America is more divided today than 4 years ago

[Montecresto]

I don't deny the influence big corporations have on policy and other issues. I just don't subscribe to the theory that it's big business above the stage, moving the public around by sticks and strings. Business is made up of people, the same people who want their own families to thrive, and their grandchildren to enjoy the same level of success and freedom they have enjoyed.

We do need protections. We need protections from ourselves, and from our own poorly thought out actions. That also holds true for business. However, what we have today, is this "kill the messenger" mentality at the slightest mention of disagreement over the approach to policies and agendas. It seems obvious to me, this breeds contempt and anger, which then divides us further.

We have plenty of common ground between us on that. I just took issue with the conspiracy angle. Using that delegitimises real problems that exist between business labor and consumer.

 

[Perotista]

:agree: What I find most irritating is the fact that I'm reasonably certain that all of them know exactly what the poll numbers are showing! Has anything changed much? Nope! I guess that leaves the only conclusion that can be drawn that makes sense - ... *gasp*... they don't give a damn what we think! They're so busy fighting with each other that they have forgotten that they're there to do what we the people want done! What a bunch of greedy, conniving "election-winners" we have put in DC, and both parties share the blame for what has happened! I guess that's what happens when the one with the best "smear your opponent" campaign wins. It eliminates talking about important things, like the real reason we're headed for the cliff to oblivion! Nice, huh? :2mad:

Greetings, Pero. :2wave:

Howdy Pol, yep, that is where we are headed. I use to blame the voter, think we were dumber than spit. But if the two parties keep giving us a hard right and a hard left candidate to choose from, is it really the voter? How can an independent or third party compete when Obama spends a billion dollars and Romney spends a billion dollars? How can an independent or third party get their message heard? You have lobbyists, corporations, wall street firms, special interests handing over tens of millions of dollars to the Republicans and Democrats just greasing their palms in campaign donations. You have billionaire ideologues giving each party 30 million here and 50 million there. Heck you have this guy in California giving the Democrats 100 million in campaign funds just to delay the Keystone pipeline. Money talks, you have a president running around the country to fund raisers but doesn't have time to visit the border. The Republicans are just as bad having sold the heart and soul of their party just like the Democrats.

We do have the best government money can buy, the only problem is money doesn't buy a working government. Billions spent on campaigns and all we get is disfunctionality.

 

[thinkforyoursel]

67% of Americans see a more divided nation today than 4 years ago
35% blame President Obama
34% blame Republicans in Congress
23% blame both parties and the President

Voters See A More Divided Nation; GOPers More Enthusiastic to Vote - Rasmussen Reports™

The divide and conquer strategies that both parties use to win elections is something I have been harping on for a long time. Apparently I am not the only one to notice how this nation is fast becoming more divided than ever. Abraham Lincoln once said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” This nation is that house.

The reason is simple ...you have the first black President ...and a right wing who hates him. They claim it's his policies they hate but thats just a cover, they literally hate Obama. And Fox news have been stoking those flames for the last 6 years.

Remember ....republicans were busy planning to never cooperate with Obama ...not when the ACA or any of his policies were put forward....but from the very first day he took the oath of office.

Give it up ...everybody can see the right wing strategy as plain as day ...you're the group selling divisiveness in the country! I keep saying in this forum...all you have to do is read the title to all the threads on this board......just the titles ...and it will clearly prove my point!

 

[Perotista]

The reason is simple ...you have the first black President ...and a right wing who hates him. They claim it's his policies they hate but thats just a cover, they literally hate Obama. And Fox news have been stoking those flames for the last 6 years.

Remember ....republicans were busy planning to never cooperate with Obama ...not when the ACA or any of his policies were put forward....but from the very first day he took the oath of office.

Give it up ...everybody can see the right wing strategy as plain as day ...you're the group selling divisiveness in the country! I keep saying in this forum...all you have to do is read the title to all the threads on this board......just the titles ...and it will clearly prove my point!

I don’t buy that one bit. I think the seeds were sown in 2006 when 31 hard left Democrats replaced the like number of more moderate Republicans. Then in 2008 another 23 hard left Democrats replaced more moderate Republicans and in 2010 you had 63 hard right, tea party type replace the moderate blue dog democrats. There is your problem, a congress made up of hard left and right ideologues. There is very little moderates left in either the house or the senate, there is no one willing to compromise or play the game of give and take. What you have is each side wanting 100% of everything they want and not willing to give an inch to the other party.

Since 2005 both parties have shrunk and the number of people who call themselves independent has risen from 30% of the electorate to 45%. These that have joined the independent ranks are the more moderates of each party, leaving only the hard core ideologues in each.

You can blame the color of the presidents skin if you want, but what is happening in Washington was set into motion before he ever took the oath of office. Most Americans are fed up with Washington as a whole and this includes both parties and the president. You 55% of Americans who disapprove of the job the president is doing. You have 60% of all Americans that disapprove of the democratic senate and 67% who disapprove of the Republican House. Then you have a lack of confidence in all three branches of government.

Read and weep for the nation.

Americans Losing Confidence in All Branches of U.S. Gov't

 

[nota bene]

The reason is simple ...you have the first black President ...and a right wing who hates him. They claim it's his policies they hate but thats just a cover, they literally hate Obama. And Fox news have been stoking those flames for the last 6 years.

Remember ....republicans were busy planning to never cooperate with Obama ...not when the ACA or any of his policies were put forward....but from the very first day he took the oath of office.

Give it up ...everybody can see the right wing strategy as plain as day ...you're the group selling divisiveness in the country! I keep saying in this forum...all you have to do is read the title to all the threads on this board......just the titles ...and it will clearly prove my point!

