Tiberius Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Always fun to look at big picture. Even the Republican front runner is promising to raise taxes on the wealthy. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/12/opinion/campaign-stops/how-far-left-has-america-moved.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=0 But so far into the 2016 election, conservatives are on the run. Democrats are battling over who can really move the country left. And the leading Republican candidate is a man who has previously praised Canada’s single-payer health care system and described himself as “very pro-choice.” This starts to paint a very different picture of the direction of the country. Instead of President Obama representing a quirky left shift engendered by his charisma, Iraq and the Great Recession, what if he turned out to have been a transitional figure to a considerably more leftward tilt? What if in 10 or 20 years we look back on the Obama years and they seem as conservative as the 1992 “Different Kind of Democrat” years do now? around the world. It’s happening elsewhere. Canada has turned left, and a socialist, a long way from the days of Tony Blair, leads Britain’s Labour Party. In this global economy that everyone talks about but no one seems able to define, maybe larger forces are nudging the United States left. Unemployment is low and yet only 23 percent of the country believes we are headed in the right direction. Something clearly is wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakeYouToTasker Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 (edited) The Republican frontrunner is a Democrat whose only appeal is his boorish, non-politically correct nature, and his xenophobic nativist rhetoric. He's not winning because he's left leaning, he's winning because he's attracted the single issue nativist vote. If you removed the nativist rhetoric and the crassness, he'd be polling around 1%. Edited February 12, 2016 by TakeYouToTasker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-Man Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 The Republican frontrunner is a Democrat whose only appeal is his boorish, non-politically correct nature, and his xenophobic nativist rhetoric. He's not winning because he's left leaning, he's winning because he's attracted the single issue nativist vote. If you removed the nativist rhetoric and the crassness, he'd be polling around 1%. You are correct sir, But despite the NYT's 'fun' dismissal of conservatives in this election, both Senator Cruz and Senator Rubio are running strong campaigns. Trump should still (unfortunately) be considered the favorite, but certainly that is not a given. As to the country's direction, we need look no further than the last eight years of elections. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/11/04/the-2015-election-tightened-the-republican-stranglehold-on-state-government/ The 2015 election tightened the Republican stranglehold on state government by Chris Cizilla The 2015 election is over. (You may not have known it was even happening.) And it proved one thing: Republicans have an absolute stranglehold on governorships and state legislatures all across the country. Republicans now hold 32 of the nation's governorships — 64 percent of all the governors mansions in the country. Republicans still hold total control of 30 of the country's 50 state legislatures (60 percent) and have total or split control of 38 of the 50 (76 percent.) That dominance — and what it means to the policy and political calculations and prospects for both parties at the national level — is the single most overlooked and underappreciated story line of President Obama's time in office. Since 2009, Republicans have made massive and unprecedented gains at the state level, gains that played a central role in, among other things, handing control of the U.S. House back to the GOP in the 2010 election. In Obama Era, G.O.P. Bolsters Grip in the States - The New York Times... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 But he is still a "Democrat" and there are other real Conseravatives in the race that hate immigrants that want to give the poor suffering wealthy a tax break but they seem to be going no where fast The Republican frontrunner is a Democrat whose only appeal is his boorish, non-politically correct nature, and his xenophobic nativist rhetoric. He's not winning because he's left leaning, he's winning because he's attracted the single issue nativist vote. If you removed the nativist rhetoric and the crassness, he'd be polling around 1%. both Senator Cruz and Senator Rubio are running strong campaigns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepthefaith Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Trump won't be the nominee, take that to the bank. To answer your question I believe the country is moving left and has been for a long time. Mostly because the majority of voters don't pay close attention to politics or what their governments are doing (or not doing) and they only know what they get occasionally from the very left leaning media. However, the recent election of more Republican Governors might suggest otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 Trump won't be the nominee, take that to the bank. To answer your question I believe the country is moving left and has been for a long time. Mostly because the majority of voters don't pay close attention to politics or what their governments are doing (or not doing) and they only know what they get occasionally from the very left leaning media. However, the recent election of more Republican Governors might suggest otherwise. The media is not left wing, gosh, were are inundated with right wing media outlets all over the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drinkTHEkoolaid Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 I think the country is moving farther away from common middle ground. The left is regressing closer to socialism while the right now matter how badly the establishment tries to stop it, continues to pull farther right. The media coverage and portrayal would have you believe the country is going left, but I think the country is going farther left and right at both ends of the spectrum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 I think the country is moving farther away from common middle ground. The left is regressing closer to socialism while the right now matter