eric, i wasnt alive back then, and the republicans that we vote or do not vote for were not making policy back then either. todays liberal is yesterdays conservative.
i cant in good conscience vote down a democratic line because if the party's stance on some very key issues. specifically most of those regarding race. affirmative action, welfare (if you dont think thats a race issue, youre a moron), civil liberties, homosexuality, to name a few, and one very big one, which is abortion. in my mind, abortion is the murder of children. any party that endorses it will never be one that i vote for.
for the record, i really dont like getting my politics involved in any discussion, and so i have lots of other reasons that i wont bring up here.
also, i DONT VOTE DOWN PARTY LINES. i voted for coleman in our last mayoral election. i try to vote for who i think is the best candidate for the job. i try to make a determination regarding that persons individual practices, policy and character, and vote based on that. if both guys come up equal to me, i tend to vote republican. i am no bush fan, and i never have been. the democratic party's failure to field any candidate worth voting for in the last two elections is no one fault but there own.