YOU KNOW WHAT FUCKING BUGS ME ABOUT THIS GODDAMN CENTURY?

[B_M_W]

Apparently, the IRS has no constitutional right to take your money. 

Buncha shit.

The constitution clearly allows the IRS, as demonstrated in article I, sec 8 and amendment XVI.

Yep, 16th amendment.

And good thing too. Can't run a government these days without money.

Not that I support the current government, but its true you need money to run a state, and it has to come from somewhere.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

I agree with the OP as well... it's not just the politicans that are plastic though. Every active political pundit, blogger, rant filled Interweb poster, dude at the Bar etc. have become red or blue mannequins. I remember, not even 15 years ago when people could say "Well, Mr. Political Opponent has a good point about X...", now it doesn't matter what political opponent X says, because he's "Wrong" before he opens his damned primary color spewing traphole.

Besides, the parties and political ideologies here in the States have become shells for idiots. Who would have thought that Conservatives would be involved in Nation Building? Who would have thought that Liberals would be holding protests where they cheer for thuggish Theocrats that kill gays, women and anyone who disagrees with their Religious Bullshit? Hell, last year I saw a protest by an anarchy group. Anarchists that were upset because the government was going to pull funding for a damned library. What anarchists demand government handouts for libraries? It's like a libertarian protesting tax cuts.

I think that the problem, in part, lies with the media and the Internet. 50 years ago, the goo'old old boy at your local bar would rant about the government, but he wasn't deluded into thinking that he was a Pol-Sci major. Now, any redneck with the ability to string letters into something resembling words thinks he has all the knowledge necessary to KNOW the right solution. 50 years ago, the drunk, pub based, political commentator used his beliefs on what he thought government Should Do (aka, his personal political philosophy) while it may have been dumb, it was consistent and made sense in some sense. Now, their political views are parroted lines from Hannity, Rush, DailyKOS, Huffington and the RNC/DNC... which are more closely aligned with what sells, what spins, what line is catchy and what hook pulls in the n00bs, than any sort of political philosophy or consistency.

[Cainad (dec.)]

I agree with the OP as well... it's not just the politicans that are plastic though. Every active political pundit, blogger, rant filled Interweb poster, dude at the Bar etc. have become red or blue mannequins. I remember, not even 15 years ago when people could say "Well, Mr. Political Opponent has a good point about X...", now it doesn't matter what political opponent X says, because he's "Wrong" before he opens his damned primary color spewing traphole.

Besides, the parties and political ideologies here in the States have become shells for idiots. Who would have thought that Conservatives would be involved in Nation Building? Who would have thought that Liberals would be holding protests where they cheer for thuggish Theocrats that kill gays, women and anyone who disagrees with their Religious Bullshit? Hell, last year I saw a protest by an anarchy group. Anarchists that were upset because the government was going to pull funding for a damned library. What anarchists demand government handouts for libraries? It's like a libertarian protesting tax cuts.

I think that the problem, in part, lies with the media and the Internet. 50 years ago, the goo'old old boy at your local bar would rant about the government, but he wasn't deluded into thinking that he was a Pol-Sci major. Now, any redneck with the ability to string letters into something resembling words thinks he has all the knowledge necessary to KNOW the right solution. 50 years ago, the drunk, pub based, political commentator used his beliefs on what he thought government Should Do (aka, his personal political philosophy) while it may have been dumb, it was consistent and made sense in some sense. Now, their political views are parroted lines from Hannity, Rush, DailyKOS, Huffington and the RNC/DNC... which are more closely aligned with what sells, what spins, what line is catchy and what hook pulls in the n00bs, than any sort of political philosophy or consistency.

Also, it doesn't help that America has such a low voter turnout. Every moderate, reasonable person who doesn't vote hands that vote over to the politically-charged screwballs who do vote. The lack of a strong centrist voter group is essentially Viagra for the political wangs of the radicals.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

I agree with the OP as well... it's not just the politicans that are plastic though. Every active political pundit, blogger, rant filled Interweb poster, dude at the Bar etc. have become red or blue mannequins. I remember, not even 15 years ago when people could say "Well, Mr. Political Opponent has a good point about X...", now it doesn't matter what political opponent X says, because he's "Wrong" before he opens his damned primary color spewing traphole.

Besides, the parties and political ideologies here in the States have become shells for idiots. Who would have thought that Conservatives would be involved in Nation Building? Who would have thought that Liberals would be holding protests where they cheer for thuggish Theocrats that kill gays, women and anyone who disagrees with their Religious Bullshit? Hell, last year I saw a protest by an anarchy group. Anarchists that were upset because the government was going to pull funding for a damned library. What anarchists demand government handouts for libraries? It's like a libertarian protesting tax cuts.

I think that the problem, in part, lies with the media and the Internet. 50 years ago, the goo'old old boy at your local bar would rant about the government, but he wasn't deluded into thinking that he was a Pol-Sci major. Now, any redneck with the ability to string letters into something resembling words thinks he has all the knowledge necessary to KNOW the right solution. 50 years ago, the drunk, pub based, political commentator used his beliefs on what he thought government Should Do (aka, his personal political philosophy) while it may have been dumb, it was consistent and made sense in some sense. Now, their political views are parroted lines from Hannity, Rush, DailyKOS, Huffington and the RNC/DNC... which are more closely aligned with what sells, what spins, what line is catchy and what hook pulls in the n00bs, than any sort of political philosophy or consistency.

