There need to be large 'liberal' and 'conservative' factions in both parties

[-S-]

If we're going to suffer on with this terrible two party system that both ruins any chance for bipartisanship and destroys the chance of independent moderates to win the White House, then there should be more diversity in each party.

I don't understand why we don't have liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats in the nation anymore. The parties USED to operate this way, and it seems there wasn't such a penchant for across the aisle pissing contests. Nowadays if you're a free thinker, you get pushed OUT of a party for not adopting to the group-think going on. It's so counter-intuitive to improving our country.

It would also force voters to actually LISTEN TO THE CANDIDATES. Nowadays, people just go, "Is he/she a Democrat or a Republican?" and vote accordingly. Like lemmings. That kind of one dimensional thinking is terrible for the nation.

Just my opinion.

 

[Moonglow]

Congress has been passing more bi-partisan bills already than the last 2 years accomplished...and the president is signing them....

 

[Mac1958]

If we're going to suffer on with this terrible two party system that both ruins any chance for bipartisanship and destroys the chance of independent moderates to win the White House, then there should be more diversity in each party.

I don't understand why we don't have liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats in the nation anymore. The parties USED to operate this way, and it seems there wasn't such a penchant for across the aisle pissing contests. Nowadays if you're a free thinker, you get pushed OUT of a party for not adopting to the group-think going on. It's so counter-intuitive to improving our country.

It would also force voters to actually LISTEN TO THE CANDIDATES. Nowadays, people just go, "Is he/she a Democrat or a Republican?" and vote accordingly. Like lemmings. That kind of one dimensional thinking is terrible for the nation.

Just my opinion.

The "lemmings" problem is a bad one, and I don't see how it is mitigated.

It's only getting worse, as both ends become more and more narcissistic and tribal.

Worse, it appears that more and more Americans are getting sucked into this binary behavior.

At this point I've given up hoping for improvement, but I'd love to be proven wrong.

.

 

[Iceweasel]

Huh? McCain and Romney were too hard core for you? Jesus Christ.

 

[-S-]

Huh? McCain and Romney were too hard core for you? Jesus Christ.

Not at all. I actually really admire McCain. But it was hard to respect either of them when they would do interviews and be like "No, no, no, I'm a true conservative! Honest" at least twice a week.
(I think Mitt's line was "I was a severely conservative governor" )


They wouldn't have to do that if their were liberal and conservative factions in both parties. They could have run as themselves instead of 'true conservative' caricatures.

 

[JakeStarkey]

A realignment in each of the parties into opposing internal groups cannot happen until huge lobbyist, corporate, and union donations are severely curbed. That won't happen until McCain-Feingold, Hobby Lobby, and Citizens United are overturned.

 

[Iceweasel]

Huh? McCain and Romney were too hard core for you? Jesus Christ.

Not at all. I actually really admire McCain. But it was hard to respect either of them when they would do interviews and be like "No, no, no, I'm a true conservative! Honest" at least twice a week.
(I think Mitt's line was "I was a severely conservative governor" )


They wouldn't have to do that if their were liberal and conservative factions in both parties. They could have run as themselves instead of 'true conservative' caricatures.

It wasn't obvious that they were appealing to the conservative base?

 

[Sunni Man]

A realignment in each of the parties into opposing internal groups cannot happen until huge lobbyist, corporate, and union donations are severely curbed. That won't happen until McCain-Feingold, Hobby Lobby, and Citizens United are overturned.

..............^^^ Fake Jake showing his true loony liberal mindset. ......

 

[-S-]

Huh? McCain and Romney were too hard core for you? Jesus Christ.

Not at all. I actually really admire McCain. But it was hard to respect either of them when they would do interviews and be like "No, no, no, I'm a true conservative! Honest" at least twice a week.
(I think Mitt's line was "I was a severely conservative governor" )


They wouldn't have to do that if their were liberal and conservative factions in both parties. They could have run as themselves instead of 'true conservative' caricatures.

It wasn't obvious that they were appealing to the conservative base?

Of course it was obvious, and that's why it was embarrassing.
If it's so obvious to everyone here, shouldn't it be obvious to the conservative base?

My entire point is, why should they have to? If there were conservatives in both parties, there wouldn't be the need to publicly kiss the ass of people and policies you don't really stand for.

Your base wouldn't be 'conservative voters.'

Your base would just be 'voters.'

That's what America should be.

 

[Iceweasel]

Well, there clearly are liberal Republicans. You might want to ask where all the conservative Democrats have gone. Zell Miller was the last one I remember.

 

[-S-]

Well, there clearly are liberal Republicans. You might want to ask where all the conservative Democrats have gone. Zell Miller was the last one I remember.

Mitt and McCain are widely considered moderates, not liberals. The only people I ever hear call them actual 'liberals' are conservatives, and it's usually in a negative connotation. The majority consider them moderates, and their policies back that label.

I would love to see an example of a true, liberal Republican (and I don't mean Lincoln, TRoosevelt, or Nelson Rockefeller; a current liberal 'R').

Both parties have moderates, and in both parties they are few and far between. I'm talking large proportions of both liberals and conservatives in both parties.