US Politics: Election Day 2014

[Shryke]

I am glad I have a political thought leader with "bong" in his name to guide me through this difficult time

I feel our quality of "not sure if troll or just dumb" has been decreasing steadily over the years.

[Shryke]

Could be worse, he could have a name like Wiener or some foolish shit like that.

It's like he saw his own name and just couldn't not email pictures of his cock to people after that. It was his onomastic destiny.

[peterbound]

It's like he saw his own name and just couldn't not email pictures of his cock to people.

Right?

[Shryke]

Like my own Sen. Inhofe being in charge of the EPW committee. This is the guy who compared the EPA to the Gestapo.

Yup. The GOP will staff many important Senate positions with anti-science conspiracy nuts. Cause that's the kind of party they are.

[1918me]

You know, I really have to admire someone that's willing to take stock of an event, do a little soul searching, and conclude that they were ultimately right about everything they already believed anyway, plus that their political opponents are stupid.

It's just really refreshing to see.

(I kid, I kid...)

I don't mean to imply that people don't blindly vote Democrat aren't either, just that the policies espoused by their party are probably more in-line with what would actually benefit them/what they actually want (or at least, that seems to be what data from this election shows).

It's just that I have a lot of conservative friends who I know have benefited from Democratic policies (e.g., they can now afford health care), but who vote Republican anyway (usually for reasons regarding gay marriage and abortion, which to my eyes doesn't make it any better). I don't mean to come off as someone looking for an opportunity to badmouth the GOP, but it's nice to be vindicated, at least somewhat.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Shryke,

It's like he saw his own name and just couldn't not email pictures of his cock to people after that. It was his onomastic destiny.

Stop. Just stop. People are looking at me like a crazyman because I can't stop laughing. ;)

An

[Bold Barry Whitebeard]

After reading this whole thread, I can only conclude that the majority of liberals on this board get all their knowledge about conservatives from dailykos and thinkprogress. That you seem to honestly and sincerely believe in the worst caricatures of your political opposites does not speak well for either your openmindedness or critical thinking skills.

I don't mean to imply that people don't blindly vote Democrat aren't either, just that the policies espoused by their party are probably more in-line with what would actually benefit them/what they actually want (or at least, that seems to be what data from this election shows).

It's just that I have a lot of conservative friends who I know have benefited from Democratic policies (e.g., they can now afford health care), but who vote Republican anyway (usually for reasons regarding gay marriage and abortion, which to my eyes doesn't make it any better). I don't mean to come off as someone looking for an opportunity to badmouth the GOP, but it's nice to be vindicated, at least somewhat.

There are many rich, millionaire democrats who have benefited from the Bush tax cuts but that hasn't stopped them from voting/supporting for the party who wants to increase their taxes and restrict their right to spend their money on elections.

[Inigima]

After reading this whole thread, I can only conclude that the majority of liberals on this board get all their knowledge about conservatives from dailykos and thinkprogress. That you seem to honestly and sincerely believe in the worst caricatures of your political opposites does not speak well for either your openmindedness or critical thinking skills.

I don't read or like either site and I still think Congressional Republicans are basically cartoon villains

[DanteGabriel]

After reading this whole thread, I can only conclude that the majority of liberals on this board get all their knowledge about conservatives from dailykos and thinkprogress. That you seem to honestly and sincerely believe in the worst caricatures of your political opposites does not speak well for either your openmindedness or critical thinking skills.

On the other hand, I've watched a conservative I personally know and once greatly respected descend into bitter ravings about Obama hating America, the need to nuke the Middle East and persecute Muslims because ISIS beheaded some people, and denial of climate change and evolution.

[1918me]

I don't read or like either site and I still think Congressional Republicans are basically cartoon villains

:agree:

I try to be fair-minded, but I'm not going to let myself fall into a false-equivalency fallacy when things clearly aren't equivalent.

[Bold Barry Whitebeard]

On the other hand, I've watched a conservative I personally know and once greatly respected descend into bitter ravings about Obama hating America, the need to nuke the Middle East and persecute Muslims because ISIS beheaded some people, and denial of climate change and evolution.

