What happened to DU in the last 4 years?

[clydefrand]

When I first discovered DU via a bumper sticker in the spring of '04, I looked it up and began reading and liking what I saw. I enjoyed the humor of the lounge; the information on the discussion forum and the reading the latest news articles. I seems to me that since then many of the posters new or otherwise, I'm not certain, have become so cynical and biting, unpolite, intolerant of other posters' views, sarcastic about our own which before had been limited primarily to the republicans.

What has happened? Has the Bush years made us this way? I used to love to read and read and respond. Now I look and become disillusioned at all of the negativity that I no longer linger on here as I did for a long time.

I'm beginning to feel like the black guy in CA who got beaten up by the cops, sorry, having a senior moment and can't remember his name, "CAN'T WE JUST GET ALONG?" Ah, Rodney King? Yes. Why can't we disagree without the foul language and sniping manner at one another?

Just asking. Don't want to start a flame war here.