Does Bruce Wayne (AKA Batman) vote Democrat or Republican?

[Mojotronica]

What's your impression of Bruce Wayne's political preference? Do you think he would tend to vote for a Republican candidate or a Democrat candidate?

I've always thought Democrat, but I'M more likely to vote Democrat, so this could be my personal bias.

I'll leave the discussion to you guys, but if you want to convince me you'll have to support your argument with examples. It doesn't have to be specific... Just very general personality traits or factors that could influence his politics.

For example:
He is tough on crime -- might support a Republican political agenda.
He abhors guns -- might support a Democrat political agenda.
etc...

If you had the chance to meet Bruce Wayne, and he told you that his political agenda was the opposite of yours, would you view him less favorably, or would you be moved to re-examine your own political point of view?

 

[Mojotronica]

If this thread goes well, perhaps in the near future we can examine the political leanings of other fictional characters too.

 

[Hitro]

Bruce Wayne is a libertarian, quite clearly. He is a rich business man (right?) who prefers taking the law in his own hands over trusting the government. But he's still quite liberal about personal issues.

 

[SeleucusNicator]

I would imagine he is a Republican. He is wealthy, likes law enforcement, seems to be a "rugged individual", etc.

As for the second part, I could care less who Bruce Wayne votes for as long as he keeps me save from the Joker.

 

[Hitro]

He wouldn't vote at all anyway. He is so much an outsider of society that he wouldn't really care.

 

[Pontiuth Pilate]

As a resident of Gotham, he quite clearly sees the city as corrupt beyond salvation, ie, if the city is going to be a peaceful place, it's up to him to do the pacifying. We could construe him to be an enemy of "big government" while simultaneously being FOR centralized and just power - who does he turn the criminals over to? He recognizes that most of the evil in people's lives comes from their hopeless situations - and he pardons minor criminals - and yet for those who are truly heinous he does not allow any other possibility than that they "chose" to be evil. In short, Bruce doesn't really fit into a Dem OR Gopper platform.

It seems to me that Bruce is really a Federalist, a USA party that was dead by the early 19th century. He stands for centralized power, but only because he believes that some men are naturally more just and better able to rule their fellows. He stands for institutional reform and compassion, but he is not pro-welfare. And while he is aware of the danger that the rulers pose to the ruled, he is nevertheless certain that the rule of law, not men, will triumph.

 

[cgannon64]

I would agree with Hitro that he is a libertarian. He clearly doesn't trust the government as he constantly takes matters they should handle (or do and botch) into his own hands.

Although Pontiuth's argument makes sense too, but he's just crazy and knows all the dead 19th century parties.

 

[amadeus]

He likes sliding down long poles, wears lots of tight clothing and lives seculuded from the world with a boy named Robin.

He's either a Democrat or Michael Jackson.

(edit: sentence had some unnecessary words)

 

[BorgeoisBuffoon]

Originally posted by rmsharpe
He likes sliding down long poles, wears lots of tight clothing and lives with a seculuded from the world with a boy named Robin.

He's either a Democrat or Michael Jackson.

Damnit. I thought that Michael was the Joker all along....

 

[andrewgprv]

I always saw him more as a Republican. But he does wear tights

 

[Perfection]

He's a damn commie!

He uses violence to kill off or imprison those that go agianst his idea of fair!

 

[Drewcifer]

I always took him to be a limosine liberal with a secret totalitarian streak (which is not an uncommon combination in RL).

 

[Cimbri]

Originally posted by rmsharpe
He likes sliding down long poles, wears lots of tight clothing and lives seculuded from the world with a boy named Robin.

He's either a Democrat or Michael Jackson.

Actually, he has a servant, a secret double-life and everything and I see him as a Republican. But deep down, I think he is a green.

 

[Hitro]

Originally posted by Cimbri
:lol

And it struck again...

Actually, he has a servant, a secret double-life and everything and I see him as a Republican. But deep down, I think he is a green.

He is a Capitalist but also socially liberal. Also polygamous. I still say Libertarian but your closet Green idea also has some merit.

 

[gael]

Hes a bit batty, so I'd say republician.

 

[Akbar]

Hm, wealthy industrialist on one hand but also staunch gun-controlist and donates generously to the needy. On balance I woud say neither as I don't think he really cares about politics.

 

[Akbar]

Another thing I just thought of. He doesn't kill criminals and seems to be against the death penalty, so that pushes him furhter to the left. On the other hand every other alternate future seems end with him ruling Gotham with an iron-fist and turning it into a police state. Anyway the only thing I can be sure of is that the joker is clearly an anarchist.

 

[jpowers]

Originally posted by rmsharpe
He likes sliding down long poles, wears lots of tight clothing and lives seculuded from the world with a boy named Robin.

He's either a Democrat or Michael Jackson.

(edit: sentence had some unnecessary words)

I think the Republicans have a more illustrious history of this sort of behavior - all that repression and all:
Herbert Hoover
Roy Cohn
Philip Giordano
Parker Bena

 

[joycem10]

Originally posted by Pontiuth Pilate
As a resident of Gotham, he quite clearly sees the city as corrupt beyond salvation.

maybe the forbidden palace is in gotham city

 

[thestonesfan]

Neither. His psyche is so beyond politics that discussion is rather pointless. I would say he is a near-anarchist. His battle is a personal one, not political.

Batman doesn't like guns, true, but I don't know that he ever believed they should be outlawed. He has used them, and has a shooting gallery in the Bat Cave(or used to, anyway). At any rate, Batman's political stances are usually determined by the political stances of the writer. And Batman has usually been written by a left-leaning creator.