| | '''Steve Beren''' (born September 9, 1951, [[New York, New York]]) is a speaker, writer, and political activist from [[Seattle]], [[Washington State|Washington]]. He is a pro-liberty conservative citizen activist in support of the U.S. led war against [[terrorism]], and is actively involved in the [[Tea Party Movement]]. Beren attended the [[Tax Day Tea Party]] on April 15, 2009, as well the September 12, 2009 National Taxpayers [[Tea_party_protests#September_12_March_on_Washington|Tea Party March on Washington, D.C.]]<ref>[http://www.steveberen.com/taxdayteaparty.html Tax Day Tea Party], SteveBeren.com.</ref> Steve Beren has run twice for Congress against Jim McDermott, campaigning for the 2006 and 2008 elections.<ref>Aaron. [http://www.rlc.org/2009/02/05/economic-stimulus/ Stimulus – Wasteful, harmful, job-killing, and a threat to liberty], RLC.org, ''Republican Liberty Caucus'', February 5, 2009.</ref> Beren was the 2008 Republican candidate for [[U.S. Congress]] in Washington State's 7th Congressional District against incumbent Democratic Congressman [[Jim McDermott]].<ref>[http://neo-neocon.blogspot.com/2006/10/steve-beren-changer-extraordinaire.html Steve Beren, changer extraordinaire: from Socialist to Republican]</ref> He had also been mentioned as a possible conservative candidate for city council in the Seattle 2007 elections.<ref>Neil Modie. [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/296534_seattlegop20.html GOP seeking unlikely victories in Seattle], ''seattlepi.com'', December 20, 2006.</ref> | | '''Steve Beren''' (born September 9, 1951, [[New York, New York]]) is a speaker, writer, and political activist from [[Seattle]], [[Washington State|Washington]]. He is a pro-liberty conservative citizen activist in support of the U.S. led war against [[terrorism]], and is actively involved in the [[Tea Party Movement]]. Beren attended the [[Tax Day Tea Party]] on April 15, 2009, as well the September 12, 2009 National Taxpayers [[Tea_party_protests#September_12_March_on_Washington|Tea Party March on Washington, D.C.]]<ref>[http://www.steveberen.com/taxdayteaparty.html Tax Day Tea Party], SteveBeren.com.</ref> Steve Beren has run twice for Congress against Jim McDermott, campaigning for the 2006 and 2008 elections.<ref>Aaron. [http://www.rlc.org/2009/02/05/economic-stimulus/ Stimulus – Wasteful, harmful, job-killing, and a threat to liberty], RLC.org, ''Republican Liberty Caucus'', February 5, 2009.</ref> Beren was the 2008 Republican candidate for [[U.S. Congress]] in Washington State's 7th Congressional District against incumbent Democratic Congressman [[Jim McDermott]].<ref>[http://neo-neocon.blogspot.com/2006/10/steve-beren-changer-extraordinaire.html Steve Beren, changer extraordinaire: from Socialist to Republican]</ref> He had also been mentioned as a possible conservative candidate for city council in the Seattle 2007 elections.<ref>Neil Modie. [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/296534_seattlegop20.html GOP seeking unlikely victories in Seattle], ''seattlepi.com'', December 20, 2006.</ref> |
| − | Born in [[New York City]], Beren states that he was raised in a non-religious, secular [[Jewish]] home and later became an [[atheist]]. From 1968 to 1990 he was an activist for the [[Socialist Workers Party]] and a defender of [[Fidel Castro]]. By 1990 he quit the SWP. After that he became a supporter of the Democratic Party. In 1995 he converted from [[atheism]] to [[Christianity]]. He became a Republican at age 52, during the 2004 Bush-Kerry campaign. The [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] was influential in his turn toward the [[Republican Party]]. <ref name=rams09>Bruce Ramsey. [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2003184531_rams09.html McDermott challenger knows a little something about the left], ''The Seattle Times'',August 9, 2006.</ref>
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| − | ==Former leftist==
| + | In 1995, Steve Beren converted from [[atheism]] to [[Christianity]]. He became a Republican at age 52, during the 2004 Bush-Kerry campaign. The [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] was influential in his turn toward the [[Republican Party]].<ref name=rams09>Bruce Ramsey. [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2003184531_rams09.html McDermott challenger knows a little something about the left], ''The Seattle Times'',August 9, 2006.</ref> After the [[9/11|Sept. 11, 2001]], [[terrorist]] attacks, he said, "[I] came to see that the Republican Party was far superior on foreign policy."<ref>Emily Heffter. [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008112747_mcdermott14m.html McDermott faces 5 challengers but no real re-election challenge], ''The Seattle Times'', August 14, 2008.</ref> Since then he has become an evangelical Christian, a patriot, and a [[conservative]] Republican. |
| − | Beren was described by Seattle's "two dailies" newspapers as a former [[Democrat]] and [[liberal]].<ref name=rams09/> But from 1968 to 1990, Beren was an activist in the Socialist Workers, the party inspired by [[Leon Trotsky]]. Steve Beren was a [[socialist]] and [[Vietnam War]] protester in the 1960s and '70s. Later, after settling in Seattle and marrying, he became a Democrat, voting twice for [[Bill Clinton]] and once for [[Al Gore]]. But after the [[9/11|Sept. 11, 2001]], [[terrorist]] attacks, he said, he "came to see that the Republican Party was far superior on foreign policy."<ref>Emily Heffter. [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008112747_mcdermott14m.html McDermott faces 5 challengers but no real re-election challenge], ''The Seattle Times'', August 14, 2008.</ref> Since then he has become an evangelical Christian, a patriot, and a [[conservative]] Republican. | |