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Political segregation

Why cannot we just believe folks in different parties see things differently. This then leads to offering different solutions to problems. Also we see some problems as being more important than others.

There can be many solutions to problems. Sometimes solutions come from one party with a large majority. Other times they come from a consensus. All solutions are subject to a trial and error period. During this period adjustments can be made.

Of overall importance is having faith in the system and not becoming too divided. When divisiveness reaches a certain level and we no longer have faith in our elections then we will no longer have a democratic republic. When and if this happens, I know how we will react...we of course will blame the other party.
That is the way politics worked for a couple hundred years. Nowadays, politics is all about power so that a majority can cram-down its view without negotiation or compromise.
 
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MtM,
I am in awe of your stamina in swimming upstream against this ever-shifting tide of bullshit, all while not getting any on you.
Regardless of the size of the landslide, your opponent has been taught to never concede, and to continue to claim victory, even in the absence of any evidence, and with full knowledge of just how much bullshit is flowing.
Keep fighting the good fight.

I think law school brainwashing is to blame. Note the Rock thread where even those of us who agreed with Rock could be taken to task for not forceful enough. Too many lawyers are taught never concede a point, attack is better then defense. And generally speak we all make too many things matters of principle and honor. Not everything political is. In fact, few things are.

We can ALL do better. And we should demand better of our politicians. I am not a Libertarian but there are a few races that their candidate should win because the two parties failed us.

And we should eliminate the two parties.
 

"Importantly, Republicans have more bipartisan friendships than Democrats do. A majority (53 percent) of Republicans say they have at least some friends who are Democrats. In contrast, less than one-third (32 percent) of Democrats say they have at least some Republican friends."

And

"Ending friendships over political disagreements occurs more among liberal and Democratic-leaning Americans. Democrats are twice as likely as Republicans are to report having ended a friendship over a political disagreement (20 percent vs. 10 percent). Political liberals are also far more likely than conservatives are to say they are no longer friends with someone due to political differences (28 percent vs. 10 percent, respectively). No group is more likely to end a friendship over politics than liberal women are; 33 percent say they stopped being friends with someone because of their politics."
I believe that. No one ever used to end friendships over politics until Trump. With Trump, I know many people who have ended friendships, because they feel it’s a matter of values and morality. I have only one, but not sure whose fault that would be when the conservative constantly posts about libtards, the only person who would vote Dems are crazy and evil, etc. So there’s a little more to it than numbers.
 
That figures.

I post a couple of links about how democrats segregate themselves from Republicans more than vice versa and your counterpoint is about right-wing violent terrorism. Um, Republicans are not right wing terrorists.
They aren’t ? Who is right wing if it’s not Republicans? Democrats?
 
Your NPR link is a perfect example of why Democrats and liberals (This time in the guise of NPR) are the problem. The article starts with “The age of Trump has been hotly polarizing. . . “ . What is that supposed to even mean? NPR has fallen into the trap, like so many, of imputing Trump’s worst qualities to a whole party. Yeah, Trump is a bore, , thin-skinned, impulsive, and abusive to some people. But that doesn’t signal an “age.” It signals a person with personalty issues. Zeke mentioned the other day that Trump affected all of us. That is BS. He affects people who are susceptible to his bluster. We end up with words like “Trumpist,” and “Trumper,” and “we don’t hate” yard signs because the left imputes Trump’s worst qualities to anybody who voted for him. This tendency to define everything non-left in terms of Trump lies at the epicenter of your thread.

Biden has lied and lied and lied about himself, about the death of his family members, about his political opponents and more for decades. He is still lying about that. He never was the sharpest mental knife in the drawer. Now he is worse. I don’t notice any Republican calling Democrats Bidenists. The Trump patina over politics is the problem, and the left and the Democrats advance that. Why? They have nothing else to talk about. .
No. Why? Because Trump is immoral, corrupt, sexual harrasser, crass, unethical, and many people who follow and support him are in a cult. Why are there not Bidenists? Because it’s not a cult. Pretty simple. Let me know when you see boats, houses, and cars covered with Biden signs and flags, when you see shirts and hats, when you see paintings depicting Biden as a superhero or even a god. The. I’ll reassess. Don’t blame this on liberals. Blame this on Trump and what he brought into the arena. He made cruelty and divisiveness his campaign.
 
