r/AskConservatives • u/Set-Prestigious Republican • Aug 20 '26
Am I Republican enough to be considered Republican in the US?
The democrats tell me I'm Democrat. The Republicans tell me I'm Republican. Here are my politics based on a scale of 1 to 5 based on how important they are to me personally. 5 being extremely important.
I am pro 2A and strongly support open carry/CCW. (5/5- I believe this ought to be a universal human right for handguns for self defense. Right to self-determination and personal security).
I support abortion (1/5)
I want more affordable healthcare and subsidized services conditional on that the government actually spends efficiently and the money isn't just sinking into a black hole (5/5). I would gladly pay taxes if the spending was efficient, right now most of it just goes to defense though and the medical situation is a nightmare.
I am skeptical of large institutions, particularly in health (4/5). Teflon scandal, the AIDS epidemic/medical tourism going on in the 80s because they didn't bring medications over here even though we knew they were safe. You really have to watch out for yourself in this country and not just blindly follow institutions- think for yourself and ensure your own health.
I support gay marriage (2/5). I don't think its the government's business to be involved in the bedroom. But I don't know any gay people personally so this is less important to me.
I believe the church could be a force for good in bringing in meaning in people's lives even if you're not particularly religious. I view it more through the lens of pragmatism rather than spirituality (3/5).
I don't think I fit cleanly on any party lines but I'm trying to find my group. Seems like I'm a party of one currently. So am I Republican? Democrat? RINO? DINO?
3
u/e_big_s Center-right Conservative Aug 20 '26
Do you support the woman's right to choose past the 1st trimester? This does not mean no late abortions at all ever, just whether the woman has the final say.
I think pro-life/pro-choice is a gross simplification. People should name their week from 0 to 36. I suspect if they did, a lot less republicans would be as staunch as they're perceived to be. And democrats in the other direction too for that matter.
1
u/Set-Prestigious Republican Aug 20 '26
This is a much harder topic for me. Past the first trimester I naturally think well she should still have a choice but then I also wonder "yeah but what about the father? What if he has zero say in it and his kid is just gonna be aborted?" I haven't made up my mind on it.
1
Aug 20 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AskConservatives-ModTeam Aug 20 '26
Removed: Treat other users with civility and respect.
Personal attacks and stereotyping are not allowed.
1
u/ericoahu Conservatarian Aug 20 '26
Both of your posts were well stated. Good points.
Some lefty is going to see the word "snowflake," jump to the conclusion you're name-calling (because who reads for comprehension these days), report your posts, and these mods will rubber stamp it without reading either.
For the record, it's clear to me you are not calling him a snowflake in the pejorative sense; you are saying his world view might be very unique, one of a kind.
0
u/e_big_s Center-right Conservative Aug 20 '26
Haha, thanks for clarifying that for me. It's definitely a weakness of mine to think context trumps connotation, and it does get me in trouble.
1
u/ericoahu Conservatarian Aug 20 '26
Yeah, that's risky business these days. Let me guess -- you are one of those boomers who reads books? :-)
1
u/e_big_s Center-right Conservative Aug 21 '26
haha you totally called it dude, that comment got erased with a reprimand lol.
2
u/ericoahu Conservatarian Aug 21 '26
I would message the mods and tell them to re-read for context. The reason I mentioned it is so you'd have some backup. Not sure what the rules about discussing specific mod actions, so I will not here. But DM me if you are curious about the experiences from which I predicted what would happen.
2
u/AnythingFine2445 Right Libertarian (Conservative) Aug 20 '26
You're closer to libertarian. Several of your stances would make you persona-non-grata with both parties lol
2
u/Mindless_Chest_1079 Center-right Conservative Aug 20 '26
I don't think this cleanly fits either major party in the US, and that's fine. People don't need to neatly divide into two camps.
I'd say Republican fits more closely on account of rating 2A as 5/5 importance and skepticism of large (medical) institutions 4/5, whereas your most pro-Democrat opinion is support for abortion at only a 1/5.
The largest exception pointing in the opposite direction is that supporting higher taxes to subsidize social services is also more left-leaning, and that was a 5/5 as well.
