Which Are You

[Dar~]

Democrat, Republican, Independent, or an alternate nation's political group (please name)

I am a democrat.

 

[BlackShanglan]

Whig.

 

[SeaCat]

Independant. Liberaly conservative, or conservatively liberal depending on my mood at the moment. (Nope, there isn't a pigeon hole that can hold this cat.)

Cat

 

[Dar~]

well I guess a democratic republican would be a party also. Which current party do you affiliate yourself with?



I swear I am not looking to argue. I just was wondering where everyone stands. I used to want to get a degree in political science just so I could discuss politics. I love learning about people's views.

Shang you would look so good in a white powdered wig sittin gwith a small hammer in the supreme court. Although it'll be a long time before they allow horses in politics.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

Émigré

 

[BlackShanglan]

Shang you would look so good in a white powdered wig sittin gwith a small hammer in the supreme court. Although it'll be a long time before they allow horses in politics.

I'm still working on getting them to make wigs for the equine head.

But at least I got a kiss.

 

[Dar~]

I'm still working on getting them to make wigs for the equine head.

But at least I got a kiss.

Would you be a long flowing Lady Godiva?

 

[BlackShanglan]

Would you be a long flowing Lady Godiva?

No, her I'm just trying to get on my back

 

[Dar~]

No, her I'm just trying to get on my back

Made you something.

 

[Huckleman2000]

I'm a democrat. However, by today's standards in the US, I'd probably be considered by many to be a socialist. That's ridiculous, of course, just as the "Socialist" government of Spain is hardly worthy of the term in its historical context. And just as the "Conservative" government of the US is veering further into the fascist territory.

These terms are constantly being redefined; or losing their definition, I'm not sure which.

 

[Dar~]

okay here it is.

 

[BlackShanglan]

okay here it is.

I love it! I'm putting it right next to the Christmas picture of me pulling Evil Alpaca in a sleigh

Damn, I look good in a wig.

Shanglan

 

[Dar~]

My daughter, Jericho, calls it her hairy horsie. She's three.

 

[matriarch]

Whig.

The American Whig Party (roughly from 1834-1856)

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The Whig Party, in the United States, was for most of its history concerned with promoting internal improvements, such as roads, canals, railroads, deepening of rivers, etc. This was of interest to many Westerners in this period, isolated as they were and in need of markets. Abraham Lincoln was a Whig for most of this period.

The name came into use in the 1680s in England when there was the threat of establishment of a line of Catholic Kings, starting with James II. The Protestant element, who held that Parliament could prevent such a succession, came to be called Whigs after a radical Presbyterian group in Scotland, the Whigamores, while the party tending to the doctrine of the rights of King James II (and naturally containing Catholic as well as simply royalist elements), were called Tories after some bands of Irish Catholics who had been driven to become outlaws due to the crusade of the English against the church they clung to.

The designation of British loyalists during the American Revolution - as Tories - is well known. And many on the revolutionary side must have identified with the English Whigs, which continued to be the party in favor of Parliament's keeping the king in check.

During Andrew Jackson's presidency the first really well organized political parties came into existence. The Democratic Party, with Jackson himself as the rallying point, brought about radical changes, including a presidency that for the first time threatened to overshadow Congress.

Jackson changed the perception of the presidential veto. It had been interpreted as something the president could do if he considered a bill unconstitutional, though the Constitution doesn't really state it that way. Jackson eventually laid down the precedent that the president could veto a bill on basically any grounds.

Jackson also took a free hand in changing the membership of his cabinet in a way that no other President had done. He had his first cabinet resign en masse, which to many at the time looked like the "fall of the government", but he treated it as something a President had the right to do.

All of this lead the opposition, to speak of King Andrew I, and to picture Jackson that way in political cartoons.

Henry Clay and others had called themselves National Republicans - based on their vision of the United States as nation while others saw it as a confederation of states - taking strong national measures like building inter-state roads. When a number of southern Democrats like John C. Calhoun, threw their lot in with the National Republicans, they were united only by their opposition to the growing "kinglike" strength of the president. Thus they came to be called Whigs, implying that the Jacksonians were Tories, in favor of "King" Andrew.

