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Because I used to be one. Yes, me, center-left liberal (or as a conservative member of this forum once called me "Mr. Liberal"), used to be a conservative. My first conservative view to go was that on immigration, then my views of fiscal policy and finally I adopted a centrist stance on trade. But why? Because I grew, I read and learned. I came to understand more and more of how society functions. In other words, my study of political science and economics made me adopt modern liberalism as my world view. I did not become a liberal because I wanted to be; because most people in my background are; because it is "hip to care." No, I became a liberal not by choice. I became a liberal after conducting countless hours of research, reading and writing, and all the critical thinking that these activities entail. It took years for my transformation to complete (no one wakes up one day with a different world view). The transformation was not always easy (though it was made easier by my family and friends being liberal or centrist). We all cling to our world views and defend them whenever we feel they are being threatened. I had the same tendency. Yet, I felt an urge to know "the truth." While I believe that Immanuel Kant was right when he stated that we can never know "das Ding an sich" (the thing itself), we can strive to as objective, or to use an analogy based on Kant, wear the clearest possible lenses through which we then see the world. My studies, i.e. the evidence I was presented with and the conclusion I had to base on this evidence, made me a modern liberal. I am usually not fond of revealing this fact about myself, because I think it might confuse people as to where I stand on the political spectrum. After two months (?) on this network, having exposed more than 6,000 people to my liberals, however, I feel that there is little to question as to where I now stand. Furthermore, the staunchest defender of a certain world view are often conversts (e.g. Micheal Savage used to be a liberal). Your, New Republic reading, academically inclined, center-left liberal Democrat.
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Also, Michael Savage is a complete fraud. He grew up as a Jewish Liberal who used to hang out with gay poets, and ended up being a poison spewing conservative Christian White man. I frankly think most of his garbage is intentionally inflammatory and he is making millions out of it.