Here's the problem. The country is deeply divided. There is little common ground between Republicans and Democrats, except on issues like shaking down lobbyists for money. The differences are real and often involve highly emotive subjects. Compromise is hard to come by. Politicians who attempt to compromise or straddle the ideological divide are excoriated as sell-outs. When the electorate is so closely divided, in fact it doesn't pay to compromise. The next election could put you in the driver's seat. Unfortunately, that dynamic begins to make it crucially important who wins. And that leads to underhanded tactics, bad faith litigation, endless challenges and a general delegitimization of the democratic process.
Just once I'd like to hear a candidate say, I don't give a flyin' fuck where you stick your cock, and if that is one of your high priorities, then you deserve the ass fucking your government is giving you.
And who do you think divided it? Who hated Clinton's guts and spent 8 years and 40 mln investigating him even though he was the ultimate centrist? Who is dividing the country into homo and hetero-sexuals, whose slogan is "if you're not with us you're with terrorists?", who after losing the popular vote and 269 electoral votes governed as if he won a 49-state landslide and pushed the most divisive right-wing agenda ever and did it with full support of the entire republican party?
Whatever. You think anyone who disagrees with you is "divisive." Taxes. Abortion. Fighting terrorism. Immigration. The gay agenda. These are issues that there is just not going to be a lot of compromise over. Personally, I think that is a good thing. I'm not afraid of a fight over principles. Too many Republicans are. I think it is a conditioned reflex for party regulars, who care only about keeping power, not accomplishing anything. The Harriet Miers nomination was the high water mark for that kind of thinking.
When I see the media, or hear talk radio, with the public input from 2 sides that both sound like drunken beer bellys espousing canned b.s. from their TEAM, right, wrong, or in most cases, just plain stupid. It reminds of soccer matches I've been to, what a crock, these idiots actually hate the other side and all drink the same darn kool-aid. Doesn't anyone think on their own anymore? Listening to a truck driver, a bar maid, or a lobbyist all spit out the same crap from each side's spin doctors is just plain irritating. Even if you happen to lean one way or the other, even your own guys start to suck after a while. Ask 90% of these people to even recite any backup for their outrageous nonsense is futile, they've likely never heard of habeas corpus, the Crusades, can explain the Magna Carta or even the Boston Tea Party taxes and rebellion. Many of these things have been the basis for many arguments these days, but most couldn't even give the most basic historical reference. I'm not trying to sound at all elitist, but my God, it's laughable. c
Each side thinks the other side's supporters are simple-minded cretins. That's democracy, warts and all.
I'm not really saying that so much, it just seems that the overly zealous, highly vocal, tend to be rah-rah, with us or against us types. Both sides. Much like rooting for your soccer team. Oh well, I know I'm fighting for a non winnable position. never thought I was that idealistic. But, as you said, warts and all, we are all Americans. c
Thank you for making my point, any reasonable person would agree that there is a lot of room for compromise on taxes, terrorism and immigration. And even on abortions and gay issues there is a lot of middle ground and a compromise is quite possible. That's exactly what I was talking about, it's people like you and your party who are not seeking a compromise, instead you want to shove your extremist right-wing agenda down the throats of the rest of us, much like Hamas, much like Taleban.
You read wrong. Disagreeing is not divisive. Not seeking compromise is. The past 6 years have been unique in the US history, that the party in power has simply refused to compromise on any issue. That is what divided this country. And your attitude displayed here reflects exactly that - "divisive." BTW, Harriet Miers was wrong not because she was a compromise. It was because she, like the former head of FEMA, embodies the incompetence and neptism of this administration.