Stupid Question.

[Bluerthanblue]

but one that has been really troubling me more and more.

Do we still have enough in common... the Republicans and Democrats, Progressives and Conservatives to continue to live together as ONE Nation?

Sometimes it seems like the divide is just too wide between our ideals. Especially with the kind of rhetoric tossed around. How do you view the prospect of anything other constantly fighting for political control- with little or no time when America is really "United" by something more than just words?

I'm not advocating ANYTHING- I'm searching for reasons to believe that my kids might truly have a better future?

Anyone have some words of wisdom to share?

[county worker]

1. Politics is not the only thing about a person. Get to know people without knowing their

politics or religion. If we all did this maybe we would have a better world to live in.

[arcane1]

2. If people were able to make informed decisions...

free of buzz words and slogans, our numbers would increase dramatically.

However, that's an "if" so big it may not be possible to achieve :(

[Tempest]

7. Conservatives have liberal leanings, they just won't admit to it

A survey was taken a few years ago where people were asked neutral questions on social, financial and political issues. The survey found that conservatives had more liberal views than they would if the questions were slanted as they are by most polling companies.

[arcane1]

13. I've experienced that first-hand with my dad

I got him into a conversation about oil as a finite resource, and he eventually agreed that we need to ween off of it for his grand-daughter's sake. You just have to avoid using terms taht they have been "programmed" to react to.

[Tempest]

3. It wouldn't break my heart to see the country split

The Democratic/Liberal/Progressive states would no longer have to financially support the Republican/Conservative states that are a drain on our national resources.

A conservative country would be no different than a third world nation while a Democratic country would still be the richest in the world.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

4. 20% Nutjobs.

In every group.

Answer: Yes.


(If the four people around you aren't nuts...)

[defendandprotect]

5. Yes . . .what's separating citizens is right wing propaganda/lies/stolen elections ...

[Bluerthanblue]

10. and when I was a kid it was Vietnam- the "Generation Gap"- Watergate-

Impeachment- Energy Crisis- Reagan- Bush Sr. Desert Storm- Health Care Reform- Oklahoma City- Waco- Monica- Gingrich- Limbaugh- the selection of 2000-Bush jr- 911- Iraq- Katrina- Diebold- ....

hell I'm depressing myself.

sorry.

[defendandprotect]

15. But, certainly Vietnam War was right wing propaganda . . . so was Gulf War I ...

"Swift Boating" is all part of that propaganda --

Re stolen elections, I would go back all the way to Humphrey/Nixon to question it --

100,000 vote difference in that election?

PLUS another example of right wing/Nixon secret interference behind the scenes in encouraging

them NOT to come to the peace table when LBJ stopped the bombing.

The 1980/Reagan "win" is another question. Patty Reagan was there that day and raised the

question herself that it looked very much to her that it was a set up with the prisoners

being released immediately as her father was sworn in. See "October Surprise."

The hostage situation was propagandized every evening by the red head -- what was his name?

On his Eleven O'Clock show? Night after night! While Reagan/Casey camp obviously were doing

everything they could to ensure that the hostages were NOT released.

Carter's two or three rescue attempts were based on helicopters in desert and went down

in flames. Turns out that Ollie North had charge of those rescue missions -- second

in command was Secord! Additionally, the helicopters were missing the necessary equipment

which would have kept the sand out of the helicopter engines!



Think about the computer voting -- the large and small computers began to come in during

the mid-to-late 1960's. Just about the time we were passing "The Voting Rights Act."

The large computers used by MSM gave them new powers -- previously they were able only to

report actual vote tallies. After the computers, they had a crystal ball! They could now

also PREDICT and CALL elections for candidates. PREDICT and CALL Electoral votes and

CALL elections for presidential candidates. In 2000, we simply saw that new power reversed.

Question is, Was there ever a "Southern Strategy" or was there only computer steals?

Not only are the computers hackable, but even our early votes by absentee ballot are counted

by computers!


:)


There is only one way the right can rise and that's by violence -- assassinations, coups,

stole elections, lies.

