The Math is easy. You have two parties. Pick one. Go with it.
The hard part is learning the word “collective.” No political party, anywhere in the world, exists for an individual's personal preferences. If that were the case, it wouldn’t be a party, political or otherwise. I call this the “Other People Exist” rule. When you have only two parties, call it the “Whole Lotta Other People Exist” rule.
You can think of the political spectrum as a bar that ranges from Left to Right, or from Red to Blue, or any polar opposite you like. Divide it in two halves. There’s an infinite number of gradations across the spectrum. If you can’t figure out where you belong, go backpack in Nepal for a year. Do something to figure out who you are and what matters to you. When you do, you should be able to decide if you're a Democrat or Republican.
I know not everyone was as lucky as I was to have the privileges I did.
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A moment from childhood,
seared into my consciousness.
Every detail, down to the smell
of the warm summer morning.
Standing in our new neighbor’s driveway,
looking up at the red brick front
of their house and the word NIGGERS
painted there in tall white letters.
My sister’s face holding back sobs.
The pressure of my dad’s hand
on my shoulder and the low growl of his voice.
“We’re gonna scrub that nasty word
off them bricks. It’s an eyesore to the
neighborhood.”
Later, standing there with the garden hose,
watching the chalky water disappear
down the storm drain.
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When I hear people say they don’t see the variations or gradations between the two parties when there are very obvious differences and contrasts, it tells me a lot about the person making the observation.
If you can’t see any difference, these issues must not mean very much to you.
enfranchisement of voters, universal suffrage
inclusive democracy, equal rights for all
women’s right to control their own person, particularly with respect to reproduction
education and science
environmental ecology
access to health care
the value of labor and a living wage
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I'm a Democrat and I know why. How about you?
10:35 AM PT: Who expects to get everything they want, and all that they want, and then throws out the baby with the bathwater if they don't?