Why I've always voted the straight Democratic ticket (but rarely with much enthusiasm).
From where I sit, there isn't a lot of difference between the Democrats and the Republicans on economic policy, foreign policy, and law-and-order issues.
The Democrats are more open to non-Judeo-Christians, LGBTQ people, non-whites, and immigrants, and that's been true my whole life. I fit in one of those groups, and have friends in all the others. , which is why I've always voted the Democratic line.
However, Republican candidates could win me over if they could convince me they're not trying to reduce me and my friends to second-class citizenship.
And the Democrats could make me more enthusiastic if they embraced economic populism more enthusiastically. A friend points out the Democrats could make gains among working whites that way as well.
I've recently awakened and actually listened to what my conservative friends have been telling me for decades: They perceive the Democrats and liberals as advocating for freeloaders. That is not the case -- economic liberalism starts with understanding that if you can't work, or can't find a job that pays a livable wage, then the market system fails you. But it's not delusional for conservatives to think the way they do. The Democrats need to explicitly focus on working people.
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