[pitohui]

6. we will never have common ground w. the racists, never

we have always been divided and always will be, because there can be no meeting ground with bigots -- we will never be united, we will always have to fight the bedrock minority of die-hard racists and theocrats who don't want freedom for you or me or anybody else who isn't a rich pale male

we've lived w. division this long, we'll continue to do so

the alternative is to let them win, because racists and religious nutters think god is on their side, they NEVER change

yes, the fight between good and evil is forever because evil never goes away, as mentioned in another thread "the monsters are always with us"

[butterfly77]

8. Yes, we do..

the problem is some people have been stealing elections for years and now they are angry because they more people are now waking up and voting and they can't steal them the same way. So they go through the churches with propaganda and that is why I don't go anymore.

Some people think that they are going to be the only ones in charge for eternity when the country is changing. They are trying to pit the haves against the have nots. They think it is working but it is not. Too many,generations have tasted what it feels like to have and many of them to excess and as they sit there and let their hate fester for this president they will TRY to put in rightwingers,thinking it will get better.

If they do succeed they will sooner or later realize that the republiCONS, DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THEM! they are using them to gain power and money and these stupid people can't see it yet.

Throughout the healthcare debate they showed them that they care more about the insurance companies,pharmecueutical co,wallstreet, Chamber of commerce and they still don't care because the most important thing to them is skin color.

When they get their caucasian president back their insanity and terrorism will have taken its toll on this country.

[BR_Parkway]

9. Right after 9/11 proved that we still can stand together. Both sides have

some things they agree on (ie: no child in the US should go hungry in the wealthiest nation in the world - no matter what we may think of the parent's decisions and choices) what we disagree about is the cause, and the solution (which can only be applied to a correctly identified cause)

I think that the right has really overblown it with the Health care reform strategy. They lost, and now every person in America is going to see just what the bill does & doesn't do (like many, I'm happy that it's a start, but wish it did more). As they realize just how outrageously false the rhetoric was about the bill, more and more are going to question what they've been told as "fact".

Sure there will always be that subset who will never get along, it's their personality bolstered by the talking points they want to hear (fear the minority). Even the tea-bagger telling others to throw bricks through windows was outted to day as living on disability checks from the 'big government'

The biggest driving fear of all this right now is that Obama (big scary black man in the White House) is going to take away things from 'real Americans' (white folks getting some type of government check - Social Security, VA, Medicare) and give it to 'his people' (ie: welfare queens).

[Bluerthanblue]

11. well, I'm probably one of the few... but I DIDn't feel

united after 911. I was disgusted by the flag-waving, grandstanding, self-orientation. I vigiled against a military response and wept openly when it was decided that we would retaliate by attacking Afghanistan. People I'd known all my life walked around enraged continually talking about their desire for revenge - something I just couldn't share. I stopped all contact with my only brother because of politics-

I just wish I could feel better about the world my kids are being handed ..national 'debt' is almost at the bottom of the list in what I'd wish to relieve them of.

thanks for the reply-
I think maybe i REALLY need an internet time-out.

[Bonhomme Richard]

12. I don't think much has changed except that the media instigates......

wacko dissent in it's race for the almighty dollar. They realize that they can make a lot of money by throwing gasoline on the fire.

[Terry in Austin]

14. Living narrative

I think a lot of this has to do with how media-saturated our lives are.

We judge our lives, to a great extent, by the narratives we identify with - progressive, conservative, christian, counter-cultural, etc.

Politics is very much about determining which narratives will prevail, so to the extent that politics is a struggle, it's about the clash of narratives. The media is about carrying and disseminating narratives, so the more we're surrounded by media, the more we're aware of the inevitable clashes of narrative.

I'd like to suggest one view that may well be in the minority: the very idea of "a nation" is a narrative -- an intensely political one. Part of the narrative, logically, is about how we live together "as a nation." I suggest that nobody literally lives in a nation, or even a state -- we live in cities and towns. Locally is where most of the actual governing happens, the stuff that most materially affects our daily lives.

If politics is also the process by which power is allocated, that process isn't working very well right now at the national level -- we're pretty much gridlocked, but that's worth a whole other discussion.

In response to your question, mostly I would counsel equanimity -- there's much sound and fury, yes, but on second listen, it's usually just the television. I believe there will be opportunity for your children's happiness, perhaps in surprising ways -- it may not follow the narrative of "progress toward a brighter future" that we grew up with, but something different, with its own challenges and rewards.

[ThomThom]

16. I think soon the right will become less over the top as they find

less and less support for the crazy rhetoric, at least I hope the people will wise-up and stop listening. The problem is the power of corporations to control both parties, until we end that the people will suffer.