Are my views welcome in the Democratic Party?

[Dirk]

I am a Democrat. I am pro-labor, pro-choice, and pro-freedom. I support a well-regulated welfare state and oppose yanking the rug out from under our nation's poorest. I believe that one of our top legislative priorities should be to make the very rich pay their fair share and close the income gap. I applauded the Supreme Court's long-overdue ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act and believe the Bush Administration should face a military tribunal for their Middle East policy. No person has been a more outspoken critic of President Obama for failing to correct it than I.

Then there are those issues on which my party and I are divided. I agree that drug addicts are some of the most vulnerable members of society and that they need our help, not our scrutiny. However, drug liberalization is one of the most destructive policies we could adopt. We should not end the War on Drugs. We should change the battlefield from America's inner cities to the place where it all starts; the U.S.-Mexico border. I would sanction the use of drone warfare against cartels and the death penalty for drug trafficking. The most effective thing we could do to win this war is clamp down on the border, which brings me to my next topic, illegal "immigration."

I believe that the feasibility of deporting every illegal alien residing here is suspect and I certainly would not support such an enormous waste of resources. However, we should stand up to Congress and demand real immigration reform, not the watered-down version of what we already have that got hawked through the Senate. Illegal immigration should be stopped and legal immigration should be reduced to sustainable levels. In a nation where seven percent of its citizens are unemployed, it would be immoral to let people from neighboring countries come here illegally and take precious jobs. A "pathway to citizenship" should only be offered to aliens who are here right now so they can pay for the benefits they receive. Meanwhile, we should stem the tide of illegal aliens coming here by eliminating incentives to do so. Ending birthright citizenship, prosecuting sanctuary cities, and levying harsh fines against businesses that hire illegal aliens would be good starting points.

Finally, I share my friends' across the aisle distrust of the federal government to always do the right thing. The ATF's handling of the debacle in Waco was appropriate when you consider the circumstances (the Branch Davidians were dangerous insurrectionists, and the world is probably a safer place without them), but their actions at Ruby Ridge as well as their involvement in other snafus makes the label "jack-booted thugs" seem appropriate. Bottom line, the ATF needs serious oversight. I find it odd that the same people who decry Edward Snowden's treatment by our government support an agency that has openly engaged in some of the most flagrant sins against liberty.

TL;DR: Although I consider myself a Democrat, I support a more hawkish War on Drugs with only a marginal safety net for addicts, I oppose amnesty from a protectionist standpoint (not because I'm a xenophobic bigot who hates brown people like Tom Tancredo), and, while my distrust of big business eclipses my distrust of big government, I don't trust either.

So, if I were a congressperson, would I be welcome in the Democratic caucus?

[Dirk]

I don't really understand the question here.

You're welcome to vote for Democratic candidates and register as a Democrat.  Go ahead and do that please.  But, I wouldn't vote for you or want you to be an elected official, precinct committee person, delegate to a caucus or convention.  A lot of your ideas will never be public policy because they're ridiculous, regardless of party or ideology. 

They're not that ridiculous in retrospect when you consider that other developed nations have adopted some of them.

The question was whether or not I would be the subject of scrutiny from my fellow Democrats because of some of my more conservative views.

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This. I haven't even reached the threshold for voting yet. For me to say that I am resolute in my beliefs would be a lie.