So I've been bouncing this thought around all day. What topics in this country can get bipartisan support. On this board and in life in general so many people make decisions down party line.

 

There are a few democrats or liberal leaning posters on this board like Clyde and Sportsguy who I agree on some topics with. But for the vast majority on this board everything is driven right down party line.

 

I'm a libertarian who is registered as a republican. I agree with democrats on the War on drugs , gay marriage and an over haul on the criminal justice system . I'm against the Patriot Act.

 

I keep hearing from people how the " right" is to far right and to crazy. But for the majority of liberal posters on this board and I know in the real world it seems every position they take is far to left or down the democrat line ticket. It's not to say there aren't those on the right who do the same there are. I'm just confused how the right is painted as far right when it seems most on the left have no moderate position.

 

Almost every republican I know under the age of 40 agrees with me on the topics I listed at the start. But it seems the left keeps moving further to the left.

 

What topics can we all agree on ? I'm just lost. We can't even agree how to define our enemy. When massacres happen people on opposite sides of the spectrum are hoping the other guy did it.

 

Between the reactions to the PP shooting and now the shooting in Cali it all just leaves me depressed. I'm clueless as to where we are.

 

I'm just a regular joe schmoe who believes in small government whether that means less spending , not telling us what to put in our buddies , telling the government not to spy on me.

 

I just don't understand the group thinking mentality on both sides and 90% of this site falls into the category.

I think we had a thread a few years ago trying to find something we could all 100% agree upon, I don't think we ever found anything. :lol2:

I think we had a thread a few years ago trying to find something we could all 100% agree upon, I don't think we ever found anything. :lol2:

 

I just don't get the group think mentality.

I just don't get the group think mentality.

 

I don't know if it's as much group think as much as kindred spirits thinking similarly. If you have a basic set of beliefs then you are going to think similarly to others with a similar set of beliefs.

 

For example I agree with a lot of the Tea Party ideas, but I think some extremist make the Tea Party look bad with their anti government militia rants. On some social issues I'm left of most other conservatives, but when it comes to Gun Control I'm pretty far to the right, even though I think there are sensible changes that need to be made.

 

I guess what I'm saying one on one we all have nuanced ideas and I don't think it's as locked up as it seems.

 

That said, there are some that would support any position if they thought it was the position of their party or candidate...those are the scary people. They have no mind of their own and just follow in lock step with one party or the other.

I don't know if it's as much group think as much as kindred spirits thinking similarly. If you have a basic set of beliefs then you are going to think similarly to others with a similar set of beliefs.

 

For example I agree with a lot of the Tea Party ideas, but I think some extremist make the Tea Party look bad with their anti government militia rants. On some social issues I'm left of most other conservatives, but when it comes to Gun Control I'm pretty far to the right, even though I think there are sensible changes that need to be made.

 

I guess what I'm saying one on one we all have nuanced ideas and I don't think it's as locked up as it seems.

 

That said, there are some that would support any position if they thought it was the position of their party or candidate...those are the scary people. They have no mind of their own and just follow in lock step with one party or the other.

 

Yep. Well said.

I admit I'm way left on social issues, immigration and abortion. I'm middle of the road fiscally, and actually lean right on things like minimum wage. I'm even further right on gun control/rights, even though I don't own, and likely never will own any guns. My general philosophy is just to be nice to people, help them out when you can, and I tend to give most the benefit of doubt.

I am very confident that if some of us got together in person that we could agree on a lot, message boards, emails and cellphones are not good ways of working things out. As I told a few people who I knew in Mosocw when they asked about why Americans hated Russia's, I told them that we don't, it's only that many hate their leadership.

 

What can we agree on?

1) We need to somehow curb the senseless violence and killings in the U.S..

2) We need to somehow work on keeping guns out of the hands of people who want to do harm to others.

3) We need to curb the terrorists attacks in the U.S. and the world.

4) We need to work better with other nations as well as take a stand when needed.

5) We need to take better care of the poor and others in need.

6) We need to create an atmosphere so those at the bottom see hope.

 

 

Now the issue is how we do the above where it gets divided. As I hit on in the San Bernardino thread, there is retoric on both sides. If the right somehow insults the left, the left insults the right and vise versa.

 

At times I seriously think that we should lock everyone in DC in a room and tell them that tney are not coning out until they work together and actually get things done.

Until there is some rank and file uproar against leadership in either party nothing will change.

 

The Tea Party changed the direction of Republicans and I would argue the the extreme left has pulled the direction of the Democrats just as far to the left.

 

It is known that current leadership in the Republican party is held in low esteem among the rank and file due to their ineptitude and rigidity. Until rank and file Dems start pressing their leadership (who are just as inept and rigid as the GOP) it will never change.

 

Both sides need to stop trying to score political points at the expense of the general good.

 

The visible leads of both parties need to stop vilifying the other side when there is disagreement.

 

Both sides need to stop talking about compromise when their definition of compromise is to do things my way without my side giving up anything.

I've long since given up on there ever being any kind of bipartisan agreement. It's why I've become so apathetic to politics in the last couple years. Nothing will ever change, at least not in my lifetime.

Bipartisanship comes out of compromise. Compromise requires both sides to give up something they want to get something else they want. We're at the standstill we are because we punish politicians (especially Republican politicians) for relinquishing anything, even if it means they get nothing in return, so they don't.

Bipartisanship comes out of compromise. Compromise requires both sides to give up something they want to get something else they want. We're at the standstill we are because we punish politicians (especially Republican politicians) for relinquishing anything, even if it means they get nothing in return, so they don't.

 

Incrementalism.

 

Conservatives have gave up a ton, Liberals only want total control.

 

Political correctness, caused a neighbor to the terror suspects to NOT speak out.

 

Loretta Lynch defends Muslims and announces investigation in arrest of Texas 'clock kid' - LA Times

 

Now that.

Bipartisanship comes out of compromise. Compromise requires both sides to give up something they want to get something else they want. We're at the standstill we are because we punish politicians (especially Republican politicians) for relinquishing anything, even if it means they get nothing in return, so they don't.

 

See I disagree, I think the Democrats have been just as unwilling to compromise on anything.

 

What has the left been willing to give up in any discussion, it's all or nothing with them. I'm not saying that Republicans haven't been unmoving on some issues but to say that it's primarily the Republicans that haven't given is wrong. Obama is so unwilling to compromise that he now rules via executive order.

Bipartisanship comes out of compromise. Compromise requires both sides to give up something they want to get something else they want. We're at the standstill we are because we punish politicians (especially Republican politicians) for relinquishing anything, even if it means they get nothing in return, so they don't.

 

To paraphrase a wise person, the best deal is one that both sides hate.

Bipartisanship comes out of compromise. Compromise requires both sides to give up something they want to get something else they want. We're at the standstill we are because we punish politicians (especially Republican politicians) for relinquishing anything, even if it means they get nothing in return, so they don't.

 

Again I don't buy this at all.

 

I'm a registered Republican , 32 years old. Almost every republican I know under 40 is pretty moderate on social issues. What I see from Liberal friends is moving further to left on every issue.

Bipartisanship comes out of compromise. Compromise requires both sides to give up something they want to get something else they want. We're at the standstill we are because we punish politicians (especially Republican politicians) for relinquishing anything, even if it means they get nothing in return, so they don't.

 

I sympathize with GOP politicians sometimes because I do think those that can work to the middle are soon replaced by leadership, or torn down by the tea party.