To my fellow Democrats/liberals: Stop saying Republican voters are stupid.

[Virginiá]

No. 1 Amazon bestseller: 266 blank pages on why to vote Democrat
http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/09/us/book-best-seller-trnd/

You must be logged in to read this quote.

My god, he's right! America was foolish to think that there is any answer for our problems other than the transfer of wealth from the poor/middle class to the wealthy, or that regulating corporations would fix anything!

[publicunofficial]

Our oldest, dumbest, fattest, and biggest as***le President was elected mainly by a dumb, fat, and elderly as****e electorate.

But seriously. I remember back in 2004 when Kerry lost being told that Dems needed to be more patriotic, less intellectual (Comes off as condescending to, y'know, morons), support the War on Terror, and back away from social issues if they ever wanted to win again. Then they did none of those things and won. And then Republicans were told they needed to not just rely on rural whites, embrace more minority friendly policies, etc. and then they ignored that advice and won.

So forgive me if I make absolutely 0 effort to be nicer to Republicans.

[Xing]

Why does they left have to be the one to fight political polarization. Is it because if you asked Republicans/conservatives to stop insulting Democratic voters, they'd laugh in your face, and call you a cuck?

     This may be a surprise, but most Republicans aren't on /pol/ or the Daily Stormer. We don't call people cucks.

By the same token, most Democrats don't spend all of their time calling Republicans racist inbred morons. (Naturally, those that do are very vocal about it) Yet, I do feel as though we're often asked to take responsibility for the worst among us. If we're expected to regularly address and denounce our worst hacks, why shouldn't reasonable Republicans do the same?

[elcorazon]

Our oldest, dumbest, fattest, and biggest as***le President was elected mainly by a dumb, fat, and elderly as****e electorate.

But seriously. I remember back in 2004 when Kerry lost being told that Dems needed to be more patriotic, less intellectual (Comes off as condescending to, y'know, morons), support the War on Terror, and back away from social issues if they ever wanted to win again. Then they did none of those things and won. And then Republicans were told they needed to not just rely on rural whites, embrace more minority friendly policies, etc. and then they ignored that advice and won.

So forgive me if I make absolutely 0 effort to be nicer to Republicans.

this

[Beet]

Actually, they did become more patriotic. Dean and Emmanuel went and found people like Health Shuler, Jon Tester, Jim Webb, and ran them. The Republicans nominated a guy who eviscerated the Iraq war, supported gay marriage and praised Planned Parenthood.

[ApatheticAustrian]

that is the great thing about the new nationalism....as absurd as this sounds, the new global-crypto-nationalism is not patriotic and would at any moment betry its own country and the people of its own country, if it would further the global anti-globalist cause.

it's an ideology of contradictions, driven by reactionary thoughts.

[Deblano]

Neither side will give an inch to the "bastards" on the other side. End of discussion.

[Pericles]

Democrats have always been trying to meet Republicans in the middle. I invite Republican members and Republicans to show a little bit of respect to the 66 million Hillary Clinton voters(who significantly outnumber Trump voters). I will give you that while a lot of Trump supporters are deplorable(Hillary Clinton was correct), 50% or more are good people who want the best for their country and have lost faith in the system, and those opposed to Trump should reach out to you, something Clinton did not do.

[Hindsight was 2020]

Democrats have always been trying to meet Republicans in the middle. I invite Republican members and Republicans to show a little bit of respect to the 66 million Hillary Clinton voters(who significantly outnumber Trump voters). I will give you that while a lot of Trump supporters are deplorable(Hillary Clinton was correct), 50% or more are good people who want the best for their country and have lost faith in the system, and those opposed to Trump should reach out to you, something Clinton did not do.

The Democrats on this board are anything but respectful.  The Democratic party is becoming a party for whiney entitled Millennials that demand respect but don't earn it.  It's becoming readily apparent why Democrats nationally are losing. 

You seem to have a weird hard on for millennials.

[Pericles]

This board is not an accurate representation of America as a whole. The Obama administration constantly sought to be bipartisan and reach out to the GOP, and every single time the GOP slapped him in the face because he was a Democrat.

[Pericles]

Democrats have always been trying to meet Republicans in the middle. I invite Republican members and Republicans to show a little bit of respect to the 66 million Hillary Clinton voters(who significantly outnumber Trump voters). I will give you that while a lot of Trump supporters are deplorable(Hillary Clinton was correct), 50% or more are good people who want the best for their country and have lost faith in the system, and those opposed to Trump should reach out to you, something Clinton did not do.

The Democrats on this board are anything but respectful.  The Democratic party is becoming a party for whiney entitled Millennials that demand respect but don't earn it.  It's becoming readily apparent why Democrats nationally are losing. 

You seem to have a weird hard on for millennials.

They're annoying, though I am technically one (born in 82).

Hating millenials is such a cliche. In general it is always a cliche when the previous generation hates on the next one. Besides, if anything the millenials just got screwed over by the Baby Boomers.

[smoltchanov]

This board is not an accurate representation of America as a whole. The Obama administration constantly sought to be bipartisan and reach out to the GOP, and every single time the GOP slapped him in the face because he was a Democrat. Right now what America needs is not bipartisanship, that is capitulation to insane evil, but the total destruction of Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

And AFTER your statement above do you SINCERELY expect Republicans"meeting you halfway" I doubt it...)))))

