When did Americans lose the ability to compromise?

[gizmo1979]

I point directly to Newt Gingrich,and now Karl Rove and the Bushies.There is no longer any middle ground.Pro-life, pro choice,guns ,no guns.No one wants to give in the supposed slippery slope.I find myself doing this more and more now.Maybe if we found middle ground everyone would be alittle happier.Sooner or later violence has got to be the result of all this anger.

[ananda]

1. This is an easy one.

Republicans lost the ability to compromise when they found out they didn't have to.

Sue

[Dez]

3. That's right. You're either with us

or against us, no middle ground with this polarized administration.

[HereSince1628]

2. I think Iran Hostage, Stagflation, Oil shortages, and Watergate,

all gave the conservatives the sense that a radical reform was required to rescue the greatness of America. In general, their approach was to role back NEPA, Clean Water and Clean Air Acts that imposed costs to industry.

To achieve a majority they reached out the radical religious right who were against Women's rights in general and Roe V. Wade in particular.

As a consequence the Republicans ditched their own investment in the environment, and equal rights, and divided the country into people who worked against social programs and those who did.

[HereSince1628]

4. Moreover, they taped into stewing racial resentment

and the role of the federal courts in desegregation issues such as busing. That one issue significantly contributed to the concept of "activist judges."

[no_hypocrisy]

5. When the republican party started to take Nixon's resignation personally.

Seriously. It was if it was a lynch mob out to get each member of their party vicariously through Nixon. The party started to get inflexible with the election of Jimmy Carter in 1976. If you remember it was during that election that the Reagan influence began its permeation throughout the party.

Next stage: Newt and republicans take over Congress. The taste of blood in their collective mouths and knowing that they could diss and manipulate Bill Clinton at will. "We're in charge now!" was the unofficial rallying call and it has only intensified with every year thereafter. Add the conservative talk radio hosts acting as enabling cheerleaders for the republicans in the name of "entertainment" (more like blood sport).

Now, I almost believe Congress and the Senate needs SERIOUS family counseling if they are ever going to compromise either way again. The legislative bodies have been rent apart, bifurcated.

[applegrove]

6. When people were in the WH who liked to win at all cost and enjoyed

diminishing the lives of others.

[navvet]

7. Truth be told some of this was the Democrats own fault

we sowed to the wind with our arrogant attitude toward Republicans in the Nixon aftermath.

We had power and the supposed moral high ground and acted like it.

From a certain vantage point a conservative backlash to us should not have been surprising.

Even when Reagan was president we acted superior (dumb actor and such) we forget that the nation was not in that fantastic a shape in 1980 or Carter would not have been shellacked.

We failed to give the GOP credit that they may have some honor and legitimate disagreement, and we alway acted like we were superior (I know I saw it first hand in Wisconsin, we ran 2 Governors out of office here in Wisconsin because of it, Lucey and then Earl they resulted in GOP executives, Dreyfus and the Thompson and Tommy stayed around for 14 years).

I know that the GOP is asking for it and deserves a thumping, still I am old, sick and somewhat tired.

I wish a knock down drag out fight could be avoided, but I don't guess one can.

still if you look back far enough you can see that we were not alway magnanimous with our power and we are now paying for it.

Bryd ran rough shod over the moderate GOP senators when he was Majority leader in the late 70's and now look.

May God bless us.
:dem: :thumbsup:

[gizmo1979]

8. I agree with you

I know it's a two way street but who's gonna be the one to change it?