good… I noticed that in general things are more “fresh” over there if that makes sense. Compared to the processed foods in large nations. 
 

But yeah. Hope that helps!

[vcczar]

My apologies if you've already done this, I'm just creating a master tag here:

@Arkansas Progressive @A man from Colorado @Alexander-Nicholas @Beetlejuice @bradleyg223 @Bushwa777 @Cal @Cenzonico @ConservativeElector2 @DakotaHale @DJBillyShakes @Dobs @ebrk85 @Edouard @Entrecampos @Eugene @Fbarbarossa @Hestia @HiyarAgasi @jnewt @Joe303300 @jvikings1 @Kitten @Largo833 @Lars @lm1145 @Magnus Rex @Mark_W @matthewyoung123 @Melted-Pyrite @MrPotatoTed @Murrman104 @NCblue1 @OrangeP47 @Pringles @pilight @pman @Rezi @Rodja @Sean F Kennedy @ShortKing @SilentLiberty @The Blood @themiddlepolitical @Timur @Umbrella @vcczar @Vicx @Vols21 @Willthescout7 @Wiw @WVProgressive @Zenobiyl

[Cal]

I will also have to refrain from answering, though I’ll note it is not due to the poll itself per se but rather that my views likely fall pretty far outside of the mainstream when it comes to the politicians I am most likely to support. 

For questions 1 and 2, I believe that the primary purpose of government is to promote an environment where it’s citizens enjoy a high quality of life and it is of the utmost importance that the government be as legitimate as possible. My personal views on several issues take a backseat to the importance of governmental integrity and stable political (especially legal) institutions. For example, while I personally favor pro-choice policies and gun control measures, I am believe that the Supreme Court made the correct decisions in Dobbs and the NY gun case based on the merits of the arguments presented and that the precedent was based on prior court cases that dangerously read protections into the constitution that were not actually included. 

So in short, I support a stable government that respects its institutions above all else. 

[Willthescout7]

On questions 1 and 2, I picked the ones closest to my opinions. In actuality, I value a politician with similar beliefs, but there is one issue (abortion) where I will not even think about supporting a candidate that takes the opposite stance. I'll overlook pretty much any other issue, but not that one.

[WVProgressive]

This poll really got me thinking, and I realized something

What drives me politically? Myself. I vote for candidates who support policies that I think will benefit me now, or in the future. I don’t consider myself a partisan, I don’t like attaching myself to any movement, or social group - and this extends beyond politics, I can’t stand the loss of individuality which is required to, and results from ingratiating one’s self to a community. 

It makes me feel strange to admit this, both to myself, and to other people. A part of me feels this isn’t true, if it were why would I support giving aid to Ukraine for example? But then another part of me is telling me it is true, Ukraine does affect me, because it affects America’s status as a global hegemony, which in turn indirectly affects my quality of life. It feels wrong, I feel like I should base my beliefs on idealistic visions of an ideal society, not whatever suits my needs, and desires. Idk… I need some time to think.

Good poll, gave me a lot to think about.

[OrangeP47]

It's late, and I'm technically trying to go to bed right now, so I won't be as verbose as I usually am, but I guess I can sum it up using a word you used quite a bit:  I'm a humanitarian.  If you're looking for the "drive" that's what it comes down to.  The "who" or "what" stem from that.  The "why" is definitively 99% growing up on Star Trek's utopianism.

[vcczar]

8 hours ago, OrangeP47 said:

It's late, and I'm technically trying to go to bed right now, so I won't be as verbose as I usually am, but I guess I can sum it up using a word you used quite a bit:  I'm a humanitarian.  If you're looking for the "drive" that's what it comes down to.  The "who" or "what" stem from that.  The "why" is definitively 99% growing up on Star Trek's utopianism.

Yep, this is me too. I've used the Star Trek and humanitarian analogies too, although I use Star Trek: The Next Generation. 

[OrangeP47]

2 minutes ago, vcczar said:

Yep, this is me too. I've used the Star Trek and humanitarian analogies too, although I use Star Trek: The Next Generation. 

I more meant the franchise as a whole, not specifically the original series or anything.

[vcczar]

11 minutes ago, OrangeP47 said:

I more meant the franchise as a whole, not specifically the original series or anything.