[Pericles]

This board is not an accurate representation of America as a whole. The Obama administration constantly sought to be bipartisan and reach out to the GOP, and every single time the GOP slapped him in the face because he was a Democrat.

Last week I probably would have agreed with you... but seeing the mentality of the "tolerant" left on this board, I don't think the Democratic base has the maturity or temperament to be in complete control.  We need split power again... probably a Democratic President, Democratic House and Republican Senate would be the most ideal. 

Because of the actions of a few board members on one hyperpartisan Internet board(on both sides), which are routinely outdone by the insults and partisanship of the Republicans, you would indict the whole Democratic Party and subject the US to another round of gridlock and division with no real change able to be accomplished and the continued destruction of the fragile political institutions?! That logic does not stand up to scrutiny.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Why does they left have to be the one to fight political polarization. Is it because if you asked Republicans/conservatives to stop insulting Democratic voters, they'd laugh in your face, and call you a cuck?

     This may be a surprise, but most Republicans aren't on /pol/ or the Daily Stormer. We don't call people cucks.

By the same token, most Democrats don't spend all of their time calling Republicans racist inbred morons. (Naturally, those that do are very vocal about it) Yet, I do feel as though we're often asked to take responsibility for the worst among us. If we're expected to regularly address and denounce our worst hacks, why shouldn't reasonable Republicans do the same?

     This forum is dead-set on making reasonable Republicans do the same, it seems. The problem with having big tent parties is that you get normal people associating with extremist ideologues. Naturally attacking the latter group is easier than attacking the former one, so your opponents end up talking endlessly about how you associate with deplorables.

[Pericles]

Republican voters aren't the problem. Republicans are people too, as Hillary Clinton pointed out(but this was left out by the media) many Trump supporters are good people who have lost faith in the system. Republicans and Democrats, overall, are good people who deserve to be treated with respect. There are some deplorables on the Republican side too, but a majority are not deplorable, and if I don't respect you, it's not because of your political views, it's because you're just a generally unlikable person. The problem is that good people are supporting a bad man(Donald Trump) with a dangerous vision. Many intelligent people voted for Donald Trump(and many unintelligent people voted for Hillary Clinton), it was simply that they made a different, IMO incorrect, choice, based on different information and values and numerous other factors. I'd say they were misled by Trump and the GOP, and that can be backed up. Rather than being uninformed, many people were misinformed. Of course, with so much information and 'facts' and alternative facts floating around, I could be wrong, but I feel justified in saying, backed up by evidence and knowledge, that it is more likely that the Republican voters were wrong. But there is no certainty they will always be Republicans, so we should always acknowledge their central decency and recognize that being American is greater than being Democrat or Republican.

[smoltchanov]

^ Never thought i would agree with you so completely. 101%. BOTH parties are almost total garbage... Not people - parties.

[Pericles]

If millenials are really so entitled(a total cliche) then shouldn't we blame the people than instilled in them that sense of entitlement and if millenials are terrible then the generation that raised them should be blamed too. But generally let's try to civilly and respectfully disagree without throwing out needless insults.

[ApatheticAustrian]

I have a .....crazy...proposal:

The US party-duopoly ensures, that literally EVERYONE is all the time pissed at both parties, even while to a different degree or for different reasons.

[Deblano]

I have a .....crazy...proposal:

The US party-duopoly ensures, that literally EVERYONE is all the time pissed at both parties, even while to a different degree or for different reasons.

[Associate Justice PiT]

I have a .....crazy...proposal:

The US party-duopoly ensures, that literally EVERYONE is all the time pissed at both parties, even while to a different degree or for different reasons.

     I think you've touched on the fundamental reason here why the country is so politically dysfunctional. Winning is typically about being the less disliked rather than the more liked.

[Pericles]

The US needs proportional representation(with electorate seats too and a 5% threshold to get seats)

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

^ Never thought i would agree with you so completely. 101%. BOTH parties are almost total garbage... Not people - parties.

Until the advent of Trump, that was a decent argument. Now, it's comparing the nice plastic container with a bag and some stinky stuff in the bag that's tucked away in the alley with the flaming rusty dumpster of biohazards and radioactive waste rocketing across the sky and spewing toxic filth over everything. Please don't make false equivalencies between the insane idiot wanna-be super-villain, his henchmen and cultists and a somewhat worse than average political party.

[Deblano]

The US needs proportional representation(with electorate seats too and a 5% threshold to get seats)

The donors and status quo people in Washington will never allow that.

We are condemned to have a s*** electoral system until our nation finally collapses.

I would definitely support something like a multiparty system with IRV.

[smoltchanov]

^ Never thought i would agree with you so completely. 101%. BOTH parties are almost total garbage... Not people - parties.

Until the advent of Trump, that was a decent argument. Now, it's comparing the nice plastic container with a bag and some stinky stuff in the bag that's tucked away in the alley with the flaming rusty dumpster of biohazards and radioactive waste rocketing across the sky and spewing toxic filth over everything. Please don't make false equivalencies between the insane idiot wanna-be super-villain, his henchmen and cultists and a somewhat worse than average political party.

I dislike Trump immensely, but last year choice between him and Hillary was atrocious. Never thought that i will see "a choice" between most disliked candidate and second disliked candidate in US. That says volumes about present state of BOTH political parties. And, given polarization of last decades i more and more think that European parlamentary system is substantially better (though it obviously has it's own problems)