If someone says "Righties are bible-thumping social Nazis", or "Lefties are incapable of understanding macro economics", yeah, it's offensive. It's offensive because I have a lot of friends both on this board and in the world who lean to the left who're VERY capable when it comes to things like macro economics and I have a lot of friends both on this board and in the world who lean to the right who're not bible thumping social Nazis.
Lets just say I take offense to sweeping generalizations that insult EVERYONE on either side of the aisle. If a spade is a spade, call it a spade but if a writer doesn't KNOW all the shovels in the shed, a sweeping generalization like that just makes the writer look snobby and foolish while slinging childish political mud.
I know it is offensive to those on the left to be papered over with a generality just as it is offensive to those on the right. There is a fine line between "being offensive" and being uncivil however. I didn't think the line re macroeconomics was a sweeping generalization at all, certainly not in the same sense as the illustrations you used. In doing message boarding and teaching management courses for a long time now, I saw the sentence as accurate. Righties are not 'Bible thumbing social Nazis' and that is clearly intended as an insult. But if you said 'righties are not going to agree to increased taxes on the rich or keynesian spending projects' that is also generalizations that might not pertain to each and every 'rightie' but I would see it as an essentially accurate statement.
I would have phrased the macroeconomics line more diplomatically but I don't think it was intended as an insult but rather a statement of fact. Sort of like 'that outfit makes you look fat'.
The fact is, I honestly don't believe leftists do understand macroeconomics or there would not be many economic leftists.
The option on the poll choices taking away the ability of Congress and the President to use the people's money for any form of charity or targeted benefit speaks to that. And I seriously doubt any staunch economic leftist really understands why that is so important.
For that matter probably some on the Right don't see why that is important either, and might not ever agree with it, but if they were inclined to really think through the rationale, I think they would understand it. I honestly have attempted to teach the reasoning to staunch leftists who meant well, but they were unable to grasp the concept well enough to explain it.