The only ones I really paid attention to were TNG and DS9. I thought the old series was okay, but only watched it if it happened to be on. I only watched maybe two of the movies. I watched the first season of Voyager but then forgot about it. I never watched anything after Voyager season 1. I like TNG and DS9 because they overlap and sometimes share characters. 

[OrangeP47]

Just now, vcczar said:

The only ones I really paid attention to were TNG and DS9. I thought the old series was okay, but only watched it if it happened to be on. I only watched maybe two of the movies. I watched the first season of Voyager but then forgot about it. I never watched anything after Voyager season 1. I like TNG and DS9 because they overlap and sometimes share characters. 

I mean, to be fair, TOS is... very dated... but also does have some very good moments and the tone is still there if you're looking... it was just most definitely a product of it's time, and of course everything else couldn't have happened without it.  Voyager is what I grew up with and when it's really good it's really good.  Problem is when it's really bad, it's really bad.  But being 7-8 and seeing that a woman was the captain? Perfectly normal.  That's just how it was.  Now, as an adult, Janeway is... well... a little too "let's murder these hapless aliens" as opposed to "Strong Federation Values (TM)", but it's the thought that counts.  The new stuff is good too, but I won't derail by going into too much detail.

[Pringles]

I’m a big fan of TOS. I can’t really get into the other ones though lol. I like some episodes of TNG.

Come to think of it I can’t really think of a movie nor a TV show that has influenced my political beliefs. I don’t even think I’d let that happen because it’s not really what I’m thinking about when I watch something. Unless the movie or show is directly related to actual politics.

Edited March 4 by Pringles

[OrangeP47]

1 minute ago, Pringles said:

I’m a big fan of TOS. I can’t really get into the other ones though lol. I like some episodes of TNG.

One probably with *most* of the series is the first season or two is really bad, and only around season three do they start to actually get good, but that can be a big committment to sit through the low parts at series' start to get to the good stuff.

[Umbrella]

This was a really difficult poll for me to fill out.  For 1 and 2, I don't consider myself tied to either party.  I've voted for both Democrats and Republicans at different levels of government.  For me, it's about the candidate, not the party.

Also, for 3, that was a tough one.  For president, I don't care what they think about state or local issues.  For senator and reps, state issues is the driving force.  For mayor, and city level, I care more about their local stances.

Number 4 was also difficult.  I think I would say it's a combination of the first and third answers.  In hindsight, I think I should have chosen the first answer, but I chose the third, which leads me to the next point...

Most of these questions seem to be driven by the current state of politics.  Perhaps that was the intent, but I tried to answer the questions based on my political views over my lifetime, not just now.  Easier said than done.  As an example (and I'm not trying to stir the pot politically with this), I would say I'm a moderate that leans conservative, but it's tough for me to vote for most Republicans right now based on character.  Normally that's not something that would play a big part, because I believe most politicians have some character issues.  They just have the political skills to overcome these issues.  Right now, we have a lot of politicians with the issues, but without the skill.  Being an Arizonan, I'm exposed to this regularly.

There's a running joke in my circle that my liberal friends say I'm the most conservative person they hang out with, and my conservative friends say I'm the most liberal person they hang out with.  I guess that's what being moderate these days is like.

[DakotaHale]

Economics, foreign policy, and civil rights/civil liberties are my most important issues in that order. 

I have left and right wing stances (sometimes on the same issue). I support universal health insurance, but also think that the Canadian healthcare system and Obamacare systems are absolute shitpiles and not something we should emulate and I don’t know how leftists defend them.

I support voter ID, but I think they should be free to get and all eligible voters should be registered when they get one.

I support increased skilled and unskilled labor immigration, but I also support them assimilating into American culture and building a wall/surveillance barrier to deter drug convoys and illegal immigration.

I support policies that benefit the environment and alternative energy, but I also think the “scientific consensus” on climate change is very shady and not as clear-cut as they make it out to be.

I am unequivocally pro-life, but I also support mandated maternity leave, child tax credits, and allowing a mother to file their unborn child as a dependent on taxes. 

I support progressive taxation, but I also think the US income tax is already progressive enough.

On crime and civil rights I don’t have a lot of right wing stances I think. Pretty pro-drug decriminalization, police reform, and pro-civil rights. 

I think Thatcher and Attlee were the two best prime ministers the UK has had.

I’m a weird blend of ideologies. Maybe a liberal

[Edouard]

Between candidates I always put society first but economy comes second

So if several parties are progressives I will vote for the most economically moderate one, but if there is only one left wing economic party which is fiscally and societally progressive and one party which is fiscally and societally conservative I will go with the progressive party.