The Whig party ran, for some years, mostly in strong second place to the Democrats. They elected William Henry Harrison, in the famous "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" campaign of nonsense, copied from the Jackson Democrats, but Harrison (the hero of Tippecanoe) died just days into his presidency, and was succeded by Tyler, one of the anti-Jackson democrats, who showed himself to be basically a firm Democrat, and was "read out of the Whig party". They also elected Zachary Taylor (another war hero and no politician) who was died fairly early in the term, making Millard Filmore president.

After the Jackson era, the Whig party drifted towards its strongest elements, the national improvements men. That tendency was strongest by far in the North; the South being in those days almost purely agrarian.

In the 1850s when the nation became increasingly divided over slavery, a new Republican party formed, primarily to keep slavery quarantined off in the South, while Southern sentiment was for their right to move, with their way of life, into any new territory. Their methods of agriculture and their best cash crops tended to deplete the soil, so that Southerners were among the most aggressive Western expansionists.

The Republican Party, while it also attracted many anti-slavery Democrats, drew off so many Whigs that they effectively killed the Whig party. The Whigs were also badly hurt by the short-lived Native American or Know-Nothing party, which was primarily anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic. This party was strong in urban areas, which had also been a Whig stronghold. The last year the Whigs had a presidential candidate was in 1856.

-------------------------------------------------

Just because I'm pedantic, and wanted to see if 'Whig' in American parlance was related to the 'Whig' in the Brit.

 

[Kassiana]

I'm an independent liberal. I think both the Democratic and Republican parties are unfortunately basically the same, so I refuse to identify with either.

 

[rgraham666]

I usually vote for the New Democratic Party.

That's a Canadian party, mostly social democratic although we do attract a few left wing nutters from time to time.

We're also know as the 'Few Democrats' as they're aren't many of us. There's a lot of that 'Commies, commies, commies!' mind set up here, plus we usually stick to our principles.

This makes us quite unpopular.

 

[Guest]

one party you didnt mention was the Vella party.
we dont affiliate with any other party...our viewpoints are obscure and unfounded. its odd since i havent even been born yet but theres alot to be said for the preconcept.

 

[impressive]

I am a liberal who is currently registered as a Democrat.

 

[SensualCealy]

Canadian- NDP, most of the time, sometimes I waver depending on the issues or how much of an ass their leader is.
C

 

[Remec]

Democrat, Republican, Independent, or an alternate nation's political group (please name)

I am a democrat.

I am Independent. My only criteria for electing someone is are they capable and open-minded or are they a pawn/puppet/stooge of the party they represent?

Anyone know any worthwhile psych quiz type thing that might show me which party's line I support more than any other?

Or just a really good explanation of what is meant by being in any given party?

 

[BlackShanglan]

The American Whig Party (roughly from 1834-1856)

Just because I'm pedantic, and wanted to see if 'Whig' in American parlance was related to the 'Whig' in the Brit.

Matriarch, I love you. I very nearly put "Whig. <England, circa 1800>," but then thought, "No, who will even remember that there was an American Whig party?" (Actually there were two - one around the time of the American Revolution opposing continued allegiance to Britian, and the one your quote mentions.)

I'm with the British Whigs.

Shanglan

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Democrat, Republican, Independent, or an alternate nation's political group (please name)

I am a democrat.

Throughly disillusioned.

 

[NoJo]

I'm a mixture. I have the ears of Tony Blair, but the hairstyle of Margaret Thatcher.

 

[cloudy]

one party you didnt mention was the Vella party.
we dont affiliate with any other party...our viewpoints are obscure and unfounded. its odd since i havent even been born yet but theres alot to be said for the preconcept.

Whatever happened to that "Vella for President" thread?

 

[Goldie Munro]

Democrat, Republican, Independent, or an alternate nation's political group (please name)

I am a democrat.

I am a liberal independent socialist humanist - I am a one member party at the moment!! LOL

By the way Dndjsp - just love the AV!!