Thread: What is the most contentious issue in American politics?

Originally Posted by EMNofSeattle

I say abortion and gun control in dead heat. Both issues are dominated by absolutists who cite the constitution as the sole authority on the issue

Interesting. Do I interpret you to say that both issues are dominated by the right? As they are the ones who habitually trot out the constitution on those issues.

Originally Posted by jet57

Interesting. Do I interpret you to say that both issues are dominated by the right? As they are the ones who habitually trot out the constitution on those issues.

Not exclusively on guns, many liberals and democrats own guns and support the second amendment although it's undisputed republicans support gun rights more.

On the abortion issue it's mainly liberals supporting abortion rights who trot out the "rights" issue. Usually citing roe or the 9th amendment. Abortion is a more partisan issue because conservatives are uniformly opposed to most abortion, liberals Are uniformly for near unrestricted abortion, and moderates usually fall in the middle

Guns are a more divisive issue by number of camps. But it's not a black and white liberal v conservative issue. Bernie sanders voted against the Brady bill, a Wash state rep named Kevin Van De Wege, a democrat representing some of the most liberal counties in Washington (Jefferson and parts of Grays Harbor) is a staunch gun rights supporter...

So I would say yes to your question for abortion, a qualified "kinda sorta" for guns

Originally Posted by jet57

I still think it's abortion. The issue is far more intense than the others and so are the sides. On one side is a religious crusade - again, and the other side is full of political junkies that want to legislate everything. If people just minded their own business about it right from the beginning, I don't think it would be a problem at all.

There is the collective soul of our nation to consider.

Economy, I think. Or as the poll states it "Budget/spending".

Everything else is somewhat secondary, and changes with time. But the monetary issue has been ongoing for decades.

Abortion rules the poll!!!!!?????

Look at the threads that discuss gay right in any fashion, they run 2-300 pages. They can advance 50 pages in a single day. That's not just on the DP board by the way. Presidential candidates have the balls (because they have sufficient American backing) to take discriminating positions against the LGBT community on the (supposed) merits, that the Christians are being persecuted and forced against their belief structure. But when your belief structure has a bigoted element........! Anyway, people will line up behind and vote for a presidential candidate, sometimes on the singular issue of abortion because a guy is "pro-life", despite the fact that no "pro-life" president since RvW has reduced abortion any.

The economy. Which takes in Budget/spending, labor laws, environment, schools and Taxation also.

We need a down and dirty look at the economy and roll-back what is causing all the outsourcing and importing of foreign labor. What laws/regulations are hurting us? We keep seeing that unemployment is supposedly down, but are those real career jobs, people who simply gave up and don't get counted anymore or people taking minimum wage jobs? If the economy "grew" at 3% for a year and we added 5% more people to the workforce and basic needs such as food rose at 6% inflation, is the economy really growing? Maybe to make things look good, the government simply printed out 3% more dollars for the year.

Race.

Even the mention of that word causes some people to instantly run for their security blanket. And woe betide the fool who DARES to put the word "privilege" after the word "white"!