Why do conservatives post here?

[Scylla]

Also, I posted a lot more when my kids were very little. As babies, I’d come home, hold them, and they’d sleep on my lap and I’d sit for hours and post.

Not so much anymore.

[Knorf]

@SmartAlecCat

I used to be Conservative. Then I became a Moderate. Now I am Liberal.

And I never changed my views!

Hah! I feel the same way. Although, to be honest, some of my views have indeed changed to the more “liberal” side. Abortion is one of them.

Someone asked why the liberals here don’t venture into hostile territory more often, say to the Free Republic, for example. I’ll tell you why I don’t: the conservative argument here is a lot stronger. Also, I’m not evangelical at all: I have no desire to actively try to convince others of what I think the truth is. When I’ve ventured over to conservative boards, I’ve been so appalled at the ignorance and stupidity I just didn’t want to deal with it. Also I have no stomach for veiled (much less overt) racism, and far too much of it lurks in the conservative boards I know about. But the bottom line is: some of those advocating the conservative side here are simply stated much more articulate, mature, and intellectually honest debaters. Not all, but enough.

[Shodan]

@Lobohan

With that competitive spirit, I’m confident you will win an argument here some day!

You, on the other hand, never will.

@Knorf

Someone asked why the liberals here don’t venture into hostile territory more often, say to the Free Republic, for example. I’ll tell you why I don’t: the conservative argument here is a lot stronger. …
But the bottom line is: some of those advocating the conservative side here are simply stated much more articulate, mature, and intellectually honest debaters. Not all, but enough.

For those that hang around on conservative boards, does it work the other way around? That is to say, do the liberals who survive tend to be the more articulate ones there, as they seem to do here?

Regards,
Shodan

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

@Rafe_Hollister

When I joined the SDMB 4 or 5 weeks ago I thought the political discussions would be fun. Instead, I was confronted with complete hatred and disrespect. My posts were dismissed out-of-hand and I was berated for being/supporting racist ideology, not to mention being a blooming idiot, though I had only a dozen or so posts at the time.

Can you quote an example of this?

[Knorf]

@Shodan

For those that hang around on conservative boards, does it work the other way around? That is to say, do the liberals who survive tend to be the more articulate ones there, as they seem to do here?

This board is not in any way a parallel to Free Republic. Yes, there are clearly more liberals here than conservatives, but there are some ultra-liberal boards comparable to Free Republic that are also comparably stupid. I don’t bother with them.

[Rand_Rover]

Personally, I’m doing it for the children.

[Danimal]

@Sam_Stone

I support gay marriage.

I believe in a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion if she sees fit.

That would definitely do it.

I didn’t realize how much you charted your own course, for which I congratulate you.

[Shodan]

@Knorf

This board is not in any way a parallel to Free Republic. Yes, there are clearly more liberals here than conservatives, but there are some ultra-liberal boards comparable to Free Republic that are also comparably stupid. I don’t bother with them.

I was asking about the liberals who survive on boards that are as conservative as the SDMB is liberal. Are there any? And do the survivors tend to be the brightest as well as the thickest-skinned?

Regards,
Shodan

[stolichnaya]

Re: “boards that are as conservative as the SDMB is liberal”, I don’t know of any, but to be fair the SDMB is not well-known in the general population either. I found this through being a fan of Cecil and had nary a political thought in my head when I signed up to ask a question. So I am sure that conservative places like this are out there, but I think they are harder to find than the more rabid places. I’m sure your average conservative would say that places like kos and DU are the only liberal message boards they can find, so why bother.

On the right hand side I am only aware of the crazy boards like Freep and the various personalities’ boards (eg Hannity, etc). I also post on Fark’s politics tab occasionally but it is hard to tell who is being serious over there, and in any event it seems to lean strongly liberal as well.

[Nzinga_Seated]

@Rand_Rover

Personally, I’m doing it for the children.