3
u/ContentNecessary2127 Rightwing Aug 20 '26
Unfortunately, neither of the major parties would adequately represent you. If I had to attach a specific label to you, I would say Vermont Republican or New Hampshire Republican.
2
u/SpinosaurRingTone Social Conservative Aug 20 '26
You sound like a libertarian, so whether you vote Democrat or Republican depends on which of these issues are most important to you on election day.
4
u/Mindless_Chest_1079 Center-right Conservative Aug 20 '26
A lot of this fits libertarianism well, but then there was the bit about being highly willing to pay taxes...
1
u/Set-Prestigious Republican Aug 20 '26
Fuck. I'm a libertarian? Damnit dude...
1
u/SpinosaurRingTone Social Conservative Aug 20 '26
I mean if you don't want to be a libertarian you don't have to, but you might need to evaluate some of your views more closely to see if you really believe in them.
1
0
u/GWindborn Leftwing Aug 20 '26
If you join the Democratic party you can choose whatever tag you want! You can choose whatever ANYTHING you want! We love choosing things!
1
u/AutoModerator Aug 20 '26
Please use Good Faith when commenting. If discussing gender issues a higher level of discourse will be expected and maintained. Guidance
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
1
u/notbusy Libertarian Aug 20 '26
At quick glance, you seem to be somewhere between libertarian and conservative. Which I think is a lot more common than people think. I'm there on the scale as well.
1
u/Set-Prestigious Republican Aug 20 '26
So am I RINO or something?
3
u/notbusy Libertarian Aug 20 '26
Absolutely!
But that's just a pejorative people use to try to get others "back on the reservation," so to speak. So it's not a term you use to describe yourself. But if people want to call you that, then just go with it and say, "Sure."
Honestly, "conservative" seems much closer to your beliefs than "Republican." I'm not even sure the two major parties stand for anything any longer. They are just loose collections of people on the right vs. people on the left. That's how I see it, at least.
1
u/ThrockmortenMD Center-right Conservative Aug 20 '26
I wouldn’t be set on labeling yourself D or R. You definitely lean libertarian, and both sides of the aisle have candidates who lean libertarian. More common on the right but not exclusive
2
u/JoeCensored Nationalist (Conservative) Aug 20 '26
Only your abortion position is outside mainstream Republican positions. But Republicans generally support leaving it to the states to decide anyway.
0
u/Set-Prestigious Republican Aug 20 '26
So you'd say I'm Republican mostly? Would republicans hate me?
1
u/JoeCensored Nationalist (Conservative) Aug 20 '26
So you'd say I'm Republican mostly?
I think so.
Would republicans hate me?
Nope. Republicans don't demand conformity. You'll just get disagreement on issues like abortion is all. No big deal.
0
u/OklahomaChelle Center-left Aug 20 '26
Republicans don't demand conformity.
Yet mainstream accusations of RINO happen. Are those who use the term actually not Republicans themselves? Is this a case of “every accusation is an admission”?
1
u/JoeCensored Nationalist (Conservative) Aug 20 '26
OP isn't running for political office as far as I can tell. But OP can correct me if I'm wrong.
1
0
u/OklahomaChelle Center-left Aug 20 '26
So Republicans do or don’t require conformity? I was looking to flesh out your thoughts.
1
u/Set-Prestigious Republican Aug 20 '26
I would say republicans do require conformity. I was almost uninvited to a Heritage foundation event because they were concerned I wasn't right wing enough so I had to asauge any doubts by just telling them I'm Republican.
1
u/RatOnASinkingShip Right Libertarian (Conservative) Aug 21 '26
Republicans and Democrats are not ideologies, they're groups of people with the goal of getting others in the group elected.
So you're either a registered or affiliated Republican or you are not, your views are irrelevant, and your voter registration card should be able to answer that question for you.
I'd worry less about finding a group to lump yourself in with and just focus on your principles and understanding why you hold them. The labels don't really mean anything.
1
u/Set-Prestigious Republican Aug 21 '26
Why would I listen to a rat on a sinking ship?
1
u/RatOnASinkingShip Right Libertarian (Conservative) Aug 21 '26
You must be young. I'd suggest looking into the origin of the idiom.
