being labeled as not Jewish enough.

There were only about 4 Democrats who dared to write.

The editor of the newspaper publicly called me his pinko commie friend.

Years ago, a human being on DU said she had evidence that I was Patrick Buchanan. I am confident that this was well beyond being told one is not a real Democrat. That woman was soon removed from the DU community. I remain other that Buchanan.

She called me a Trump supporter.

Those types of attempts at inducing a chilling effect and choking off any discussion that the attackers simply do not like is an actual 'purity test'. They love to conflate their opinions with facts, their own framings as the only acceptable stances.

I will never bend the knee to those type of intimidation tactics on any issue I deem worthy of discussion, but the intimidation works on far too many.

I'm 81 years old and have been a registered Democrat since 1965. I'm run across all kinds of Democrats.from hard left to hard right. all of them calling themselves Democrats. That's how Big Tent idea came to be.

In fact, it's happened a couple of time on Democratic Underground.

Because I'm a proud Zionist and there are people on the left who are twisting Zionism and support for Israel into something ugly.

And a militarist anti-religionist, anti-family/cis-gender, or otherwise radical socialist by so-called centrists.
I'm a Pragmatic Fair Player; a New Deal/Great Society Keynesian Democrat.
Which puts me and others like me in the cross-hairs of the loud "Just Us" types the ends of the Right/Left political spectrum.

No m ore than there's a REAL God, REAL man, REAL margarine, or REAL anything.

There are mo facts, only interpretations. Friedrich Nietzsche .

Over the years, I’ve been called many things but I don’t recall an instance where someone said I wasn’t a REAL Democratic.

because I'm open to all sides and will hear them out.

My response is simple:

I'm the last of a dying breed: I'm a New Deal Democrat

I believe in capitalism, but the government must be the referee for the people against the abuses of business.

I believe the financial system must have government oversight to avoid corruption and grift.

Like the Preamble to the Constitution states "Promote the general welfare", I believe the government should be an instrument to improve the lives of all Americans.

Boom!

None of them even made sense, really. The funny thing is that almost everyone who called me things I am not are no longer posting here. And yet, I persist.