Political Parties?

[Elephant Walk]

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

You don't know much about right wing politics in Europe!

The major parties (that get over 20% of the vote) are not right wing. However, parties like the Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands in Germany, Le Pen's party in France (can't think of the name off the top of my head), Freedom Party in Austria, are extremelyy right wing, but more in the "nationalist racist" way, then in the free-market "classically liberal" way. Even then the NPD usually doesn't get more than 5% of the vote. Le Pen who went in the runoff for the Presidency only got like 15%.

I worked with the Freie Demokratische Partei in Germany for several months which is the only major classically liberal party in Germany and it generally garners less than 15% of the vote (in certain areas, far less than that). Furthermore, in terms of "classical liberalism" the FDP is something more akin to Republicans than actual Free Marketers.

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by Elephant Walk

The major parties (that get over 20% of the vote) are not right wing. However, parties like the Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands in Germany, Le Pen's party in France (can't think of the name off the top of my head), Freedom Party in Austria, are extremelyy right wing, but more in the "nationalist racist" way, then in the free-market "classically liberal" way. Even then the NPD usually doesn't get more than 5% of the vote. Le Pen who went in the runoff for the Presidency only got like 15%.

I worked with the Freie Demokratische Partei in Germany for several months which is the only major classically liberal party in Germany and it generally garners less than 15% of the vote (in certain areas, far less than that). Furthermore, in terms of "classical liberalism" the FDP is something more akin to Republicans than actual Free Marketers.

The neofascists like Le Pen are indeed rather marginalized today, but that wasn't necessarily always the case in recent history. I just hesitate to say that the Front National is totally irrelevant... It is the third largest party. Even today, they poll significantly better in the first round elections than say the Communists, who used to be a more significant party in France. Although if you combined far left/revolutionary candidates I suppose it would be more than Le Pen or at least equal, but they're very disorganized obviously.

UMP is also more conservative (I think) than you're giving it credit for. It's Liberal-conservative/Gaullist. And Gaullism (I think) is a very conservative movement, although it doesn't always appear that way to Americans because Gaullism includes thumbing your nose at the US to some degree...

eh. I'll leave it there. I don't know enough about modern German politics to discuss it intelligently.

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

I'm either a very liberal democrat or a conservative Green. Depending on how you look at it.

How 'bout you?

*this is not a thread for political discussion. it is a thread for STATING your political affiliation, if you so desire*

thank you.

LOL. Just looking back on this.

I no longer consider myself a liberal democrat. I would now call myself (depending on who I'm talking to) a post-leftist, an anarchist, or a libertarian.

Grad school does that to you.

[RU OX Alum]

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

LOL. Just looking back on this.

I no longer consider myself a liberal democrat. I would now call myself (depending on who I'm talking to) a post-leftist, an anarchist, or a libertarian.

Grad school does that to you.

awesome.

I'm a post-modern situationist.

You're right, grown up politics are way more fun.

[DaemonSeid]

RALEIGH, N.C. - Former Sen. Jesse Helms, who built a career along the fault lines of racial politics and battled liberals, Communists and the occasional fellow Republican during 30 conservative years in Congress, died on the Fourth of July. He was 86

"It's just incredible that he would die on July 4, the same day of the Declaration of Independence and the same day that Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died, and he certainly is a patriot in the mold of those great men," said former North Carolina GOP Rep. Bill Cobey, the chairman of The Jesse Helms Center in Wingate, N.C.

Helms died at 1:15 a.m, the center said. He died in Raleigh of natural causes, said former chief of staff Jimmy Broughton.

"He was very comfortable," Broughton said.

Funeral arrangements were pending, the Helms center said.

"America lost a great public servant and true patriot today," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said few senators could match Helms' reputation.

"Today we lost a Senator whose stature in Congress had few equals. Senator Jesse Helms was a leading voice and courageous champion for the many causes he believed in," McConnell said in a statement.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080704/..._us/obit_helms

[kchaptergphib]

tree-hugging, flag-burning, pinko commie LIBERAL!

Which pretty much means I vote with the Democratic party in major elections.

The funny thing is, growing up on the west side of Madison, Wisconsin, I thought I was a "moderate Republican," mainly because I supported the death penalty in some cases, and was bitter about affirmative action in college admissions. Those are really the only two issues I've changed my mind about, and now sometimes I feel like I'm off the liberal deep end. But it feels great!

Obama Biden 08!

and, of course, these are my own freely shared opinions, and do not represent opinions of GPB, etc...

[sigtau305]

Originally Posted by kchaptergphib

Obama Biden 08!

[christiangirl]

Originally Posted by kchaptergphib

Obama Biden 08!

If I get one more anti-Obama bumper sticker on Facebook, I'm going to scream. When are people going to realize that Christians are NOT prophesied to be a block vote for McCain?

[MTSUGURL]

Republican. Every election I've ever voted in.

[iotamason]

Obamacan....... YEA BABY!!!!!!!

[XOMichelle]

I like liberals :-)

GObama!

[RU OX Alum]

Independent!

[Taualumna]

Anyone here disappointed at how conservatives have changed over the decades? Changed for the worse? Especially in the US, with so many people "jumping ship"? I'm glad that nothing too crazy has happened up here in Canada yet, things CAN CHANGE!

(I just wrote something in my blog about this)

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by Taualumna

Anyone here disappointed at how conservatives have changed over the decades? Changed for the worse? Especially in the US, with so many people "jumping ship"? I'm glad that nothing too crazy has happened up here in Canada yet, things CAN CHANGE!

(I just wrote something in my blog about this)

Although I have talked about my displeasure with certain segments of my party, I think you're generalizing a bit too much, and confusing some issues. Rockefeller Republicans were more in favor of high taxes and high social spending programs, and I don't really see those ideas making any strong advancement within the party.

If anything, one can say that Bush shares some of the Rockefeller Republican ideals (strong military, less aversion to spending); that's been a source of criticism from many within the party. A Rockefeller Republican today would be sort of a mix of Lincoln Chafee and President Bush (the current one).

There have been changes in both parties over the past few decades, definitely. But, I don't agree with the way you've characterized the change.

[californiagal01]

I voted for the first time this past November and I voted for Obama. It was an easy decision, when we have a Republican candidate who knows nothing about economics and a running mate who is a creationist Bible thumper who went to six colleges before she could graduate and couldn't say what magazines and books she reads. I don't like Republican politicians in general, with only a few exceptions. I think Arnold Schwarzenegger is ok, he is a reasonable moderate and he has done good things for our infrastructure here in California and the environment. But I think I'll be voting Democrat 99% of the time.