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You've got it, I've never been called a socialist.
I think law school brainwashing is to blame. Note the Rock thread where even those of us who agreed with Rock could be taken to task for not forceful enough. Too many lawyers are taught never concede a point, attack is better then defense. And generally speak we all make too many things matters of principle and honor. Not everything political is. In fact, few things are.

We can ALL do better. And we should demand better of our politicians. I am not a Libertarian but there are a few races that their candidate should win because the two parties failed us.

And we should eliminate the two parties.
My law school didn’t teach that.
 
If a dumbass calls a dumbass a dumbass does the dumbass remain a dumbass or is it dumbasses being dumbasses to dumbasses? Dumbass question by a dumbass.😊
If you are going to use it that many times, it is two words.
 
No. Why? Because Trump is immoral, corrupt, sexual harrasser, crass, unethical, and many people who follow and support him are in a cult. Why are there not Bidenists? Because it’s not a cult. Pretty simple. Let me know when you see boats, houses, and cars covered with Biden signs and flags, when you see shirts and hats, when you see paintings depicting Biden as a superhero or even a god. The. I’ll reassess. Don’t blame this on liberals. Blame this on Trump and what he brought into the arena. He made cruelty and divisiveness his campaign.
That cult talking point is a load of BS too. Democrats and liberals got nuthin’ politically. So yeah, everyone with whom you disagree must be a racist, cultist terrorist, deplorable, or something. You can’t convince anybody you got better ideas. How do I know that? Your post above is exhibit “A”.
 
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I think law school brainwashing is to blame.
Law school might indeed play a role. But not in the way you describe. You talked about how we are politically dividing ourselves. I posted two links, that contain more links, suggesting Democrats are more intolerant than Republicans. I therefore blame Democrats for the increasing division. This board is an anecdotal example. You deny that. Fine. But nobody has posted any data or even made an argument tending to counter that point. All i I see is the usual Co.H is a partisan, Republicans are terrorists, and Trump is a jerk.
 
Law school might indeed play a role. But not in the way you describe. You talked about how we are politically dividing ourselves. I posted two links, that contain more links, suggesting Democrats are more intolerant than Republicans. I therefore blame Democrats for the increasing division. This board is an anecdotal example. You deny that. Fine. But nobody has posted any data or even made an argument tending to counter that point. All i I see is the usual Co.H is a partisan, Republicans are terrorists, and Trump is a jerk.

I posted a PEW poll showing Republicans associate more negative traits to Democrats than Democrats do to Republicans. YOU chose to ignore that poll. That is on you, not me.

And I didn't want to even do that, I foolishly thought we could all agree that America can do better. I forgot Captain Partisan was here.
 
You've got it, I've never been called a socialist.
I've been called a liberal which in the minds of many an accuser is the same thing as a socialist.

Depends on how you define liberal and socialist.
An issue, real or perceived, is that the parties have gotten into culture wars. It exploded with the summer of love, Covid, trump and wokeism. This stuff feels more intimate, more personal, than typical gov functions and resonates and polarizes people in a heightened way. Add media and social media and we’re all roided up

Culture wars fit into today's practice of demonizing political opponents rather than offering solutions to problems facing the nation.

Next time you see a political television ad ask yourself if this is a candidate talking about solving a problem or demonizing his opponent.
 
I've been called a liberal which in the minds of many an accuser is the same thing as a socialist.

Depends on how you define liberal and socialist.

Culture wars fit into today's practice of demonizing political opponents rather than offering solutions to problems facing the nation.

Next time you see a political television ad ask yourself if this is a candidate talking about solving a problem or demonizing his opponent.
You’d have my vote hoot. No matter what letter is next to your name.
 
I've been called a liberal which in the minds of many an accuser is the same thing as a socialist.

Depends on how you define liberal and socialist.

Culture wars fit into today's practice of demonizing political opponents rather than offering solutions to problems facing the nation.

Next time you see a political television ad ask yourself if this is a candidate talking about solving a problem or demonizing his opponent.
When candidates are not calling each other names, they say “I will fight for you”. Nobody wins by saying “I will negotiate and compromise for you.” I think this issue is different from what I see as the point of this thread, which is why are we so mean to each other because of politics and what can we do about it.
 
I've been called a liberal which in the minds of many an accuser is the same thing as a socialist.

Depends on how you define liberal and socialist.

