Why do you guys think the country is so divided?

[ThaSaltCracka]

I think maybe the media component might be the catalyst, and I am not just talking about newspapers. There are a lot of pundits on both sides all over the radio and TV spouting off about "damn liberals" or "neo-con war hawks". It seems to be driving a lot of it, but I still think that what drives these people is their hatred for the other parties platform.

And yes, I do think we are hearing more about now then we did 10 years ago, and maybe its bullshit, but maybe its not.

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My 51% this year is higher than Clinton's 49% reelect number in 1996. My 48% in 2000 was also higher than his 43% in 1992.

[/ QUOTE ] Both 1992 and 1996 had Perot running, right? I think part of the reason both Bush's and Kerry's numbers were so high this year were because there were no viable third party candidates. Nader was a joke, as was every other candidate. Thats partly what I am talking about, people rallied around those two candidates.

I am wondering how much of this polarization is because of the whole "anybody-but-Bush" philosophy.

[GWB]

The growth of cable news networks and the need to fill airtime with commentary shows does contribute to it. People say on air what you used to have to read out of the partisan magazines in the past. But the hatred and so called division was always there, it's just easier to listen to now.

[ThaSaltCracka]

hmmm.... very interesting. In case you are wondering why I am posing this question, its because I am writing a paper on it. The teacher wants us to describe how or why this phenomenon is occuring. SO it seems like the same people that are saying we are polarized, are the same people that are causing it. Man, I hate the media.

[Taxman]

Your argument is invalid. Just because Bush increased his vote totals does not necessarily mean he has united the country. Most of the new Republican senators came from Texas no? Not that the Democrats there were particularly liberal, bu tit seems a bit underhanded to redraw district lines to make sure they are not reelected.

[Bubbagump]

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And yes, I do think we are hearing more about now then we did 10 years ago, and maybe its bullshit, but maybe its not.


[/ QUOTE ]

10 years ago is when I really think that things started to spiral out of control. I first noticed it during Clintons first term. There was such a coordinated effort to impede anything he did and so many blatant efforts to make him look bad that there was bound to be a back lash.

If you think back to the eighties during the Reagan administration, you didn't see the kind of things we see today. There are a lot of people who have shown total disrespect for the office of the president (the office, not the man) during the last two administrations, republicans and democrats alike. You just didn't see that lack of respect twards Reagan and other past presidents. And Reagan had just as many enemies in Washington as either Bush or Clinton.

It just keeps escalating with no end in site. Politics is dirtier today than it's been probably since the turn of the last century, IMHO.

Bubbagump

[ThaSaltCracka]

you think the "dirtiness" of politics has lead to some of this? I realize a lot of this dirt is thrown around by the media, but why do you think people rally behind that? Is this "polarization" a result of the Republican smear campaign against Clinton?

[adios]

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Your argument is invalid.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh really?

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Bush increased his vote totals does not necessarily mean he has united the country.

[/ QUOTE ]

Did I say he did? I was refuting Cracka's criteria that he used for showing that Bush is solely responsible for dividing the country during his administration. What's your criteria?

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Most of the new Republican senators came from Texas no?

[/ QUOTE ]

Nope I don't think Texas elected any new Senators.

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Not that the Democrats there were particularly liberal, bu tit seems a bit underhanded to redraw district lines to make sure they are not reelected.

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I assume your talking about Texas congressional districts. I'll bet you don't know a thing about how they were redrawn and that you don't know a thing about the House Democrats from Texas.

[ThaSaltCracka]

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I was refuting Cracka's criteria that he used for showing that Bush is solely responsible for dividing the country during his administration.

[/ QUOTE ] I was basically throwing that out there. If its not that, give me some other answers. I think the media angle is important.

[adios]

First we have to agree on what a "divided" country consists of and if I get the gist of your original post correctly it's divided in a "bad" way. I mean with two opposing political partys there's inherent conflict IMO which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a bad thing when the positions undertaken by each party are unacceptable to both sides IMO. We could take an extreme case like the U.S. Civil War period and I think most would agree that the country was divided in a bad way. We could look at the struggle for civil rights in the last century and we may be able to say that the country was "divided" then in a bad way. We could look at the Vietnam war period, especially from the late 60's. Perhaps you believe that the War in Iraq is a dividing the country in a "bad" way much like Vietnam. I don't think it's to that point currently but potentially it is. I don't think that the struggle for Gay Rights rises to this level either but could be convinced otherwise. I think there are extremists regarding abortion but I'm fairly certain that most of the country supports abortion rights in some form. There are plenty of other issues where the political partys disagree but I just brought up a few.

[Taxman]

What seems strange to me is that these issues, while hotly contested, don't seem to be the crux of it. The news is rife with stories of Bush supporters who slashed the tires of Kerry supporters and written threatening messages on the windshield, or of Kerry supporters who beat up Bush supporters. The rhetoric of dissent seems to have become decidedly hostile. People are called gay, anti-american, even traitors, for disliking Bush. Bush supporters are increasingly ridiculed by self righteous liberals. Something definitely is not right with this country, and I'm not entirely sure what it is.