I have turned from a feel-good generic liberal Democrat into a somewhat jaded yet (I'd like to think) smarter version of myself. Still a Democrat when it's time to vote, but I have become far less optimistic about politics. It's important to keep things in perspective, be pragmatic, yadda yadda cliche etc.
Oh, and I have socialist sympathies (but don't we all, at times?
) Whatever, though; I would stop at identifying myself as a "socialist" because too many well-meaning but rather naive young liberals identify themselves as such.