Ha. Thank god somebody’s thinking of them.

[Chronos]

Quoth Bricker:

Plus my family has come to depend on my SDSAB salary; it’d be tough to give that up.

You know you get to keep the coffee mug even if you quit, right?

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

@Shodan

…do the survivors tend to be the brightest as well as the thickest-skinned?

Keeping in mind, of course, that this one’s an either/or proposition.

[Rand_Rover]

@Sam_Stone

I support gay marriage.

I believe in a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion if she sees fit.

I thought Clinton was a pretty good president.

I generally dislike the Republican party almost as much as I dislike the Democrats.

I’m opposed to capital punishment.

I support drug legalization.

I was appalled at how the Republicans behaved with earmarks, with the Terry Schiavo nonsense, and in general with their pandering to the religious right on matters they have no business involving themselves in.

I thought Bush was at best a mediocre president, and often a very bad one.

I support some form of government-subsidized health care. Catastrophic coverage, coupled with HSA’s.

I like Obama’s new NASA budget and his plan for space.

I think Obama appointee Cas Sunnstein’s ‘nudge’ arguments are pretty interesting, and would support changing some defaults to encourage socially productive behavior.

I accept at least some of the tenets of global warming, and in general I think the ‘base’ of the Republican party has become unscientific in outlook and ignorant on matters of science.

I know Obama is an American citizen, fully qualified to be President, and ‘birthers’ are idiots.

I could go on. I’m actually a fairly moderate guy. It often doesn’t look like it here because I always find myself having to defend Republicans and the right because the attacks on them are often so over the top and batty.

Also, I have no interest in joining a chorus singing praises to one another. I guess that makes me a natural contrarian. I’d rather go where my ideas can be tested and challenged, so I have no interest in having a discussion with the left on issues on which there is widespread agreement. I don’t see that as being particularly productive. If I were posting at Free Republic, I imagine I’d be the one taking the Obama Administration’s side on many issues.

This is not to say I’m an Obama supporter - I think many of his ideas are terrible, and that he’s been a lousy President so far.

FYI and FWIW, this post exactly represents my views as well (except for capital punishment, government- subsidized health care, and I’m ignorant about Sunstein’s “nudges” and the NASA budget).

[Qin_Shi_Huangdi]

If conservatives didn’t post here this subforum would be a giant circlejerk thread.

[Little_Nemo]

I doubt that. Not all debates are political. At the moment I’m posting this, the first five threads on GD are:

If Not For Medicare, How Would Seniors Get Health Care?
Does God Love People Who Go To Hell?
Can you prove a negative?
Did Carthage need to be destroyed?
New Report: Abstinence Only Education Works!

[Qin_Shi_Huangdi]

Usually is mainly political along with some religious and philosophical debating. However what’s so wrong with an opposing view after all this is the Great Debates Forum.

[Muffin]

To me, as a left of centre Canadian, I find the SDMB to be a conservative board.

[Rand_Rover]

@Muffin

To me, as a left of centre Canadian, I find the SDMB to be a conservative board.

That you and others (notably, DtC) say “too cool for school” stuff like this only shows how liberal this board is.

I remember when the debate was “is this board liberal?” Now look where we are. Maybe in a few years it will be “hey, what happened to all the conservatives?,” no doubt much to the glee of some posters here.

[magellan01]

@Muffin

To me, as a left of centre Canadian, I find the SDMB to be a conservative board.

Really? Let me ask you, without any snark intended, don’t you have enough of an idea about American politics to see that the majority of the board favors the Democrats (left) and not the Republicans (right)? Or Obama more than Bush, or McCain?

[Little_Nemo]

Really? Let me ask you, without any snark intended, don’t you have enough of an idea about American politics to see that the majority of the board favors the Democrats (left) and not the Republicans (right)? Or Obama more than Bush, or McCain?

I think his point is that both American parties, along with all three of the men you mentioned, would be considered conservative by Canadian standards.