I've considered myself to be a Republican more than a Democrat. Yet I vote for Pro choice and gay marriages. I'm "conservative" to an extent. My question is, am I the only one like this? There must be other "hybrids" out there.

I would label someone like yourself as..
Intelligent.
You can think for yourself and don't need a group to tell you your opinion.

People don't fall into 2 or even 4 separate camps when it comes to how to think and feel. Thank goodness for that. You believe what you believe and that is how it should be. Labels are stupid and constricting.

I really don't support any party completely. I find it sad how most issues nowadays are more viewed as victories for a party rather than solving a problem. Until our society moves beyond the whole Conservative vs. Liberal Republican versus Democrat mentality we're never really going to fix anything.

Honestly I doubt the intellect of a most people who 'toe the party line' on issues as I suspect a lot of them have never thought about the issues, only 'felt' about them.
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I am something of a hybrid myself, though for AB purposes I am a flaming conservative.

You're no hybrid...you're human.

You've been duped into accepting the idea that everyone and/or everything must fit into neat, easily identifiable categories so that we meet someone else' agenda.

This propensity of categorizing ourselves and others is what keeps the world in turmoil...

...perfectly fine for those among us who steal us blind while everyone else squabbles over insignificance, nonsense and b.s.

You may well be a Libertarian!!

Absolutely. Wish we could find someone electable who feels as we do.

I'm to the left of most Democrats, but I think I'm more for law enforcement than a lot of them.

E.g., I believe that any statutes of limitations for prosecuting rape should be removed.

I think at least in that way I'm a hybrid.

I would say your independent, i am as well.

Most everyone is a hybrid

youre not the only one. I am a republican and I also vote for gay marriage (not prochoice though) I think what makes me republican is my strong patriotism and desire for strong national defense and closing our borders. I also want to see our brave military honored and cared for

There is noting wrong with wanting to protect your family and your homeland AND also wanting to see Gay people have the right to marry the one they love. You are doing just fine.

(btw, I know plenty of republcans who vote prochoice)

One should not confuse the dictionary definitions of the words with the political definitions of the words.

Political party platforms evolve over time. However, sometimes the labels affixed to a political party from years ago STAY with that party...becoming a common household name. Even if their platform has changed over the years so as NOT to accurately conform to the definitions of the words commonly associated with them.

"Conservative", for example, in most non-political usages, means "moderate, cautious". For example, taking a conservative approach to investments means to be cautious, to err on the side of safety.

"Liberal", however, in most non-political usages means to be "generous in amount, ample, or not strict". For example, using liberal amounts of paint when painting a house means to use a lot of paint.

In politics, "conservatism" means to adhere to political and social philosophies which support tradition and the status quo, or call for the return of values and society of an earlier age.

"Liberalism", in politics, is a broad class of political philosophies that considers individual liberty and equality to be the most important political goals.

As one can see by observing the political arena, neither of the major political parties (Republican or Democratic) can lay ultimate claim to either definition with their party platforms. They do like to render lip-service to them, though, and the general public goes along with this quite willingly...one may even say ignorantly.

Conservatism, for example, involves supporting the tradition or status quo. Certainly, most political pundits would say this reflects the Republican Party. However, most of the wealthy Democrats, especially the old-school Democrats, are very much focused on the traditions and values which support THEIR status quo. You don't get to be "old-school wealthy" otherwise.

Liberalism, on the other hand, is the term political pundits afix to Democrats. Yet individual liberty and equality as the most important political goals is viewed as Republican Party platform, when they speak out against "Big Government".

Given that both political parties are not pure examples of the definitions of either words, is should come as no surprise that individuals, such as you or I, do not fall entirely under one catagory or the other.

My wife, for example, is pretty solidly Democratic, politically speaking. However, her personal, family, and religious values are VERY conservative and in direct opposition to much of what the Democratic Party stands for. (Which makes for some rather interesting conversations with her justifying some of her political views!)

In fact, very few do fall entirely under one catagory or the other; and for those who DO claim to be solid representatives of one view or the other by virtue of their backing the political party of their choice 100%, I would offer up this to ponder over: given that party platforms are in continual flux on what they support and stand for, how can ANYONE who bases their definition of "liberal" or "conservative" upon party affiliation be accurate in their definition?

In the world of politics, our representatives change their political stands with the winds...some more so than others.

Regardless of what others view as "liberal" or "conservative", stick with your personal core values. They define who we each are...and ultimately they are what drive the directions our politicians take. Not the other way around.

:):):)

I think that's indicative of thinking for yourself.

Don't worry about how many others there are :-)

+5

Each may be unique in their own way but mostly any thought you have had, anyting you have said, anything you have wanted to do or have done has been shared with at least one other. Yes there are others - mostly, most people are in the middle of the two extremes. +6

I do not consider myself rep or dem... I consider those 2 parties userpers and traitors.
I am VERY conservative in my personal livestyle. but moderate conservative in my political views. moderation is where work can be done because the 2 extremes are just going to prevent eachother from doing anything.

