What political party do you belong to, and why did you choose that party?

I’ve never nailed my colours to one mast, rather i’m a floating voter. Basically, it changes based on which party makes more sense at the time.

I am apolitical.

Haven’t voted ever! running, ducking, dodging ;-D

I am independent, because there is no other choice and, I don’t appreciate being taken for granted.

“I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever, in religion, in philosophy, in politics or in anything else, where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent. If I could not go to Heaven but with a party, I would not go there at all.”
—Thomas Jefferson

While I can be described as a left libertarian, that is a political disposition and not a political party. Nor do I tend to vote straight down any ticket. I vote for people, rather than parties, and it doesn’t really matter to me who else has seen fit to endorse someone if I think s/he’s the most deserving of my vote. Besides, I live in a place that has open primaries. As such, there is no reason for me to fake allegiance to a group to which I have no real loyalty.

I am a Libertarian because I favor maximizing individual liberty, and I can’t ABIDE statism!

When I first voted in 2000 I was a registered Democrat. I always voted for Democrats up until the past presidential election. Before Sarah Palin was even in the picture I told myself I would vote for either Hillary Clinton or John McCain. I felt Obama didn’t have the experience needed for the position and decided I would not support him.

I now vote for the person, not the political party. I’m starting to not like labels the older I get.

I used to describe myself as an independent (socially liberal / fiscally conservative), but it seems the Republican party has swung so far to the radical right from their earlier days, currently pursuing expensive Big Conservative government policies, all the while pretending to be for small government, and for failing to admit to and learn from their previous policy decisions that I would almost never vote for a Republican (I used to have respect for McCain until he chose Palin as his running mate). I like what Democratic party stands for these days, but I just wish they could do a better job of uniting and backing each other up (although it’s easier to unite morons than free thinkers which may be part of the problem).

I am not a member of any political party as I haven’t found one with views the same as mine. I tend to favour the politics of the left and green issues.

I am a Democrat. I am more aligned with their general philosophy. I was a bit of a devil’s advocate conservative in college, and voted as a Republican in the 1976 primary, but switched back to Democrat. I voted for Reagan in1980 and have regretted it ever since.

The Republicans are too beholden to the religious right that want to control personal freedom and dictate what behavior is acceptable.

I would be open to being a Green party member if they were viable.

I swear, I was going to ask this question today on Fluther. Then I saw this and thought: Freaky.
I’m not old enough to vote yet, though I do follow election campaigns and have my own veiws on party policies.
Mine will change according to the current economic climate and the country’s position in various aspects. Last election I was supporting the Conservatives as most of their policies were of a kind to get Britian back on it’s feet. They would bring a certain amount of stability to Britain’s economy.

Independent, lower-case l libertarian.

I don’t believe that either of the major American political parties adequately represent my interests. Both are quite a bit too authoritarian for my tastes, albeit in different ways.

In before someone shows up and tells me I’m unprincipled, or pretentious for trying to stay “above the fray.”

Democrat.

I am socially liberal, fiscally moderate, and pragmatic (rather than ideological) in foreign policy. What’s more, I can argue that these views are clearly better than the alternative views based on available evidence.

The only third party that comes close to representing my views is the Green Party. And I prefer to support parties that actually have a chance of winning elections and governing, and preventing the other party in our two-party system from gaining power and wrecking the world. This is because I am a pragmatist, and I don’t believe that voting is about satisfying my ego or ensuring that politicians don’t take me for granted; it’s a responsibility to do my part to guide the country towards the better of two possible outcomes.

In a perfect world, I’d be an Independent. However, in my area, primaries are closed unless you declare a major party. Since I want to have a say even in the early stages, I had to choose to be a Republican or a Democrat. While I’m very liberal socially, I lean more to the conservative side fiscally, so it wasn’t a cut and dried decision when I made it many years ago. In the end, I registered as a Democrat, because I value people (social issues) over money (fiscal issues). I don’t vote a straight party ticket, I vote for policies I agree with. At times, that has meant voting for a Republican (though never at the presidential level) or a third party candidate.

Why do people think Republicans are fiscally conservative?

@Qingu When I was 18, about 25 years ago now, I did believe that. I’m much more educated on the realities now.

*Still, Democrats certainly aren’t known for being fiscally conservative, either.

The only Party I was really happy to be apart of was the Reform Party, but they quietly slipped away. The next party I want to be a part of has yet to be formed and probably won’t before I die. I don’t see any good at all with what we have.

I’m in the democratic party but with libertarian leanings. I joined for two reasons:

1st. Regan was running for president and I was appalled by his narrow minded agenda and the hate for anyone not white and conservative show during the Republican convention.

2nd. If you are not a member of a major party, you cannot vote in the Pennsylvania primary elections unless an independent is running.. Even then, you can only vote for an independent.

The voting system is FIXED in Pennsylvania.

@Qingu because the media never challenges them on that label. The Republican Party policies are the ones that created the massive debt since Reagan, they have backed corporate welfare, taken a surplus and created a record deficit and nearly caused a second depression through reckless fiscal policy. Medicare part D is the perfect example of Republicans acting irresponsibly with taxpayer money, and the Democrats behaving as fiscal conservatives in their opposition to how it was implemented.

