voters in NC. Except the question was "can you tell me one reason why you like Obama?" Or something like that. My response was almost exactly the same as yours. I believe in working for a better life for all people and the Democratic party (and Obama ) represents that.

but as a progressive indy, i would have answered the same way you did....or i might have just flipped the guy off and drove away. it would depend on how much coffee i had that morning.

I'm a democrat for many, many reasons, but the one most central to my heart is that I follow a Rawlsian theory of helping the least of these.  A free market, even one regulated, cannot help the least of these.  The government is the major force for caring for the least of our society, those on the fringes, without proselytizing or requiring adherence to some other doctrine.

Second, the Republicans use the military for their own political agendas but slash and burn the budget for their members, including my family.  We can disagree about war and peace, but many people, especially the least of our society, join the military so that they can have a steady job, health care for themselves and their families, and get an education.  The Democrats push for helping military members, veterans, and military families far more than the Republicans.

'cos Republicans want the chronically ill to die...

Oh, there's a lot more to it than that, but that's pretty much what I hit Republicans with and it floors them for a moment, at least...

I am a Democrat because I don't want to have to stop voting when I die.

Because government does best when it helps the least among us.

I'm an Irish Catholic. Clothe the poor, heal the sick, feed the hungry. How does the Republican party do any of those three?

they fight for equal rights for all, and because I believe that the government can do good.

I am a Democrat because I believe in trusting but verifying (people, corporations, religious institutions, the market or government), because I want my politics reality based, because I don't believe in dividing the public into us against them and scapegoating people who don't look like me and because I believe that we, the citizens, by working together, can help build a better world.

because we have historically shown a values/priority system more in line with what America should be.  The Republican importance placed on tax-cuts and free trade underscores this well.

Robert Kennedy once said something that really gets at the heart of it:

"Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product...if we should judge American by that - counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them. It counts the destruction of our redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and the cost of a nuclear warhead, and armored cars for police who fight riots in our streets. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.
"Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it tells us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans."

I am a Democrat because, the way our country has evolved (or regressed) over the past 8 years has led me to want to fight for (forgive me) truth, justice and the American way. Republicans have absolutely no regard for "truth." Truth, to them, is whatever their authoritarian of the day tells them. Rush, Bill, Sean, George, or John ... "Just give me my marching orders and talking points and send me forth to do your bidding ... TRUTH BE DAMNED!" When an ideology becomes more important than our country, it's time to fight back. I would like there to be justice in our country where ALL men and women are held to account when they break the law - from the richest among us to the poorest. And the "American Way." It's been so long since we've been respected as a nation that I can barely remember the last time I saw American flags in a foreign country that weren't being burned. Obama in Germany gave me hope. I want our country to be what our founding fathers wanted it to be: one nation ... united, respected, honest, honorable, and just. I hope it's not too late.

Seriously, if you see a car with more than one bumper sticker, they're invariably left-wing bumper stickers.  I rarely see Republicans with more than one bumper sticker.  The only real exception seem to be the religious fundies, who sometimes stick a couple on.  Why are bumper stickers so popular with lefties, but not righties?

"Because I actually give a shit about Americans."

I am a Democrat because I am blessed with reason.

Actually, my reason is not too different from Obama's reason for running for President: empathy. The Republican party is about "tough love" to the extreme, whether it's social, economic, or foreign affairs issues. The Democratic party is more about putting yourself in someone else's shoes, which I feel is a much more enlightened state of existence than being a barbarian.

In a two-party system politics will always be about the party of wealth trying to stave off the party of numbers.  I was born a Democrat but stayed because I can't buy into the lies and cynicism of the party of wealth.

that's a nice american car you've got there, todd

/snark

sticker along with the Obama bumper sticker on during the primaries Todd?  That's some good stuff right there on your car.

Because I value the likes of Bobby Kennedy and FDR and their lasting legacy in our Nation.  Fighting for the "common good."  That's what being a DEM is all about.

Because Republicans say "nuculer".

because a working class hero is something to be

 My Mom told me at a very young age that Republicans are for the rich and corporate and Democrats are for the working folks. She said that under Republicans "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer". My Mother was a very wise woman.

Facts are facts: by every measure, America tends to be more prosperous, and government less costly, under Democratic leadership.