Culture wars fit into today's practice of demonizing political opponents rather than offering solutions to problems facing the nation.

Next time you see a political television ad ask yourself if this is a candidate talking about solving a problem or demonizing his opponent.
Hoot, this is the 738th time I've recommended this book. I think all would gain from reading it. I bet, you in particular, would enjoy it:

The Righteous Mind​

2012

The Righteous Mind


by Jonathan Haidt

Why can't our political leaders work together as threats loom and problems mount? Why do people so readily assume the worst about the motives of their fellow citizens? In The Righteous Mind, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explores the origins of our divisions and points the way forward to mutual understanding. His starting point is moral intuition-the nearly instantaneous perceptions we all have about other people and the things they do. These intuitions feel like self-evident truths, making us righteously certain that those who see things differently are wrong. Haidt shows us how these intuitions differ across cultures, including the cultures of the political left and right. He blends his own research findings with those of anthropologists, historians, and other psychologists to draw a map of the moral domain, and he explains why conservatives can navigate that map more skillfully than can liberals. He then examines the origins of morality, overturning the view that evolution made us fundamentally selfish creatures. But rather than arguing that we are innately altruistic, he makes a more subtle claim-that we are fundamentally groupish. It is our groupishness, he explains, that leads to our greatest joys, our religious divisions, and our political affiliations. In a stunning final chapter on ideology and civility, Haidt shows what each side is right about, and why we need the insights of liberals, conservatives, and libertarians to flourish as a nation.
 

"Importantly, Republicans have more bipartisan friendships than Democrats do. A majority (53 percent) of Republicans say they have at least some friends who are Democrats. In contrast, less than one-third (32 percent) of Democrats say they have at least some Republican friends."

And

"Ending friendships over political disagreements occurs more among liberal and Democratic-leaning Americans. Democrats are twice as likely as Republicans are to report having ended a friendship over a political disagreement (20 percent vs. 10 percent). Political liberals are also far more likely than conservatives are to say they are no longer friends with someone due to political differences (28 percent vs. 10 percent, respectively). No group is more likely to end a friendship over politics than liberal women are; 33 percent say they stopped being friends with someone because of their politics."
Makes sense. The new party of hate & intolerance…
 
I posted a PEW poll showing Republicans associate more negative traits to Democrats than Democrats do to Republicans. YOU chose to ignore that poll. That is on you, not me.

And I didn't want to even do that, I foolishly thought we could all agree that America can do better. I forgot Captain Partisan was here.
I didn’t respond because I interpreted the poll as being about how members of one party viewed the other party’s leadership. Your thread title is more focused on how we view each other. I don't impute Biden’s incompetence and dishonesty to you just cuz you support him. The reverse is not true (maybe not for you but for many posters). I’m a Trumpist and a cultist because I voted for Trump.

Perhaps you think I’m splitting hairs, but that is what I leaned in law school. ;)
 
So, how diverse are you? I am especially thinking of that neighborhood map. 1 in three of us lives in a total bubble. Fearfully that probably means how we view each other is based on what we read in places like this.
Many of your neighbors — 55 percent — are Republicans. You don't quite live in a bubble, but we wouldn't say your neighbors are politically diverse, either.
[...]
There’s a zip code three miles away from you where only 19 percent of the average Democrat's neighbors are Republicans.
 
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Here is something I have wanted to discuss but don't know about its own thread. Like many of you, I get a lot of texts and emails asking me to donate money since I have donated to a handful of candidates in the past.

I absolutely refuse to donate to candidates I cannot vote for. Yes, I like Kelly in Arizona, but I don't live in Arizona. I have no business involving myself in that race. So I don't contribute there, I don't even contribute to other Indiana districts. I think the way we nationalize everything contributes to the "my team good, your team bad" atmosphere.
 
It came up in the MASH thread, rather than hijack a thread on one of the best TV shows ever I decided to start a thread.

We have balkanized in a lot of ways, and before we start down that road (and I am sure we will), BOTH parties contribute mightily to it. We go to churches that are overwhelmingly dominated by one party, we choose our media based on our party politics, and we live in neighborhoods that have become increasingly segregated.

Below is a story with an interesting map, put in your address and it will tell you how politically diverse your neighborhood is. Now to break with the theme, my neighborhood is 48% D and 45% R. So very diverse politically. I am surprised as I see many more R yard signs. As an aside, in Maine, VT, NH, I saw MANY MANY more yard signs than I do in Bloomington.


