Why has political discourse become so nasty?

Ok, I should be the last person to say this but, I never used to be this way. I used to be a nice guy and accept repugnants as just those that thought differrently for ways to solve problems.

Then, something happened. (Is this the Origin of the Colonel?).

It started to get nasty under Clinton, right when the government shut down and it was blamed on the repugnants. What happened?

[Edited on 25-9-2003 by Colonel]

Shouldn't this post be under chit chat? It's about you.

What happenned? The presidency used to be prestigious until somebody got caught with their pants down and could not handle the situation properly. It is not like he was the first to fool around....He was the first who couldn't handle the situation.

the Colonel admitting "I should be the last person to say this", is scandalis enough!



Please continue Colonel, you have at least one persons interest...although I'm sure a few "repugnants" will respond to "democrap" comments in the normal fashion.


I would like to know why you have become "nasty".

If the moderator of this forum or admin sees to it that this thread needs relocation, the chit chat forum is as good a home as any.



[Edited on 25-9-2003 by ADVISOR]

Lurking... YOU GOT IT! JFK, was doing Marilyn Monroe in the OVAL OFFICE (No respect!) but he did NOT get caught until after he was long gone...

Slick Willy got BUSTED and LIED! WORST thing you can do to "US" is LIE to us... We can ALL (well at leat 64% and THAT'S HUGE in the polls!) can and WILL forgive an indiscretion, but looking us straight in the eye and LYING your ASS OFF?! No way...

THAT'S where HE went wrong... The Colonel os really a pretty COOL DUDE, beleive it or not, he is just plain PSYCHO over what he believes, IMHO.

He feels a passion that burns brighter than his good natured, raised right by his Mother, no need to be rude mind... That's all... Again, IMHO...

I truly believe the Colonel and all others like him (not that there are any others like him!) would do TREMENDOUSLY BETTER with a spoon full of honey than they will ever do with a spoonful of battery acid BUT it's just not meant to be...



PEACE...
m...

Originally posted by ADVISOR
the Colonel admitting "I should be the last person to say this", is scandalis enough!

Please continue Colonel, you have at least one persons interest...although I'm sure a few "repugnants" will respond to "democrap" comments in the normal fashion.

I would like to know why you have become "nasty".

If the moderator of this forum or admin sees to it that this thread needs relocation, the chit chat forum is as good a home as any.



[Edited on 25-9-2003 by ADVISOR]

Well to continue on...

Why have I beocme so nasty. (I feel like Tony Soprano talking to his therapist).

Well, Ishould start out that I was disgusted at the Impeachment. Not at Clinton but at the hypocrisy. All the time, repugnants are talking about keeping out filth and puerile sex "to protect the children" but quickly decide to put all the nasty little meetings with Clinton and Monica on the internet for the planet to see just ot embarass him.

I thought that was the lowest of the low and I got a bit angry.

Then, Bush came on the scene. I had no feelings for him bad nor good. He wasn't part of the repugnant ilk in Washington (bieng from Texas).

Then, the election came and there were issues. Then, Tom deLay sent his repugothugs in suits down to Florida to intimidate and block the black voters from getting their ballots. Then, Jeb and that bitch, Katherine Harris, set up a scheme to disenfranchise black voters---like back in the day.

I got a bit more angry.

Then, the Supreme Court decided the election for America and I remeber Bush being inaugruated on that cold, dreary, gray wet day in January in DC. I remember people throwing eggs at his car. (I was in the city) and it was like an omen.

That's when I started hating the repugnants.

Originally posted by Colonel

Originally posted by ADVISOR
the Colonel admitting "I should be the last person to say this", is scandalis enough!

Please continue Colonel, you have at least one persons interest...although I'm sure a few "repugnants" will respond to "democrap" comments in the normal fashion.

I would like to know why you have become "nasty".

If the moderator of this forum or admin sees to it that this thread needs relocation, the chit chat forum is as good a home as any.



[Edited on 25-9-2003 by ADVISOR]

Well to continue on...

Why have I beocme so nasty. (I feel like Tony Soprano talking to his therapist).

Well, Ishould start out that I was disgusted at the Impeachment. Not at Clinton but at the hypocrisy. All the time, repugnants are talking about keeping out filth and puerile sex "to protect the children" but quickly decide to put all the nasty little meetings with Clinton and Monica on the internet for the planet to see just ot embarass him.

I thought that was the lowest of the low and I got a bit angry.

Then, Bush came on the scene. I had no feelings for him bad nor good. He wasn't part of the repugnant ilk in Washington (bieng from Texas).

Then, the election came and there were issues. Then, Tom deLay sent his repugothugs in suits down to Florida to intimidate and block the black voters from getting their ballots. Then, Jeb and that bitch, Katherine Harris, set up a scheme to disenfranchise black voters---like back in the day.

I got a bit more angry.

Then, the Supreme Court decided the election for America and I remeber Bush being inaugruated on that cold, dreary, gray wet day in January in DC. I remember people throwing eggs at his car. (I was in the city) and it was like an omen.

That's when I started hating the repugnants.

Damm. I know what you mean Colonel I feel the same way sometimes. But I think both parties are just as bad in my opinion. Ok maybe the republicans are a bit worse.

I'm happy someone has some empathy here.

It goes to the roots of the polar extremes of American political debate, On an Issue:

Liberals - look for information

Conservatives- look for ammunition

The ultra, or radicals that are Bush-men took umbrage at Clinton�s victory, they roiled under a second cake walk victory, and saw that the most likely and logical candidate to win them the seat, John McCain , was not going to play ball, so they smeared him. Enter a near-do-well misanthrope void of conscious who can be molded to mouth any action as gospel and good for ya, Dubya.

This sickness, however, started in earnest with the Arkansas project, as described in David Brock's excellent book - 'Blinded by the Right'.
At the time, Bush Sr. was gearing up for a second term run and had the country in a pitiful state, Clinton, had started to stand prominent among the Dem contenders, yet it was still prior to the nomination.
Richard Mellon Scaife, owner of the American Standard and a media/publishing empire, as well as being a Bush insider, authorized a dirt dig on Clinton. Where there was nothing, something was created. Like Ron Reagan (folks forget Nancy was his mistress behind his first wife�s back, and that he was accused of rape - twice), and all other Alpha Males, Willie had a serious jones for that sweet coochie, so he, to his discredit, gave them the needed chink in the armor. Where there was flirtation, Scaife owned media outlets reported 'scandal' and 'affair'.
The network of media crossed over to network with legal, particularly the Federalist society ( conservative Lawyer group), bringing in Ken Star, Ted Olson, and everybody�s favorite skank, playing the role of Starr�s gopher, Ann Coulter.
Now the network never disbanded. The talking heads and the lawyers and the authors now had directly owned media outlets to give their unsubstantiated hearsay a forum.
Then, Willie sees a rubenesque honey, and has a consensual affair. The network shifted into high gear.
Sure, all the other presidents got caught � just now, there was in place for the first time, those willing, gleefully, to disparage the office with slurs and disrespect, and actually report it!!
After a thousand agents were pulled off of, oh anti terror, to chase ghost leads, a $70M price tag had to be accounted for, so we had a married man lying about an affair until alibis caved in, ( First time in recorded history I�m told). But guess what!?! People STILL thought highly of him because of a real list of accomplishments.
So what�s a dirty trick/smear campaign to do? �Work the referee� = hammer the truth, sully Clintons name, revise history, hoist canards of every accomplishment being tied to the �hard decisions that Reagan made�, and most importantly � drop the level of respect that�s automatic to the office, any office, that�s held by anything but a Republican playing ball. Hell, Republican�s have even been smeared by this Radical wing when common sense had them voting against the malignancy.
So there you have the radical Right�s story:
- Most mechanics of Arkansas project working for this administration
- Or, working for Fox, or some other Scaife media outlet
- The bar dropped so low and such an industry made of it ( Hannity/Rush/O�Reilly), that they�ll never clean up their acts�money is too good


From the left:
- Impeachment of the only good president we�ve had lately�for consensual SEX!!
- Election tampering
- Supreme court election theft
- Cronyism to big corporations, infecting every branch of government
- 9/11 allowed to happen
- Ruined the economy
- Ruined World standing
- Ruined environment
- Embarrassment of office and country

That�s why the Left stopped looking for only info and has loaded for bear.

While I can say I'm now anti-Republican, when I used to be a Centrist and voted for my local republicans, I can't say 'hate' either.
Need to know someone before I hate them.
Though I do curse at the TV whenever I see Bush before changing the channel.

Well said, Bout Time. A good summation of the evils that went on that brought us to where we are today.

I know where you�re coming from Colonel.

To answer the threads question: - Why has political discourse become so nasty?
I'd say it is because in most western countries there are only two sides left, two completely polar opposite sides that are largely representations of people's character, upbringing and experiences. This means the political views held by both sides are to them de facto opinions that are held dear and are more about people�s personal beliefs about life than political opinions. There are no real moderate or alternative parties left to muddy the arguments or quell the anger. It's like two huge corporations coming into a market, eating it up and all we're left with is two giants going head to head. No one wants to budge.

There is another polarisation though, and that is between the people who are brought up with and spoon fed a political belief and then make judgments and reasoning for their beliefs, and those who make their judgments and their own reasoning and then align themselves to the nearest political idea that fits their opinions.


[Edited on 25-9-2003 by kegs]

Why, because the media has a habit of twisting the truth. On both sides. Then you add in that politicians are too busy fighting with each other, not working together. Again fault both sides.
Republicans and democrats need to work together, to make this a better country. This bi- partisian crap needs to stop.
I am considering voting for the Green party, not because I think they can win. But to take my vote away from reps and dems. If enough people did that, some change may occur. After watching CA fall apart, and nobody from either side has impressed me, it is time for some wholesale changes. They lookout for their respective parties 1st, then the state. Samething applies to the rest of the country.
But my disgust with democrats started with Waco. Clinton/Reno killed a lot of innocent men,women and children. Up until that happened I voted democrat more often than not. I will never vote for another dem for President. And over the past year, Bush has not impressed me that much. So why vote or support either.

I think BC was the best president we had who was impeached...

...some people make the debate nastier on this board I've noticed than reason needs be. Blood pressure medicine please!!