One of the main reasons for this, I think, is that Republicans tend to be wedded to ideology - they will simply stick to what they believe is true, rather than being open-minded to evidence that runs against their ideology. Democratic politicians, because of their progressive bent, tend to be less ideological. Making progress in society, just like in science, depends on carefully evaluating the evidence. Democrats are more apt to do so than Republicans - and Democrats' superior record of performance reflects this.

 Whens the last time a repug in office did anything good for the country, other than retire?

God should strike you dead for putting a union bumper sticker on that Nissan.  Or at least afflict you with a migraine or something.

"Because I'm against state-sponsored torture."

(Hopefully they won't embarrass me by naming all the Democrats in Congress that voted for the Military Commissions Act.)

Or I could say, "Because I'm against dumb wars."  

(Hopefully they won't name all the Democrats in Congress that voted for the 2002 AUMF.)

Or I could say, "Because I don't think the government should spy on its citizens."

Uh...  they have a reply for that one too.  Let's face it.  It's downright embarrassing to be a Democrat.

"I'm not a Democrat. I'm an American who loves his country, and I am angry about what George W. Bush and the Republican party has done to it. That's why I support Barack Obama."

After 8 years of a horrible Bush presidency supported by unrepentant right wingers aided by a weak Democratic opposition, forgive me if I say the one reason I am a DEmocrat is to not be a goddamn Republican.

I'm a Democrat because Democrats fight for the common good and fairness and I believe the government has a role in improving people's lives.

That used to be true.  Since 2006, it's now obvious that this blanket statement doesn't apply to most Democratic party leaders anymore.  I WISH that's what the Dems still stood for, fought for.  But it's not.

FISA, bailout, impeachment, subpeona power, anyone?

I am not a Democrat because of any one issue. I am not a Democrat even for any philosophy, whether it is "government can do good" vs "government is the problem", or "prosperity from the ground up" vs "trickle down", or "diplomacy first" vs "kill them all; God will know his own."

I am a Democrat because beyond the issues, beyond the policies, beyond the ideologies, because I believe that people can rise to the occasion. Because I believe that the average American, given both sides of an argument fairly and without being deceived, will choose the right path. I believe that they can be trusted to do so, even if ultimately they fail to side with me.

And that is what we Democrats do. We offer ideas, and offer solutions, and freely offer the facts that give rise to our answers, and ask the American people: do you agree with this?

The Republicans are masters of the smear, the innuendo, the slander. They are well-versed in the art of voter suppression, and the censorship of information. Because they assume the worst in Americans, that they are not smart enough or wise enough to make decisions on their own. Republicans believe that people need to be manipulated, through whisper campaigns, or loaded words, or intimidation.

They are dead wrong.

Republicans don't want to privatize social security because they think individual Americans can handle their money better than the government can--they believe the exact opposite: that individual Americans CAN'T. And by privatizing social security, Wall Street can go after their victims without any government interference.

Democrats have faith that people can do the right thing. But investment is a tricky business, and the lure of high yield for high risk may override people's common sense. And when we talk about millions of people vulnerable to bad investments, pyramid schemes, and other cons, the stakes are simply too high. And social security does not get privatized.

And the same goes with health care. Republicans say that people can choose their own plan better than bureacrats. They say that but what they really think is that predatory insurance companies will have an easier time fooling individuals rather than the government.

Republicans call for tort reform because they don't trust juries of random, ordinary citizens to do the right thing. They claim to be outraged by big jury awards, but what they're really after is to set a maximum price tag for a human life, or irreparable harm to the environment or the community: something that can be factored into a balance sheet.

They deregulated the utilities in the name of 'competition' and now we have pyramid scheme hucksters leaning on seniors to purchase natural gas at higher rates, and making them pay outrageous penalties to switch back to their old gas company.

We Democrats believe in the fair exchange of ideas. Republicans do not. We believe in the concept of the Loyal Opposition, of agreeing to disagree. The Republicans do not. We believe in a complex world with shades of grey, with nuance, with pragmatism. The Republicans do not. We believe in rules of fair play, and of a threshold of decency. The Republicans do not. We believe in Democracy, in the belief than the people may govern themselves better than self-appointed oligarchs. The Republicans just shout slogans about freedom and then try their best to stifle that very same freedom.

I am a Democrat because I could not face myself in the mirror if I were a Republican.

I'm really wondering these days.