I think it would be interesting to see how SDMB members’ political beliefs are different from, or similar to, those of the general population, and in what proportion.
I suggest three pieces of information:
What country or state are you from?
What party are you affiliated with (if any)?
What political philosophy do you ascribe to?
I think it would be useful to make a distinction between party and philosophy, first because there are moderates and hardliners within every party, and second because people from other countries might not be able to tell what your party stands for simply from the name of the party. For instance, if you were not familiar with Canadian politics, you might not know that in British Columbia the Liberal Party is considered the pro-business party, so that environmentalists like my great-aunt are very concerned about recent electoral victories by the Liberals.
If you feel that one word (like liberal, conservative, leftist, rightist, libertarian, moderate, environmentalist) does not suffice to adequately describe your views, then I think it’s OK to use a “hyphenated description,” such as “libertarian/environmentalist,” or “liberal on social programs, hawk on foreign policy”.
My own info:
California, USA
Party registration: Peace And Freedom (a 1960’s-based party that isn’t even on the ballot anymore!). Voted Green in last two presidential elections.
No particular affiliation; I’ve yet to meet another person who shares my views
I am personally very liberal, almost socialist; but politically I believe in educated autonomy (I guess that’d be the best way to say it?)
I realise that what is best for me isn’t best for everyone, so I vote Libertarian more than any other party because they seem to espouse the most “free” society.
Last election, though, I voted Green, because I thought Nader had the best shot at getting 5% of the votes and maybe the next election wouldn’t be bi-partisan. God, I hate bi-partisan politics.
Independent/Green (wasn’t registered with a party until the
last election, when I switched my registration from Ind. to
Green). Voted for Nader in '96 and '00.
Liberal/Libertarian – I’m probably in the right wing of
the Green Party, but left of the two major parties. I’ve
supported some tax reform measures pushed by republicans,
but am pretty liberal in other respects.
Note: many people probably think Utah’s a bastion of
ultra-conservatism, but Nader did better here than his
national average, and got more than 10% in a few counties
here.