I grew up around conservatives, went to church every week as a compulsive family activity, and even developed a fondness for it. The conservatives that influenced me were of the WWII generation, but they weren't partisans like today. They were the herbert walker types that viewed the laffer curve with suspicion, and never forgot that they fought side by side (or below decks) against totalitarian aggression. The phrase "we are americans first" meant something to them, and they didn't secretly hide the sentiment that we are americans first but only if we're in the same party. I remember one Navy Veteran in particular that new I was a democrat, but quietly and cheerfully said he'd hoped I would consider voting for Bob Dole, becuase he was a man of character. Since he passed away I almost regret my vote for Clinton for his sake and people like him.

To such people who are my lifelong role-models (and liberals of their generation), your word is your bond, as it is mine. I think they are only republican out of habit these days. I don't hold it against them. Anyone who pays attention closely like my father, a Reagan Democrat (now a registered republican), has been completely turned off by the GOP. My father proudly tells republicans in his office that he is a "RINO", which used to be an epithet. He keeps his registration in hopes that the party will one day try to win his vote back.

If conservative means fiscal responsibility at home and prudence abroad, then that's me. If it means recognizing the important but limited role of government to regulate commerce and financial markets, then that's me. Where the private sector fails for an extended period of time, as it has with health care, the government has an obligation to offer some remedy. The democratic party is the only party currently promoting those values, so they have my vote for the foreseeable future.