What you ought to do is thoughtfully read Perotista's post above this one.

I'm pretty bored with the race card. Obviously, plenty of non-African-Americans voted for Obama, and he was re-elected. This may be difficult for you to accept, but there are plenty of people who didn't vote for him in 2008 because they opposed his views. I'm one of them.

What mystifies me is this incompetent man's re-election. He zigs when he should zag, it's still difficult to tell where naivete ends and hubris begins, and he doesn't learn from experience. I hold him in utter contempt and can hardly wait for his return to private life. (Don't you worry; he'll make the big bucks on the lecture circuit and write--or have ghostwritten for him--books.)

 

[Paxaeon]

LOL.

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Hurr Durr

 

[Paxaeon]

I think it will not make a difference. Washington has become so polarized unless one party controls the presidency and both chambers of congress, the Republicans and Democrats will be at each other throats. The average American is disgusted with both parties and the president, that is except the die hards of each party. The president has a 55% disapproval rating, the Democratic Senate has a 60% disapproval rating and the Republican House has a 67% disapproval rating. Congress as a whole has a 77% disapproval rating. Take a look at the confidence factor today:Americans Losing Confidence in All Branches of U.S. Gov'tOnly 30% of all Americans have confidence in the Supreme Court, 29% in the presidency and only 7% in congress. This is not a ringing endorsement for any branch of our government. Yet Republicans are too busy being Republicans and looking out for just their party and not the country, the Democrats are also too busy being Democrats and do not give the country one thought, only what is good for their party.
Both major parties are shrinking, the only reason we keep electing Republicans and Democrats is they have a monopoly on our election system. They write the election laws as a mutual protection act.

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You are only pointing out the OBVIOUS. There is a reason for this that goes undercuts everything thing. This political cartoon - http://i.imgur.com/0KrJdXl.jpg - metaphorically points out the result of a misinformed American public that has so totally taken in my the corporate perspective, or should I say LIE.

The hell with the parties: they are already bought out by the corporations. Hard core ideologues from both sides are both archaic and predictable and prefer the status quo. This is the age of the person hood corporations and their minions; the shills, trolls, astroturfers and other paid for agent provocateurs who have infested the online forums everywhere, ex: The Gentleman's Guide To Forum Spies (spooks, feds, etc.) and at every forum level.

The money to buy these politicians, the money to rig this system and the money being used to divide the populace so they cannot agree on who the enemy is, comes from one source: The corporations.
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[Perotista]

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You are only pointing out the OBVIOUS. There is a reason for this that goes undercuts everything thing. This political cartoon - http://i.imgur.com/0KrJdXl.jpg - metaphorically points out the result of a misinformed American public that has so totally taken in my the corporate perspective, or should I say LIE.

The hell with the parties: they are already bought out by the corporations. Hard core ideologues from both sides are both archaic and predictable and prefer the status quo. This is the age of the person hood corporations and their minions; the shills, trolls, astroturfers and other paid for agent provocateurs who have infested the online forums everywhere, ex: The Gentleman's Guide To Forum Spies (spooks, feds, etc.) and at every forum level.

The money to buy these politicians, the money to rig this system and the money being used to divide the populace so they cannot agree on who the enemy is, comes from one source: The corporations.
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Yep, the majority is so blinded by the blitz of political ads, bumper sticker slogans, talking points and the love of rooting for the R or the D as one would a baseball or football team, they don't really care what is in reality going on. Both parties are the status quo parties as you put it, I call them the business as usual parties, same thing. But if the truth be told, both parties are only looking out for the good of their party and the special interests that "DONATES" their tens of millions of campaign funds. As you stated, the parties are bought with these so called donation, when Romney spends a billion dollars, when Obama spends a billion dollars, there can be no other conclusion. Back in 1996 in a three way presidential race, Clinton, Dole and Perot spent a total of only 160 million. All three of them.

 

[Carleen]

Sure it will, while you see a disease that is only associated with our president. I see it as infecting the whole government and for a much longer period time. You seem to think that the disease will be eradicated once a white person enters the office of the president, I do not. I think it is endemic, that as long as we keep electing far right and far left people who are more or less ideologues and not pragmatist things will only get worse until we have a crisis that is beyond imagination.

Yes time will tell.

Obama is not a far left President. Of course having whitey back won't magically have democrats and republicans working together on everything, but I think it will get better IMO

 

[Perotista]

Obama is not a far left President. Of course having whitey back won't magically have democrats and republicans working together on everything, but I think it will get better IMO

I really do not think it matters at this point, but we will see. Whether one is far right, far left or somewhere in the middle all depends on one political views and philosophy. I personally think Reid and Pelosi are are left, the president left of center, McConnell far right and Boehner right of center. I personally believe that without McConnell and the tea party Boehner would have tried working with the president. Without Reid and Pelosi, the president would have tried to work with Boehner. But the election results of 2006, 2008 and 2010 prevented that.

you can't gut the house and the senate of all its moderates who are willing to work with the other party to get things accomplished. Unless there is a sea tide change in congress which I do not see happening in 2014, things will continue on as they are in Washington. I also think if one threw all the rhetoric out, you would find Obama has governed pretty much like Bush the second. At least in the big thing, it is the R and the D next to their names that cause the Democrats to hate Bush and the Republicans to hate Obama. But governing wise, there really hasn't been that much difference.

 

[ocean515]

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Hurr Durr

As classy as expected. You're a tribute to your indoctrination and tribe. :bravo: