The facts really seem to be a issue. If people new the facts from FDR until now Romney would be a shoe in.
My Sweetie and I were discussing this very topic earlier this evening. When I joined up here, 4 years ago, it was possible, common and wonderfully refreshing to be able to have an actual give and take discussion/debate. I've only been back a few weeks from my "sabbatical", but mercy it sure seems like the vast majority from "both" sides are just more interested in how they can slam one another instead of listening to one another. *sigh*
Indeed. I first came here when I got fed up with the direction of things at Political Crossfire. At the time, Political Forum wasn't dominated by the conservative/right/Republican vs. liberal/left/Democrat partisan slamming. It was possible to have intelligent and respectful exchanges with some really thoughtful members despite our considerable differences. Now it's all cut & paste arguments, propaganda, personal attacks, etc. There wasn't all the race baiting, either.
Moderation policies here defend trolling, group insults and idiot picture-spamming. Hence, that's what the forum gets more of. Oh, the sucky technical performance doesn't help. When someone's long, well-thought out responses keep getting trashed by the software, they go elsewhere. Leaving the trolls, group insulters and idiot picture-spammers.
I kind of like the idea of less moderation where our 1st Amendment rights are given its rightly due. I once joined a site called 'AWE' (Argue with Everyone) where just about anything goes, including name calling, insults, porn pictures as nasty as they get and the only rule they enforced was that one couldn't threaten another. Don't know if the site is still operating, but I may just have to look into it as I'm one of those kind of guys that finds great joy in watching and hearing comedians like Joan Rivers and Don Rickles tear others to shreds. No mercy, if you can't stand the heat get outta da kitchen.
You'd be surprised....quite a few that could actually carry on a reasonable and intelligent political debate.
I remain skeptical, based on what I've seen here and in other forums. When people are given free reign to troll with impunity, it becomes almost impossible to maintain such a debate without ignoring all the noise taking place around it. While the persons engaging each other might be able to do so, other parties who are trying to follow that debate will be forced to wade through a mountain of dreck. I should think many would decide that it's not worth the effort. If I had a dollar for every time I had made the effort to thoughtfully engage someone only to be met with 1) silence, 2) trolling when they realize they're losing the argument, 3) others disrupting that conversation with off-topic distractions and distortions... ...then I would be considerably enriched.
Seeing that all is needed to see that you are not one of those people is your profile picture/name/signature, it's painfully ironic that you should say that. Your argument seems to consistently be something along the lines of liberals being the greatest threat to America.
I don't see any irony in my beliefs at all. All that my avatar, my name and my signature reveal is that I'm a person who is deeply dedicated to wiping the leftist anti American scourge from the face of the earth, while at the same time showing to all that I don't waver one iota in my political ideology when faced with an enemy that is determined to bring Capitalist America to its knees. If you ever get the time needed to fully understand the communist/marxist/progressive harm they have done to America and to virtually the entire world, then I suggest you pick up the book 'DUPES' by Paul Kengor and rather than to use it as a book stop that you actually read it through to completion. I have read many books but this one book details the sorry history of leftism into America and how those wicked forces are still present today inflicting unsustainable harm on our society and on our nation as a whole. Keep in mind that our enemies during WWI, WWII, Korean War and the Vietnam War were leftists, so it should come as no surprise to you that today's leftists pose no less of a threat to our nation's sovereginty and social well-being as did their predecessors.
Intelligent conversation usually starts with an intelligent question and/or statement. Look at the majority of the threads and like polls; they are slanted. A person answers the (slanted) question and is called a name, usually racist if you don't like Obama, as I do not. (A response in kind is called for at that time.) I have seen threads where they start off with nearly a page of dribble. If you can't say it in a couple of sentences, it's not worth the time to even read the answer.
Most people, particularly the USA public school people, do not have the capacity to debate intellectualy. They are at a 8th grade level of 5 word sentances and idology. It is like going into a battle of intelect with an opponent that has no weapons.