Maybe so, but it goes both ways. I could say the same about an otherwise intelligent liberal I know who was certain that Bush was going to launch a coup in 2008 and refuse to step down from the Presidency. Or those who think that the September 11th attacks were an inside job planned by Bush. The idiocay and lunacy persists on both sides

[Shryke]

I don't read or like either site and I still think Congressional Republicans are basically cartoon villains

That happens natural as you pay attention.

This is the party of the souther strategy after all. A caricatures of the party would be too silly to feature in the Onion.

[Bold Barry Whitebeard]

I don't read or like either site and I still think Congressional Republicans are basically cartoon villains

:agree:

I try to be fair-minded, but I'm not going to let myself fall into a false-equivalency fallacy when things clearly aren't equivalent.

All of which stems from a closed-minded inability to see the rational points of people who disagree with you.

Edit: Though to be fair, many Republicans/Conservatives have been laughably and lamentably inarticulate when it comes to making those points.

[Shryke]

Maybe so, but it goes both ways. I could say the same about an otherwise intelligent liberal I know who was certain that Bush was going to launch a coup in 2008 and refuse to step down from the Presidency. Or those who think that the September 11th attacks were an inside job planned by Bush. The idiocay and lunacy persists on both sides

How many of those people did the Democrats elect? How many of their positions are party policy?

All of which stems from a closed-minded inability to see the rational points of people who disagree with you.

The only close-mindedness going on here is your own inability to not frame this as a "both sides are equally X" situation.

[Wise Fool]

Maybe so, but it goes both ways. I could say the same about an otherwise intelligent liberal I know who was certain that Bush was going to launch a coup in 2008 and refuse to step down from the Presidency. Or those who think that the September 11th attacks were an inside job planned by Bush. The idiocay and lunacy persists on both sides

There's plenty of room for idiocy, but one party seems to have made idiocy its actual campaign platform.

[1918me]

All of which stems from a closed-minded inability to see the rational points of people who disagree with you.

Edit: Though to be fair, many Republicans/Conservatives have been laughably and lamentably inarticulate when it comes to making those points.

My problem isn't so much with conservative policy in general (I still consider myself very liberal, but I can understand that there is merit to be found elsewhere) so much as with the GOP as a party. The former is something that I can understand, find a few points I agree with, and reject on the basis that my personal philosophy is very inconsistent with it. The latter is just insane.

[OnionAhaiReborn]

The Republican Party earns every bit of scorn it gets in this thread. Feel free to pick out a specific issue on which you think someone has dishonestly characterized the Republican Party position, but I'm not going to take seriously generic claims that people are "close-minded" for lambasting Republicans.

And I never read dailykos or thinkprogress, I'm not even familiar enough with their content to have an opinion on it.

[Bold Barry Whitebeard]

How many of those people did the Democrats elect? How many of their positions are party policy?

The only close-mindedness going on here is your own inability to not frame this as a "both sides are equally X" situation.

I could say the same about persecuting muslims and nuking the middle east, neither of which you'll find on a platform. Nor do I think you'll find climate denial or the denial of evolution on the Republican Platform. Meanwhile, yes, the Democrats have elected their fair share of conspiracy nuts, including at least one anti-Vaccine advocate.

I agree that both sides can be closed minded though. My comments were directed at those on this board though, since the overwhelming narrative is pro-liberal.

[Bold Barry Whitebeard]

The Republican Party earns every bit of scorn it gets in this thread. Feel free to pick out a specific issue on which you think someone has dishonestly characterized the Republican Party position, but I'm not going to take seriously generic claims that people are "close-minded" for lambasting Republicans.

And I never read dailykos or thinkprogress, I'm not even familiar enough with their content to have an opinion on it.

I forget where back in the threat it was, but the whole conversation about Joni Ernst "betraying" women was rife with it.

[1918me]

My comments were directed at those on this board though, since the overwhelming narrative is pro-liberal.

There are several fairly conservative posters here though, and there has been constant intelligent debate between both sides of the aisle for at least as long as I've been on the board. I wouldn't characterize almost any of the regular posters as terribly close-minded.