Well it's that time again..

[California Girl]

To suggest that the political philosophy of the two-party system cannot generate significant middle ground is going to require particulars. From the beginning (think the 1st U.S. Bank and the siting of the nation's capitol on the Potomac), American politicians have been doing exactly that. The most spectacular failure was the South's refusal to accept the constitutional process in the aftermath of the election of 1860. I, for one, will generally try to find the middle ground.

 

[Bfgrn]

More idiots acting as if the partisan divide is the problem rather than the issue upon which that divide occurs.

We have a partisan divide largely because we have people with a very different views of where the country needs to go. Everyone here is a partisan of a certain set of ideas though scarcely the same set of ideas and there isn't a damn thing wrong with that. But the notion that there is some sort of nebulous middle ground on every issue is completely absurd and even where there may be a middle ground of sorts that middle ground may represent no improvement to the status quo. And if it isn't going to improve things why bother?

Some examples :

We should eat 5 lbs of crap a day. We should eat 0lbs of crap a day. Do you really want to compromise somwhere in the middle?

So what you're really saying is...YOUR solutions are 0lbs of crap a day...

 

[JakeStarkey]

What garyd is saying is that he does not want to build consensus.

 

[garyd]

What I am saying sir is that consensus is not always available.

And the last election was more than anything else a referedum on TARP which most of the country hated and McCain embraced while Obama appeared to distance himself from it. The country didn't leap to the left nor does it agree with you on most things. It agrees by large only that Obama was a better candidate than was McCain. Hell I don't care for either of them as POTUS.

And your poll demostrated that I was correct in that roughly 80 percent coalesce about those two points I mentioned earlier. Between a woman and her doctor is for all practical purposes anywhere anytime for any reason. However when you phrase it that way support falls off the map.

 

[JakeStarkey]

My poll proved my point that the left and the center coaelesced, leaving the far right the small minority they normally are. Those social values conservatives are growing smaller in numbers and importance every day. That is why Obama won in 2008 and the Conservatives lost in NY in 2009.

 

[garyd]

Nope Obama won in 2008 because of perceptions regarding Tarp. You won in New york because the opponent was a political neophyte with no name recognition. That he got as close as he did says more about your weakness than your strength.

 

[JakeStarkey]

That the Conservative had all the support he did with the Pub dropping out and still lost in a GOP district (for the last 150 years, garyd) is the real story there. TARP had very little to do with BHO's victory, while the way the GOP and the right messed up the economy and refused to take responsibility soured the electorate on the GOP for a very long time.