how badly the establishment tries to stop it, continues to pull farther right. The media coverage and portrayal would have you believe the country is going left, but I think the country is going farther left and right at both ends of the spectrum. If I may ask, what do you consider "right"? If you mean just immigration, ok. But on taxes? I don't see that. And on smaller government? I've yet to see any movement for those old Conservatives to give up their medicare Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakeYouToTasker Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 If I may ask, what do you consider "right"? If you mean just immigration, ok. But on taxes? I don't see that. And on smaller government? I've yet to see any movement for those old Conservatives to give up their medicare Medicare and Social Security are hard to unwind because of the nature of the benefit. Seniors had money forcibly confiscated from them in their working years, thereby removed from private sector retirement financing, based on the promise that a benefit would be paid out to them in retirement. Conservatives, most of whom logically would have opposed the confiscation of their dollars, are not wrong to expect the government to honor the promise they made when they raided their paychecks. Medicare and Social Security are a benefit that those receiving it have already paid for. The trick of unwinding those programs is to preserve the benefit for those whom have already paid into it, pro-rated for those still working as a partial benefit, and suspending all future contributions, gradually weaning America off the systems over several generations. You wouldn't find many conservatives, regardless of age, who would oppose such a plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 Medicare and Social Security are hard to unwind because of the nature of the benefit. Seniors had money forcibly confiscated from them in their working years, thereby removed from private sector retirement financing, based on the promise that a benefit would be paid out to them in retirement. Conservatives, most of whom logically would have opposed the confiscation of their dollars, are not wrong to expect the government to honor the promise they made when they raided their paychecks. Medicare and Social Security are a benefit that those receiving it have already paid for. The trick of unwinding those programs is to preserve the benefit for those whom have already paid into it, pro-rated for those still working as a partial benefit, and suspending all future contributions, gradually weaning America off the systems over several generations. You wouldn't find many conservatives, regardless of age, who would oppose such a plan. No one is forcing ANYONE to take back more from the government than they gave, but most medicare recipients are gleefully taking that benefit. And they seem to love THEIR socialized medicine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boater Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Left, right, doesn't matter. In a couple years we'll look like Greece: a complete mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepthefaith Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 The media is not left wing, gosh, were are inundated with right wing media outlets all over the place. There have been reports in recent years showing the sheer number of stories published by the major TV news outlets and which direction they lean. The numbers show very clear left bias. Maybe I'll dig a couple of those up over the weekend and post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azalin Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 The country is most definitely moving to the left, and has been doing so incrementally for a very long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepthefaith Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 No one is forcing ANYONE to take back more from the government than they gave, but most medicare recipients are gleefully taking that benefit. And they seem to love THEIR socialized medicine Medicare is underfunded given how medicine is practiced in this country. I believe that if people want it as it is, then they (not employers and not the rich) should pay more into the system. Show me a politician particularly on the left that is brave enough to show people the real numbers and ask that all taxpayers pay their equal fair share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 There have been reports in recent years showing the sheer number of stories published by the major TV news outlets and which direction they lean. The numbers show very clear left bias. Maybe I'll dig a couple of those up over the weekend and post. Reports by who? People can't even agree what left and right is, so I doubt anyone could really definitively make a report that is serious about that. Also, there is so many media outlets these days that people read what they want. To you guys saying the right is going right and the left left, the media splintering up has helped contribute to that, imo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakeYouToTasker Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 No one is forcing ANYONE to take back more from the government than they gave, but most medicare recipients are gleefully taking that benefit. And they seem to love THEIR socialized medicine Read what I wrote again. The government forcibly takes money from the paychecks on it's citizens during their working career based on the promise to pay out a benefit in retirement. It is not unreasonable for them to expect the government to honor their promise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 But he is still a "Democrat" and there are other real Conseravatives in the race that hate immigrants that want to give the poor suffering wealthy a tax break but they seem to be going no where fast Which candidates hate immigrants and please explain how you've come to that conclusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 Which candidates hate immigrants and please explain how you've come to that conclusion. How should I explain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 How should I explain? I'd start with typing some words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 I'd start with typing some words. Why focus on that though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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