[MrPotatoTed]

None of these perfectly fit me.  The simple answer is that I have to be able to sleep at night, and/or explain my vote to my daughter in a way that I want her to respect (at a nine-year-old level of course.)  

My daughter's best friend is Muslim, so it was very easy to explain to her why I was so passionately against Trump.  "Trump thinks Maya shouldn't be allowed to live here.  And he also hurts girls.  That's not okay, and that's why we can't let him be President anymore."

There were a million other things I hated about him, too.  But this was a good introductory way to explain it, as she was six years old at the time and just starting to notice politics because I'm so passionate about it.

I often describe my ideal candidate as "The adult in the room."  The person who is willing to make the difficult decisions, even if it goes against their campaign promises or even their personal beliefs, because situations change and as you gain more access to more information, you have to be able to adapt and take the hit politically for doing something unpopular, but right.  For example, I've never read anything to suggest Harry S. Truman was consumed by bloodlust and wanted to murder as many relatively innocent people as he could, including women and children.  Yet he made the difficult decision to drop the Atomic bombs on Japan, because it had to be done.  He accepted responsibility for the outcome, with the weight of the world on his shoulders -- "The Buck Stops Here."

At the same time, the ideal candidate has to have a heart.  George W Bush called himself a "compassionate conservative."  You can debate whether he actually was one, but that's aiming at what I'm looking for.  Someone who actually cares about people who aren't like them -- other genders, races, religions, ages, foreigners, sexualities, etc.  

My daughter is nine.  Who knows what sexuality she might have, when the time comes.  And who knows what gender/race/religion/nationality/etc her partner might have, and by extension my grandchildren might have.  

Making America the best place possible for ALL people is simply hedging my bets that my own descendants will be safe here, no matter who they turn out to be.  

[Pringles]

2 hours ago, MrPotatoTed said:

None of these perfectly fit me.  The simple answer is that I have to be able to sleep at night, and/or explain my vote to my daughter in a way that I want her to respect (at a nine-year-old level of course.)  

My daughter's best friend is Muslim, so it was very easy to explain to her why I was so passionately against Trump.  "Trump thinks Maya shouldn't be allowed to live here.  And he also hurts girls.  That's not okay, and that's why we can't let him be President anymore."

There were a million other things I hated about him, too.  But this was a good introductory way to explain it, as she was six years old at the time and just starting to notice politics because I'm so passionate about it.

I often describe my ideal candidate as "The adult in the room."  The person who is willing to make the difficult decisions, even if it goes against their campaign promises or even their personal beliefs, because situations change and as you gain more access to more information, you have to be able to adapt and take the hit politically for doing something unpopular, but right.  For example, I've never read anything to suggest Harry S. Truman was consumed by bloodlust and wanted to murder as many relatively innocent people as he could, including women and children.  Yet he made the difficult decision to drop the Atomic bombs on Japan, because it had to be done.  He accepted responsibility for the outcome, with the weight of the world on his shoulders -- "The Buck Stops Here."

At the same time, the ideal candidate has to have a heart.  George W Bush called himself a "compassionate conservative."  You can debate whether he actually was one, but that's aiming at what I'm looking for.  Someone who actually cares about people who aren't like them -- other genders, races, religions, ages, foreigners, sexualities, etc.  

My daughter is nine.  Who knows what sexuality she might have, when the time comes.  And who knows what gender/race/religion/nationality/etc her partner might have, and by extension my grandchildren might have.  

Making America the best place possible for ALL people is simply hedging my bets that my own descendants will be safe here, no matter who they turn out to be.  

I love it. You glorious Dick Cheney Democrat. 

[Blockmon]

Hello, this is my first post and I wanted to answer on these.

I was born in Iraq during the height of the invasion of it. I remember distinct memories of my parents really closing me off from any of the horror that they felt from the regime. But I now remember some of the horrible things I have heard like my own mother, where young radicals took USA soldier and let's say it wasn't pleasant. These memories and overall climate in USA really pushed me to left-wing polices and progressive ideals plus living in a very democratic state added to that. I just want what's best for me and others in the future and I am open myself to other's opinions, so while I dislike some people. I don't wish any hatred against others as that will lead to nothing, but violence, open discussion and cooperation is what I see as the best for the future.