Also, it doesn't help that America has such a low voter turnout. Every moderate, reasonable person who doesn't vote hands that vote over to the politically-charged screwballs who do vote. The lack of a strong centrist voter group is essentially Viagra for the political wangs of the radicals.

TROOF

With only two parties, our democracy is a half-wit at best.

[Cain]

I have to admit, as an outside with little intimate knowledge of American politics before 1998 (such as media reaction etc) the polarization of America has always come across as somewhat shocking.  I wondered if 9/11 had anything to do with it, but as far as I can tell, it just made pre-existing trends worse.

Such a political climate already puts authoritarian factions at an advantage (as liberalism is based on a tendency to debate and compromise, which could be seen as a form of betrayal) and makes for exceptionally irrational policy, such as the complete reversal of opinion about the Iraq war.  Firstly it was a god given mission in all but name, and now its an uncontinuable evil.  I suspect many more topics will face such about faces in the next few years, with little or any actual relation to the reality of the situation.

[AFK]

Honestly, what happened after 9/11 can be chalked up to PR and public perception.  The Democrats are scared shitless at the prospect of the American public thinking they are anti-troops or anti-homeland security, or anything like that.  That's why many of them went along with the Iraq War. 

And yeah, it was pretty polarized before 1998 as well.  I mean, really, why should anyone get their panties in a bunch about a President getting some consentual action from an intern?  I could see if the intern turned out to be a Russian spy and gave up some state secrets or something, but that just goes to show how ascerbic that divide was.  And as much as Rush and Hannity rail against the left, and Rachael Maddow and Randi Rhoads rail against the right.  They'd both be shit out of luck if all of a sudden everyone got along. 

[LMNO]

It seems that after we "won" the cold war, we had no "them", so we turned upon ourselves.

Then, when a new, smudgier "them" showed up, we were too lost in our infighting to rally together.

[Cain]

House Committee on UnAmerican Activities?

NeoCon papers dating from the "B Team" era and 80s?

I've always found the "need an enemy" explanation too pat.  These people were around when there was a big threat, and they were dicks then, too.

[LMNO]

Yeah, but it used to be mainly "just business", apart from some jackasses.

There's that old story about Reagan and Tip O'Neill, where Tip said, "here's where we plot against you, sir," and Reagan said, "Oh, no.  Not after 6:00.  After Six, we're all friends here."

It seems as if it's now gotten personal.

[AFK]

I agree.  I think the partisanship has become more personal.  And the cable news and talk shows only fan the flames.  And that's only because Americans buy what they are sold.  They buy the "You're with us or against us." bullshit.  And as long as they buy it, it will be sold.  And I honestly can't see that changing in the near future. 

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

I have to admit, as an outside with little intimate knowledge of American politics before 1998 (such as media reaction etc) the polarization of America has always come across as somewhat shocking.  I wondered if 9/11 had anything to do with it, but as far as I can tell, it just made pre-existing trends worse.

Such a political climate already puts authoritarian factions at an advantage (as liberalism is based on a tendency to debate and compromise, which could be seen as a form of betrayal) and makes for exceptionally irrational policy, such as the complete reversal of opinion about the Iraq war.  Firstly it was a god given mission in all but name, and now its an uncontinuable evil.  I suspect many more topics will face such about faces in the next few years, with little or any actual relation to the reality of the situation.

It has been getting steadily worse since Nixon. The Republican faithful took the Nixon takedown personally. It doesn't matter what facts, audio tapes and talk radio hosts come forward... they will always believe that Nixon was taken down by a left-wing conspiracy. Then, with the rise of the 'Moral Majority' and crowd in the past 20 or so years, we got a whole new kinda crazy added which just polarized stuff even more. Top that off with fornication in the Oval Office and BAM! On the left, they, I think forsaw a New World Order with Bill Clinton and presumed that they would be in power for a long time. Instead they had the 2000 election with Gore losing (or winning or whatever) to an ... well... to an idiot. Claims of 'stolen' aside, they never recovered and have, since then seen everything that Bush does as EVIL.

If I believed in conspiracies, I'd believe that a conspiracy sometime in the 20th century decided that the best way to control a country was to make it hate itself.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

It has been getting steadily worse since Nixon Ford pardoned Nixon.

Fixed.

TGRR,
Still hates you.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Not that I support the current government, but its true you need money to run a state, and it has to come from somewhere.

Stop making Libertarians cry.

[B_M_W]

Not that I support the current government, but its true you need money to run a state, and it has to come from somewhere.

Stop making Libertarians cry.

I like making libertarians cry, just like I like making radical fundies cry, or anarchists, or religious nuts, or any person who decides to jump on a bandwagon and support a philosophy just because everyone else is doing it and you have to do SOMETHING, join a political party, even though no single philosophy that lays down the rules can ever have all the answers.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Not that I support the current government, but its true you need money to run a state, and it has to come from somewhere.

Stop making Libertarians cry.

I like making libertarians cry, just like I like making radical fundies cry, or anarchists, or religious nuts, or any person who decides to jump on a bandwagon and support a philosophy just because everyone else is doing it and you have to do SOMETHING, join a political party, even though no single philosophy that lays down the rules can ever have all the answers.

They're going to put you in a cage one day.

Old people will mock you, and children will poke you through the bars with sticks.