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Partisan Hate Is Becoming a National Crisis

When a topic like this comes up, some pundits go back generations or even a century to show how the parties have always demonized one another, that this is nothing new. In my life I have seen the latter stages of McCarthyism, the excesses of the 1960s on both sides, the left calling police pigs, James Watt saying he divided the country into "liberals and Americans," republicans openly stating they would oppose anything Obama proposed even if they supported the idea, birtherism, etc. Are things worse now? I don't think so. What is different is the unique nature of the Trump presidency, with his apparent contempt for the rule of law, of the courts, of the democratic process, and his personal and racially tinged insults that we haven't seen for a generation or more. That creates the Fifth Avenue supporters on one side and the TDS people complain about on the other. As noted before, our salvation depends on sane republicans, and enough have been stepping up to somewhat counter the Hannity school of lemmings.
 
You know it's not hard to go look at your disgusting post history. So spare us your tears.

Thanks for proving my point. Does this mean you are ending your TDS against Trump?
 
As noted before, our salvation depends on sane republicans, and enough have been stepping up to somewhat counter the Hannity school of lemmings.

"Sane" republicans got us into this mess. "Sane" republicans voted for Trump. I'm not betting on "sane" republicans for ****.
 
Thanks for proving my point. Does this mean you are ending your TDS against Trump?

As soon as Trump comes clean and confesses to his crimes. We won't give up on the rule of law....ever. Because without is we have no country.
 
Although he says he's skeptical about whether what Pelosi has said about not going down the road to impeachment unless the reason is compelling "represents a true shift from toxic partisanship," David French says that at least she's doing what more politicians should do, looking beyond one's one "tribe" and thinking of the larger body politic, and argues that this is a "national necessity." From his article:

This morning the New York Times’ Thomas Edsall published an important essay highlighting a new study that analyzed the extent of “lethal mass partisanship.” As Edsall observes, the paper contained some disturbing statistics. Among them, “42 percent of the people in each party view the opposition as ‘downright evil.’” A stunning 20 percent of Democrats and 16 percent of Republicans believe “we’d be better off as a country if large numbers of the opposing party in the public today just died.” And if the opposing party wins the 2020 election, 18 percent of Democrats and 13 percent of Republicans “feel violence would be justified.”

We hear quite a bit about “dehumanizing rhetoric” in American public life. Well, it appears that tens of millions of Americans now have dehumanizing beliefs. “One out of five Republicans and Democrats agree with the statement that their political adversaries ‘lack the traits to be considered fully human — they behave like animals.’”

...It’s in this atmosphere that I’m increasingly of the view that the vanishing, bipartisan class of civil libertarians represent an important ingredient in the glue that keeps America together. The fundamental idea that we should defend the rights of others that we would like to exercise ourselves often requires that we gain greater sympathetic understanding of our opponents’ points of view. After all, the defense of liberty in the public square can never be merely legalistic. To be effective it also has to humanize. Nancy Pelosi & Trump Impeachment -- Partisan Hate Is Becoming a National Crisis | National Review

If you see those with whom you disagree as "more jackal than human," then you're "justified" in the impulse to ruin their lives and livelihoods. But at what cost to the nation?

Come, let us reason together, showing respect for all and malice toward none.

Fine.... I'll play.

The day that liberals begin calling out their associates for their ignorant trolling threads on here. That goes for Conservatives as well.
 
"Sane" republicans got us into this mess. "Sane" republicans voted for Trump. I'm not betting on "sane" republicans for ****.

I think he is talking about the 12 GOP Senators that voted to censure Trump "emergency declaration.

Washington (CNN)The Senate delivered a high-profile rebuke to President Donald Trump over his signature agenda issue Thursday when 12 Republicans joined Democrats to overturn the President's national emergency border declaration.

The vote was 59-41, an overwhelming vote against the President's executive action.
Lawmakers don't have enough votes, however, to override a certain veto from the President, but passage of the resolution in the Senate after it passed the House last month is nevertheless an embarrassing blow to Trump delivered by his own party over the President's top campaign pledge of a wall at the US-Mexico border.

Senate passes resolution to overturn Trump's national emergency declaration - CNNPolitics
 
Putin read this and was overheard to say, "I love when a good plan comes together."

Putin owns the Democratic Party. No foreign government needs spies when they have the Democratic Party as their agents.
 
Putin owns the Democratic Party. No foreign government needs spies when they have the Democratic Party as their agents.

LOL, weak dude, very weak.
 
I'm sorry but the reality is this is the new status quo. Both sides go after the other for partisan reasons. I wish it wasn't like that but the snowball has been rolling downhill for many years now.

Will Alabama still vote for Roy Moore?[W:108]
The sad fact is that having a pedophile win is better than having a Democrat in office. I'm all for a solution where a Republican gets in that isn't Moore.

Unfortunately for you, all of Trump's disgusting history is also out there. Just like you do today, I know in the future you'll deny it happened or you'll make excuses or you'll blame Hillary. But don't worry, just like we don't let Mycroft forget he's a racist birther, we won't let you forget either. I wish it wasn't like that my ass.
 
As soon as Trump comes clean and confesses to his crimes. We won't give up on the rule of law....ever. Because without is we have no country.

In other words, you can't find any crimes he has done to charge him with so you want him to confess. Until then, you will keep on investigating until you find a crime.
 
Will Alabama still vote for Roy Moore?[W:108]


Unfortunately for you, all of Trump's disgusting history is also out there. Just like you do today, I know in the future you'll deny it happened or you'll make excuses or you'll blame Hillary. But don't worry, just like we don't let Mycroft forget he's a racist birther, we won't let you forget either. I wish it wasn't like that my ass.

So now you're calling me a racist birther?
 