You are not alone!

I'm with you!
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I do have a problem with a day before a baby is born... breach birthing its body... then inserting a vacuum hose and sucking out its brains until its skull collapses... and then pulling it out completely and tossing it in the garbage can.
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Or... taking a born alive botched abortion and putting it in a closet until it dies 10 to 15 hours later... something obama felt compelled to stand up and advocate for twice.
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I am still pro choice... up to say... 5 months.
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I have even been to 4 gay marriages.
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I consider myself a humanist and I consider liberals to be mentally impaired... that's just me.

I don't get anything from this question telling me you even know the difference. What is Republican to you? What is a Democrat? If you are pro choice and gay marriage you are a liberal. Now there are conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans. I call people who cannot take either side Liberal as I am. Both sides are full of it in the end.

There was a very well done video commenting on the two party system of the states, and at the end it said something to the effect of "there are 300 000 000 americans, but only two views in washington" I wish I could have found that video for you, but my Google skills are lacking

There are plenty of people like you, and are probably more every day as the older generation that clings onto the old anti-gay, anti-abortion menatality dies off.

I'm less of a hybrid than a conglomerate miscengenation.

But I hear ya.

Thats normal for people who are willing to come up with their own opinions about things. You got to understand, titles can be tricky. The party's agendas can be set up to secure votes from people who are concerned about other things to advance their plans of the things that truly matter to them. Its all a game. I do not consider myself either republican or liberal, but I agree with things from both parties.

You're far from the only independent minded voter. 39% always vote Republican, 39% always vote Democratic. It's the other 22% who decide the elections.

I'd think you more a Libertarian than Republican. Those are core Republican issues and you feel more like leaving people to their own devices rather than regulating everything from YOUR moral compass. I myself am a Libertarian and find that while some issues are disgusting to me, such as homosexuality, I really don't give a flying fuck what the next jerk does with his dick as long as he keeps it to himself. If he wants to call himself married, ladida, smokem if you gottem. As for abortion, I think that is a matter which is best when left private, I don't want to know about it. Now, what I do in my house, since I have a gun and am not afraid to use it, I think people should leave me the fuck alone with their attitudes on morality or whatever they could imagine going on inside my house.
As for what I think about property rights, I believe it's downright evil to force someone's property away from their control by means of taxation or by matter of legal proceedings. Evil proceedings deserve equally evil retribution. That is as Libertarian as it gets, almost anarchist. Republicans and Democrats alike would take issue with me on some or most of this, but that is their mistake. No, you're not the only one, and yes, I do vote.

I consider myself conservative opposed to liberal as well, for the basic fact that in my observation, the liberals typically do not take a firm stance on anything with substance. It all seems to be a shade of grey. Like an ongoing argument just for the sake of arguing. But when it comes to why this country was founded and on what principles it was founded, the conservative approach satisfies my need for securing those principles while the liberal approach seems to errode that foundation. As far as issues like pro choice and gay marriage, I have my own "personal" positions on each topic and how they may apply in particular situations. However, when it comes to policy in governenment, I feel those isolated topics are really insignificant considering the small percentages of the population they entail as well as impact. More significant however, are policies on trade embargos, foreign affairs and tax collection / redistribution, just to name a few. I tell you one thing though, a president elect that campaigns with these 3 main points, would get my vote in a minute if he/she says: 1-Freedom of religion is constitutionally granted however, Christianity will be the official religion of the US Govt. 2-English will be the official language of the US Govt. Learn it or leave 3-Freedom of speech is constitutionally granted but burning the American Flag will get you a one way ticket to Cuba. Campaign with that approach and you will get elected by a landslide.

+4 I am like you. I vote democrat and support the liberal issues across the board and I am atheist but I cannot sit at a table with a group of liberals without getting my head chewed off. I get along much better with the conservative crowd!

You can thank Karl Rove who looked at the big bunch of church goers, especially the growing evangelical movement at the time, and saw them as a voting block to be mined.

In the North Carolina primaries his strategy paid off. McCain had been showing well in previous primaries but when Rove pulled in the churches with promises of embracing their agendas he struck political gold. Rove didn't play fair either. There was a widely circulated rumor in southern churches that McCain had a child with a black woman. Bush won the North Carolina primary and Rove knew he had a winning strategy. Whore the party out to the evangelicals and ride the wave.

Funny thing though...the religious right has been too blind to see. Even when the republicans controlled both houses of the legislator and the presidency they failed to effectively change things. Who did they blame? Activist judges...but that's pretty funny since the majority of appointees to the federal bench were republican appointees.

Here is the some what simplified truth. The republican party whored itself out to the religious right with promises they never intended to keep. They are laughing all the way to the bank. Now the party is hoping to polarize the country and revive the neocons and evangelicals just to regain power. They didn't care then and they don't care now.

States rights? Like Bush II said...he used to believe in states rights but he was wrong. Abortion? haha The republican party had a chance to make real changes here but guess what...they didn't want to...they just wanted the vote just as they do now. Fiscal responsibility? Bush spent like a drunken sailor on liberty. Nation building? haha Need I go on?

