Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or F

[Luna Tick]

Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or F

 

[atrasicarius]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

True. Two decades ago, Bill Clinton could actually compromise with the Republicans and get things done.

 

[LizardofOz]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

True. Two decades ago, Bill Clinton could actually compromise with the Republicans and get things done.

I agree but I just notice something about your sig..what the hell does being against full time employment mean?

 

[atrasicarius]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

I agree but I just notice something about your sig..what the hell does being against full time employment mean?

A bit off topic, but essentially I'm against a 40 hour work week. I think the average person should only have to work 15 or 20 hours a week to support themselves comfortably.

 

[LizardofOz]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

A bit off topic, but essentially I'm against a 40 hour work week. I think the average person should only have to work 15 or 20 hours a week to support themselves comfortably.

So is this just your magical utopia world idea or what? I don't understand. Most people, even the richest amongst us work much more than 40 hours a week.

 

[jamesrage]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

I was not into politics 20 years seeing how I was around 14 years old. So I can not honestly say if politics was something more extreme today than it was back then. Although I have a feeling its the same regardless who is president assuming there is a significant amount of people in the house and senate who are politically opposite of the president. Sometimes its because one side realizes a compromise would suck ass or is really no compromise or it could be sore loser syndrome.

 

[CriticalThought]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

Take a look at Congress's approval rating.

Rigid ideology has made it nearly impossible for compromise and as a result, nobody is pleased with the results that Congress produces. If given a choice, people would probably sack the entire Congress and start from scratch.

 

[atrasicarius]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

So is this just your magical utopia world idea or what? I don't understand. Most people, even the richest amongst us work much more than 40 hours a week.

Do they enjoy doing that? Maybe a couple do, but not many. And is it necessary? Considering that a good half of our jobs are useless bureaucracy, flipping burgers, stocking shelves, or making plastic crap, I'm gonna go ahead and answer "no." So why are we doing it? I'll let you see if you can figure out the answer to that one yourself.

 

[Oberon]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

Rigid ideology has made it nearly impossible for compromise and as a result, nobody is pleased with the results that Congress produces. If given a choice, people would probably sack the entire Congress and start from scratch.

Our system is badly outmoded, rendered obsolete by technology even before the Civil War, and was never designed to work well in the first place, merely a compromise that most of it's drafters thought were temporary, to be perfected later, when one or other of the other factions would be dominant ad 're-arrange' it all to their own satisfaction. Corruption was also institutionalized into the framework, also on purpose, by the Hamiltonians.

 

[Oberon]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

Extremism always gets worse when economic pressures increase, and the current Depression is no different. The 'Hidden Depression' of the 1970's led to Reagan and the rise of Right Wing buffoonery, with a consequent reaction from the Center. There is no real 'Left' in the U.S. of any importance, despite all the fear mongering and generally hysterical hubris the Right puts out.

 

[lpast]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

I believe this poll will be almost a unanamous TRUE

 

[haymarket]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

No doubt about it. The polarization reminds me of the bad old days of the Sixties when the nation was divided over Viet Nam. This time its over right wing ideology. Not good - not good.

 

[Muffinz!]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

I think so. Ultraconservatives and Ultraliberals are the bane of compromise. The fact that such a huge amount of the US voting population is quite extreme in their political and religious opinions prevents compromise and progress from occuring. My two cents.

 

[American]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

True. Two decades ago, Bill Clinton could actually compromise with the Republicans and get things done.

Yeah, it wasn't partisan under Reagan.

 

[Goshin]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

No, it's about the same. The media is a bit more shrill, and a bit more openly partisan perhaps. On the whole, though, not so different.

 

[LizardofOz]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

Do they enjoy doing that? Maybe a couple do, but not many. And is it necessary? Considering that a good half of our jobs are useless bureaucracy, flipping burgers, stocking shelves, or making plastic crap, I'm gonna go ahead and answer "no." So why are we doing it? I'll let you see if you can figure out the answer to that one yourself.

Because I am a productive person of society that likes to get things done for the rest of society and make money while doing it? Typically can get more done for all when you spend more time doing it. What you propose seems to be something of a society that can't function in any way shape or form in any country.

 

[What if...?]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

Do they enjoy doing that? Maybe a couple do, but not many. And is it necessary? Considering that a good half of our jobs are useless bureaucracy, flipping burgers, stocking shelves, or making plastic crap, I'm gonna go ahead and answer "no." So why are we doing it? I'll let you see if you can figure out the answer to that one yourself.

Hey, Johns ok. He thinks about what people say.

I agree with you, but its pretty radical so it sounds crazy on first look. Give people time to get their heads around the idea.

To John: he's talking about the concept of technological developments and population growth converging to eliminate an adequate amount of "useful work" for everybody that needs to live. Dividing up jobs is one of the possible solutions to this problem.

 

[LuckyDan]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

The differences are more sharply defined, and there is less and less middle ground to meet on, but extremism on the rise? I don't think so. It's a different world on all political fronts, foreign, domestic and social, but the players seem to be pretty much the same.

 

[atrasicarius]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

Because I am a productive person of society that likes to get things done for the rest of society and make money while doing it? Typically can get more done for all when you spend more time doing it. What you propose seems to be something of a society that can't function in any way shape or form in any country.

Why do you think that?

 

[LuckyDan]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

No, it's about the same. The media is a bit more shrill, and a bit more openly partisan perhaps. On the whole, though, not so different.

I think the media is a lot more broad and varied. That may be why some feel extremism is rising. Cons existed before Rush and FNC, they just didn't have a forum.

 

[Kal'Stang]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

Take a look at Congress's approval rating.

Rigid ideology has made it nearly impossible for compromise and as a result, nobody is pleased with the results that Congress produces. If given a choice, people would probably sack the entire Congress and start from scratch.

Wait...you mean there was actually a time when Congress had a 80% approval rating? OMG!!!!!!! *dies of heart attack*

Edit: Oh yeah...the OP...I don't know for sure myself as I was a teenager 20 years ago and not into politics. But from what my folks say...yes, there is more extremeism today than yester-year.

 

[Kal'Stang]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

So is this just your magical utopia world idea or what? I don't understand. Most people, even the richest amongst us work much more than 40 hours a week.

Talk about rude. You ask the guy what his sig was about and when he replies you call it a "magical utopia world idea"? Couldn't you have found a more polite way of saying this?

(sorry...know i'm off topic here...I won't be responding off topic again if I can help it at all. )

 

[NGNM85]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

So is this just your magical utopia world idea or what? I don't understand. Most people, even the richest amongst us work much more than 40 hours a week.

However, in the present 'Capitalist' (More accurately; 'Corporate Mercantilist'.) system most people work for private corporations, this mode of organization, by necessity, is extremely wasteful and inefficient, among other things.

 

[Fiddytree]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

True. Two decades ago, Bill Clinton could actually compromise with the Republicans and get things done.

Only after the GOP engaged in one hell of a rhetorical slamming of Great Society liberalism in Congress. Political scientists over the past few years have stressed the partisan arena we are now in, proclaiming that few middle ground exists. I'm a great deal more skeptical of that claim.

 

[pbrauer]

Re: Political extremism in the United States is worse than it was 20 years ago. T or

No doubt about it. Conservative talkers were relatively new then, today they have gotten much more strident, trying to outdo another." Limbaugh was a *****cat then compared to now. Plus there was only one cable news network them. And there was no Information Super Highway then.