Will Alabama still vote for Roy Moore?[W:108]


Unfortunately for you, all of Trump's disgusting history is also out there. Just like you do today, I know in the future you'll deny it happened or you'll make excuses or you'll blame Hillary. But don't worry, just like we don't let Mycroft forget he's a racist birther, we won't let you forget either. I wish it wasn't like that my ass.

So now you're calling me a racist birther?

I won't let you forget you're the worst type of partisan and that you voted for trump. I'm not calling you a racist birther like Trump(even if you voted for him)
 
Anyone. ANYONE. Anyone who thinks "partisan hate" is suddenly a "national crisis" is no scholar or even student of American political history.

I will have to disagree. I have never in my life seen such ugly divisiveness--eagerness for others' careers and lives to be ruined and such determination to see the very, very worst in those whose opinions are contrary.
 
Fine.... I'll play.

The day that liberals begin calling out their associates for their ignorant trolling threads on here. That goes for Conservatives as well.

You'll get no argument from me on that. Threads like that are just pathetic, no matter which "side" they take.
 
Is this affecting your personal life?

Is what affecting my personal life? Others' political ill-will? What motivates your question?
 
I won't let you forget you're the worst type of partisan and that you voted for trump. I'm not calling you a racist birther like Trump(even if you voted for him)

Well, if you search my posting history you will see that I didn't vote for Trump. Your TDS has made it so you can't think straight.
 
Although he says he's skeptical about whether what Pelosi has said about not going down the road to impeachment unless the reason is compelling "represents a true shift from toxic partisanship," David French says that at least she's doing what more politicians should do, looking beyond one's one "tribe" and thinking of the larger body politic, and argues that this is a "national necessity." From his article:

This morning the New York Times’ Thomas Edsall published an important essay highlighting a new study that analyzed the extent of “lethal mass partisanship.” As Edsall observes, the paper contained some disturbing statistics. Among them, “42 percent of the people in each party view the opposition as ‘downright evil.’” A stunning 20 percent of Democrats and 16 percent of Republicans believe “we’d be better off as a country if large numbers of the opposing party in the public today just died.” And if the opposing party wins the 2020 election, 18 percent of Democrats and 13 percent of Republicans “feel violence would be justified.”

We hear quite a bit about “dehumanizing rhetoric” in American public life. Well, it appears that tens of millions of Americans now have dehumanizing beliefs. “One out of five Republicans and Democrats agree with the statement that their political adversaries ‘lack the traits to be considered fully human — they behave like animals.’”

...It’s in this atmosphere that I’m increasingly of the view that the vanishing, bipartisan class of civil libertarians represent an important ingredient in the glue that keeps America together. The fundamental idea that we should defend the rights of others that we would like to exercise ourselves often requires that we gain greater sympathetic understanding of our opponents’ points of view. After all, the defense of liberty in the public square can never be merely legalistic. To be effective it also has to humanize. Nancy Pelosi & Trump Impeachment -- Partisan Hate Is Becoming a National Crisis | National Review

If you see those with whom you disagree as "more jackal than human," then you're "justified" in the impulse to ruin their lives and livelihoods. But at what cost to the nation?

Come, let us reason together, showing respect for all and malice toward none.

Sorry but it is way too little and way too late. We are at war with each other. Right now its just words and using the legal system to hurt each other. There is too much at stake for either side to stop. This "war" will not end till one side or the other is defeated or destroyed.
 
Sorry but it is way too little and way too late. We are at war with each other. Right now its just words and using the legal system to hurt each other. There is too much at stake for either side to stop. This "war" will not end till one side or the other is defeated or destroyed.

What if they had a war and nobody came? ;)
 
Is what affecting my personal life? Others' political ill-will? What motivates your question?

I have heard other people say that political division has affected their lives, relationships, and family get togethers. I am simply asking if it affects your personal life, but it's also an open ended question so you can define it differently than me.

I have no underlying motive in asking the question, other than observing you seem bothered by the division.
 
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What if they had a war and nobody came? ;)

Your seeing what I am seeing, no? Then you know the answer to your question. People are already at the shindig. Its simply a matter of which match sets the whole thing ablaze.
 
I certainly feel the article is accurate and it addresses concerns I have had for a while. But I would be curious to know just how much things HAVE changed in the past decades. Are we actually more divided or has the internet and 24 hr news cycle just made us more aware of how divided we are? Maybe we have always been this divided but just didn't know it? In the past we lived in our geographical and cultural bubbles. But then things like social media started popping those bubbles and people who grew up with completely different assumptions about fairness and equality and right and wrong found themselves interacting with and observing the behavior of people who are radically different...and we didn't like it.

Technology has brought us all so much closer, but we still haven't overcome our tribalism, which is a product of our evolution and apparently not so easily ignored. It will take some kind of paradigm shift to fix things, but I think things will get worse before they get better, though I don't think we will resort to civil war. We are pissed off...but comfortable. War is uncomfortable. So we will continue to be pissed off and comfortable, waging our battles through nasty comments online.
 
Your seeing what I am seeing, no? Then you know the answer to your question. People are already at the shindig. Its simply a matter of which match sets the whole thing ablaze.

I am not seeing it. Are you thinking we are going to have a civil war, because I know people say stuff like that... but I don't see it happening soon. For sure, there are people who want it to happen, and are counting on it, but they are kind of insane IMO. Some older posters often say it isn't as bad as McCarthy and Nixion, and maybe they are, right.

Yes, we are divided, and I can tell when trying to talk to people. However, I am not sure what to be afraid of exactly. That's what I am interested in knowing more about. Because, while the division is not good, it isn't violent like it was in the 60s and 70s. We are not seeing political assassinations, police beatings, bombings, terrorist activity, etc.
 
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