So, look for more divide and conquer politics. Look for more Bible thumping and fear mongering. Watch it all unfold and as you do remember...as long as we fight about petty shit like who can marry who while waging the war on drugs and surrendering our liberties a little at a time our enemies will laugh as they watch us destroy ourselves from within.

That is why I am no longer a republican.

I've met lots of conservatives who are socially more liberal

I consider myself conservative on several issues, primarily on fiscal responsibility and the Republicans have lost all credibility in reagards to fiscal responsibility. The Republican Party instead has chosen to define itself primarily by social issues, most significantly being anti-choice and anti-gay. With my being pro-choice and pro-gay marriage I find little reason to vote for Republicans. As a matter of fact, after G.W.Bush was put in office I changed my voting registration from Republican to Non-affiliated.

Your a social liberal but you might be a fiscal conservative.

Welcome to the ranks of the Independents my friend. I have become one too. I love America and working people. I dislike most Politicians and I hate all the patrician BS. I think they all support the lobbyist not us. I require documentation to convince me of anything.
I once was a Democrat but they make me as sick as the Republicans. I support what is best for America ; and the free world.
I think we need a leader who represents these ideals and I do not think either party is up to the task.
I hate the extreme L and R equally. I supported Hillary and felt she was more moderate.
I tend to see both sides on every issue and come up with a third as the solution. Why can't congress do this?

Of course there are hybrids. There are very few Republicans and Democrats that toe the party line 100% of the way. I'd say that most people relate to a party in general. That is, they relate to the party that MOST represents their concerns and values.

I'm with you, Lady G!

The problem with these labels are they imply that you agree with everything on the Republican (or Democratic) party platform.

Personally, I would probably tend to class myself as more of a Democrat, since I seem to agree with many more of the high profile platforms that they espouse than the Republicans. For example, I see no reason why anyone should be denied the right to marry, just because I don't agree with (or follow) their sexual preferences. This makes no more sense to me than denying two Mormons the right to marry each other. As long as your actions don't actively hurt me, I have no right to tell you what to do.

But the fact is, I am a fiscal conservative, in that I would happily see our elected officials forced to maintain a balanced budget at all levels. If they have the money for some domestic program, then debate or a vote should choose how to spend that money OR to save it. I see this as no different than how I manage my own personal finances. If I wish to buy something, I check my bank account. If I have the money, I might buy the item if I wish. But if I don't have enough money in the account, I won't go down into my basement and print off a few thousand dollars to buy what I want, nor will I charge it on my credit card without fully paying that credit card off by the end of the month.

So does this put me in any political party? Of course not. I'm no more either of those main parties than I am a libertarian, a socialist, or a communist.

Perhaps everybody should simply be classed as a party of one.

Hear, hear. I was a member of the dwindling "progressive" wing of the Republican Party until about 17 years ago. I decided that the radical and religious right had so highjacked the party in my state (NH) that I left the party and joined the Libertarian Party. I don't agree with everything this party has on it's platform, but it's a closer fit to my beliefs.

You are conservative on issues like taxes and military but liberal on social issues. Yes there are hybrids like this out there. Take Mitt Romney or Rudy Gullani. There are some who are hybrids in other ways. Many are social conservative but not so much fiscally. The common term for such "hybrids" is Independent. I am a values voter myself.

I think you're more of a "Centrist"!

What do You need a label for?
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If You never find a second person
like You, would it change Your
way of thinking?

Well, perhaps you're still sufficiently sociopathic for the Republican Party. Do you launder money or get an erection while flogging homeless people?

No, some of my views also differ. I also say you're an independent voter. Whatever you put on the ballot, there are certain views that may not correspond with your party's view you just can't ignore.

Our society has deliberately misidentified the choices we have when we vote. This allows us to be controlled much more easily. To discover your true political stance, try taking the World's Smallest Political Quiz. It's a real eye-opener.

http://www.theadvocates.org/quizp/index.html

It means you've completely inverted the moral code that originally defined the notion of "conservatism". You're called a libertarian, the world's most annoying and heartless creature.

You are conservative, which isn't bad. The bad thing is that the neo-con run your party, as exemplified by the reign of Bush II. You suffer along with liberals the shrill, whining criticism of Boss Limbaugh and company. You have to oust those guys so we can go back to civilized discourse.

i used to be the same , in my younger days.more a 'liberal' thinker...realized MY folly....so, I am more conservative than anything....i am not anti on both accounts...strongly stand against.....

You sound like a Libertarian (capital L)

I

No you are not alone, I am a Republican and I beleve that people sould have the rights to have a relationship with whoever they want, after all its a free country isnt it?

Isn't everyone a hybrid?

My wife did the same thing and is of the same opinion as you are on those issues.

I'm almost the opposite. I generally consider myself to be a liberal, but I tend to be "middle of the road" about things. In my opinion, if you toe the party line on every issue, you're probably not thinking for yourself.