I am sure the story accompanying the map will cause some anger, but hopefully more people will respond about how diverse their neighborhood is.

How diverse is your social media? I don't know how to measure that, but I have maybe 5 Facebook friends that post extensively on politics. 3 are liberal, 2 are conservative. The rest may make an occasional post on an issue, but it is hard to know based on one issue. I don't follow anyone political on Social Media, and my Twitter includes several scientists, a couple authors, NASA, and some IT. I can think of no worse platform for political discussion than Twitter.

My church is overwhelmingly liberal. If it wasn't, its decision to become a reconciling congregation guaranteed it.

For news, I listen to NPR in the morning, and one of the network's news at night. I some version of read or scan USAToday and Fox News online.

I follow one political blog (electoral-vote) that leans left, and check in on 538 every few days (especially Fridays for their puzzles).

So, how diverse are you? I am especially thinking of that neighborhood map. 1 in three of us lives in a total bubble. Fearfully that probably means how we view each other is based on what we read in places like this.

got another non paywall link? fvck the nyt
 
Yep, it looks like it tells me now I have reached my limit. So my earlier visit must have been when I still had a free visit left.

I use uBlock Origin and periodically apply Bleach Bit. May or may not explain how I'm able to see it. (It's not looking for a standard cookie, since I don't clean those from my browser.)
 
My neighborhood is a mixed bag but I think the majority are libertarian who vote third party or Pub. Some of the younger folk seem hip but are uber religious and vote solely on stuff like abortion. We have one neighbor with pro-choice signs and a guy next to them with Trump 2024 flags.

Also found out at my neighborhood picnic we have three IU grads and one PU grad. Pretty sure all three IU grads are li

I gave up social media. Get local news from local outlets. NPR, BBC, and browse other places, even Fox, for National and global news.

The biggest issue I’m worried about are crazy school board members being elected in our district. They are the radical book burning type. This is pretty much the only reason we’d move to a more liberal area.
 


Not gonna lie, when you get a bunch of lefties together who think it is safe to talk about the other half of the country, this thread would be an example of how I think that conversation would go.

The irony isn't lost on me that most of the people posting in that thread are exactly an example of the type of people and behavior they are supposedly railing against.
 


Not gonna lie, when you get a bunch of lefties together who think it is safe to talk about the other half of the country, this thread would be an example of how I think that conversation would go.

The irony isn't lost on me that most of the people posting in that thread are exactly an example of the type of people and behavior they are supposedly railing against.
The first response to this thread was "this is a left wing problem" and that's pretty much defined the conversation. What universe do you live in?
 
The first response to this thread was "this is a left wing problem" and that's pretty much defined the conversation. What universe do you live in?
And the response is a general denial without evidence or even argument except to mumble something about college kids. Well, they are the future.

I think the deepening political divide is a problem and makes for an interesting discussion. But I also think it’s fairly obvious that the left self-segragates and is more intolerant than the right. The left throwing a fit over Twitter and starting boycotts is yet another example in real time.
 
Right. The pew questions are different. The metrics are different.
It was the Pew poll I was referencing. They have data going to 2016. The data suggests even in 2016, Rs had a worse opinion of D's than Ds had of Rs. Both have risen substantially since.

There is reason to say it is an American problem but you stubbornly want to make this a D problem only.

Either it is your lawyer training to never concede a point, or your are Captain Partisan. You can choose which you prefer because you seem desperate to acknowledge what that damn poll says.
 
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It was the Pew poll I was referencing. They have data going to 2016. The data suggests even in 2016, Rs had a worse opinion of D's than Ds had of Rs. Both have risen substantially since.

There is reason to say it is an American problem but you stubbornly want to make this a D problem only.

Either it is your lawyer training to never concede a point, or your are Captain Partisan. You can choose which you prefer because you seem desperate to acknowledge what that damn poll says.
Nobody has made much of a case for this problem being of equal responsibility. I haven’t said it is “ only” a D problem, but it substantially is. I have no reason to back off of my opinion.

Read the Paul Pelosi thread if you have doubts. POTUS politicized the attack before Pelosi was out of surgery. Democrats intolerance of republicans comes up every single day. Democrats no longer see the GOP as colleagues but as obstructionists who deny everything from climate to history to science, to human rights.
 
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