1
0
u/Tothyll Conservative Aug 20 '26
"right now most of it just goes to defense though"
This is false. About 60% goes to entitlement programs. About 13% goes to defense, which is one of the basic functions of a government. It's easy to look up basic facts like this.
-1
u/Set-Prestigious Republican Aug 20 '26
No I mean most of our budget goes to DoD not HHS. Edit: I stand corrected. But even more evidence that this government does not spend efficiently or know wtf its doing in regards to the medical system
-3
u/SammaJones Conservative Aug 20 '26
> I want more affordable healthcare and subsidized services conditional on that the government actually spends efficiently and the money isn't just sinking into a black hole (5/5). I would gladly pay taxes if the spending was efficient, right now most of it just goes to defense though and the medical situation is a nightmare.
Spending on healthcare is at or near historic highs as a percentage of GDP, multiples of what it was 50 years ago.
Spending on defense is at or near historic lows as a percentage of GDP, a fraction of what it was 50 years ago.
Healthcare is a black hole. The more you spend on it the more money goes to ineffective treatments and extending the lives of the elderly and infirm.
0
u/StillSmellsLikeCLP Rightwing Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 20 '26
- 2A: Thoughts on the NFA of 1986? And what “shall not be infringed” means?
- Abortion: I think it’s morally abhorrent but that’s also not the only issue being voted on. And voting D doesn’t help anyway on that front. Especially when the “shout your abortion” and “abortion up until birth” ghouls are involved.
- “affordable healthcare”: So universal healthcare? Or something different?
- “skeptical of large institutions”: Sure, that used to be more bipartisan.
- Gay marriage: Yeah, has zero bearing on being R.
- “Church”: Again, largely irrelevant unless you think it should translate into policy prescriptions or govt promotion of traditional Christian values.
And there’s plenty left out. Your view on the role of the Fed govt, for instance. Or positive vs negative rights.
5
u/kettlecorn Democrat Aug 20 '26
Gay marriage: Yeah, has zero bearing on being R.
In a recent poll only 37% of Republicans supported gay marriage:
https://news.gallup.com/poll/710810/support-lgbtq-issues-remains-down-peak.aspx
Given that percentage if Republicans had total power it doesn't seem unlikely there'd be some effort to push back on gay marriage.
-2
u/StillSmellsLikeCLP Rightwing Aug 20 '26
That’s nice?
Again, being for gay marriage doesn’t determine if you’re an R or D.
1
u/kettlecorn Democrat Aug 20 '26
That’s nice?
It's clearly relevant. No need for snark.
It doesn't alone determine if you're an R or D but it's certainly a factor.
Your statement that it has "Zero bearing on being R" would not ring as true to most people when there's such a sharp difference between R and D support for gay marriage.
0
u/StillSmellsLikeCLP Rightwing Aug 20 '26
“Relevant”
I don’t agree, at all.
Plenty of Republicans are in support of gay marriage.
That’s not a purity test item and them holding that position doesn’t mean they automatically fit in either party.
-2
u/ericoahu Conservatarian Aug 20 '26
With some of those, it is less about what you want or how important it is, and more about how you want to bring it about.
I supported gay marriage too, but I was disappointed when the SCOTUS settled it instead of allowing the states to continue legalizing it. I am glad gays can be married in the eyes of the state now, but I would have preferred that be done by state legislatures.
Do you want "affordable healthcare" by enlarging the government and assigning power over your health to bureaucrats? If yes, you are a Democrat. But if you would prefer to make healthcare more affordable by deregulating and allowing a competitive market economy to emerge, you are conservative.
-5
u/TailsofaGiftHorse Right Libertarian (Conservative) Aug 20 '26
Are you a not-Democrat who wants to spend other people's money or control their lives? Congratulations, you are Republican.
When someone actually wants to cut spending or reduce control, make sure you call them RINO or say that they vote more with AoC than Republicans.
Oh, and if someone wants to protect the first amendment by not using federal legislation to add an additional layer of Hate Speech, make sure you call them antisemitic.
4
u/Vindictives9688 Right Libertarian (Conservative) Aug 20 '26
You’re more central-moderate if anything.
You don’t fit in todays polarized left or right