I am a Democrat because I am pro-choice, pro gay marriage, want a balanced budget, want socialized medicine, believe in a path to citizenship for immigrants, believe in public education, and I am sure there are things I am missing. I have not seen too many Republicans lately who agree with me on these things, although they are out there.

Growing up during the Reagan years I knew he ran up the deficit saying it was a good thing, and did very little to help get knowledge out about HIV, which really bothered me. My mom was a Dem my whole life, and my father a Republican until a few years ago. I always tried to look at each individual issue, and each individual candidate, but more and more the candidates are not individuals they are controlled by the parties. As long as the Republican party are controlled by people who dismiss evolution, want religion in government, and want a Christian country, it is difficult for me to to align with them. There are of course Republicans who are moderate, basically function as independents, and do not agree with many things the right wing of the party does. When the face and power in the party shifts more towards that element, I might be able to start voting Republican more. I hope it happens. For now, I don’t identify with Republicans, I can’t see calling myself one. I associate too many of them with being hateful.

I like personal freedom in terms of social issues, and I like financial wisdom (whether that means spending or saving, and in what area, changes per situation). While I vote for people, not parties, I have a lot in common with old-school Republicans, which means I usually vote Democratic.

Libertarian party because this party aims to destroy the tyranny of democrats and republican policies and to return the government back to the founding fathers constitutional preamble statement of purpose which is only to defend, protect, and maximize individual liberty.

I vote Green locally and statewide, also for candidates for representatives in the House. I think if more people had the courage to vote for them, there could be a Green or two in the House. For President, I usually vote Democrat, though since Clinton, I have been gravely disappointed.

I was raised to be a Democrat, thought it wasn’t explicitly stated to be the case. But I also grew up amid the bickering over who has been most oppressed by the white males in power (and that’s not all white dudes, yes, I know, calm down) in full earnest and that pissed me off. I looked at my options as a young adult and the Greens came closest to my set of values.

I do re-examine my values and the Greens are currently still my political party of choice. But I’m registered as an Independent because one day, they may not be.

I belong to the Democratic party because I want to vote in their primaries and they are the most closely aligned with my political beliefs out of the major parties, but they absolutely do not match me entirely. No party does.

I was registered Libertarian for years. Unfortunately they had trouble producing viable candidates even at the local level. I considered myself to be fairly independent even then but as time went by I realized I seldom saw a democrat I could vote for. Finely I threw in the towel and changed to Republican. I don’t agree with everything they do but I virtually always disagree with what the Democrats are doing. Clinton was an anomaly in that he actually cut spending. I didn’t vote for him but never felt disappointed that he won. Since Bush was elected the Democrats have moved so far left that I can’t even see them from where I stand.

Maybe I should have said I am liberally apolitical. lol

I’m registered as a Republican. However, I vote for the liberal agenda more than the Republican agenda, and only remain a Republican because I’m in a Democrat heavy district and I like having my primary votes really screw with what the rest of the Republicans want in my district.

Haha! Even before I saw @Qingu‘s comment, I was going to ask exactly “Why do people think Republicans are fiscally conservative?”

They lie, folks! The conservative parties are absolutely not fiscally conservative in either the US or in Canada. They just know it’s what voters want to hear.

Independent.

@Coloma I just think it’s more sad than anything else, it’s like watching an aristocrat throw away pounds of perfectly good food laughing while thousands of starving people are dying outside her mansion.

What goes through your mind when you see Libyans/Syrians/etc. getting massacred in an attempt to win their rights to vote—a right that you seem to laugh off? I can understand being apathetic to the mess that is the US political system, but I would at least take the time to go to the ballot box and write in “none of the above” if I disliked all of the candidates.

@Qingu You don’t have to be registered as a Democrat to vote for them in an election. In some places, you don’t even have to be registered as a Democrat to vote in their primaries. So even if your later points were germane to voting, they aren’t necessarily germane to party registration.

@gorillapaws

Not going there.
And who said anything about laughing?
And I am far from apathetic, I consciously choose to go my own way and I exercise my freedoms in a manner that resonates for me.
My apolitical stance has nothing to do with apathy.
I contribute in my own ways to humanity and don’t feel I need to participate in the illusion.

Nuff said.

What I think is sad are those that build their entire identities around their political leanings, the very stuff war is made of.

Judge not lest ye be judged.

@Coloma In your previous post that was moderated as off-topic you had written either “ha, ha, ha” or “lol” or something to that effect (thus the laughing statement). I think discussing why one doesn’t vote is quite relevant to the current topic, so I’m very disappointed the mods choose to make the conversation difficult to follow.

I completely agree that it is sad when people’s entire identities are consumed by politics, but likewise I think it’s even more tragic when people shrug off the same political rights that people all over the world are literally dying to try to win for themselves.

“Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.”

“We do not say that a man who takes no interest in politics is a man who minds his own business; we say that he has no business here at all.”

—Pericles

@gorillapaws@gorillapaws
I was laughing at MYSELF, as a daughter of the american revolution that has no base camp Joking about being a traitor, not laughing at others affiliations.

Just to clarify.

Yes, the question simply asks for ones affiliations or lack thereof, my answer begins and ends there. In keeping with the standard of no arguments and/or flame wars, minus my modest and tempered rebuttal of making assumptions on the totality of a person based on political or spiritual leanings.