Defining issues of today's politics / Left vs Right

I don't live in the U.S., Okie.

well okie I can agree that the neo-con political agenda is not typically conservative.

I now understand all you one worlders. The U.S. is an extreme Right country, all of us, even liberals are barely moving to the center. Am I understanding you all correctly? I understand you people now. You've outed yourselves. Apparently, you must all be a bunch of socialists or even further left than that? I am supposed to apologize for believeing in American tradition and ideals? I am a dinosaur?

So - how about Eisenhower, okie.

What would his positions be on your questions/points?

How do his positions compare to the current Democratic and Republican parties?

~~~

Are you a dinosaur? Only you know for sure. <shrug>

I apologize if I've offended anybody not living in the U.S. My apologies. I just assumed we were arguing American politics from a left / right philosophy, as compared to the framework we have here. If you live in a country that has a different set of laws, a different constitution, then thats what you deal with. I apologize for being testy; I love my country here, and the freedoms and opportunities afforded us by the system in place.

So far, you've sneered at several Americans for not agreeing with you, a couple of Candians and a German. Good work, Boss, with any luck, by nightfall, you will have been able to smear more than half the human race.

Compared to other countries, the USA truely is a 'rightish' country.

And using the spectrum, which generally and accepted is used in political sciences all over the world, the Democrats are a party on right site of the center.

I wonder, why you have to apologize or what this has to do with 'outing'. (Since you are rather new here: I'm a Catholic, member of the German Social-Democratic Party and the English Fabian Society.[Labour doesn't allow foreigner besides Irish to become full members.] I never made a secret out of that.)

Setanta, I don't think I've smeared anybody. I simply said if you like it better in those countries, go there. I'm sure they love their countries and have every reason to love it. I would to if I lived there. My point is don't try to install their laws here, their culture here. We have a country here with our own laws, our own constitution that has served us well. Sigh! I knew this would happen. I've got work to do. I'll be back later. Peace. All you people seem reasonable. I guess I asked for it by starting this thread.

I didn't know you were a Fabian, Walter . . . say, do you ever get tired of waiting for the whole ponderous edifice of institutionalized capitalism to collapse?

okie you silly goose, respondents to this (your thread) have offered straight foreward opinions sans sarcasm and ridicule. You have rejected your own thread for the sake of verbalizing your patroitism. So it goes.
ok bye.

One parting shot, Setanta and Walter Hinteler, is that a little like waiting for the Yankees to quit losing the World Series? Some people don't like it if you are too successful.

Foolishness would cover this exercise nicely . . .

I do need to go back to work. But I take it that nobody can even agree on the substantive issues to discuss? I apologize for even making the attempt to pin down some issues that could begin to even define the subject. If we can't agree on the subject, I'd say its maybe over. I'll check in later.

This thread is entitled: Defining issues of today's politics / Left vs Right.

The participants here immediately and cogently addressed definitions of right and left. You react by picking up all your marbles, scowling and growling and saying you are going home. Nice debate . . .


Bye . . . don't hurry back . . .

Re: Defining issues of today's politics / Left vs Right

Checking back in here. So whats the verdict? Have some of you decided the debate is Left vs. Right for the whole world, not just in America? I assumed we were talking about American politics here, primarily. I had no clue what a hornets nest I was walking into. So where does it go from here in your opinions? Do you disagree with my characterization of Left vs. Right, overall, and for the 21 points? Maybe before we find out where everybody stands on the issues, they need to tell us where they sit politically. Are you a capitalist, a socialist, or communist, or whatever term you wish to use?

I think it's totally okay, if you just want to discuss what you like to be discussed.

But you should have said, excluded other opinions than yours etc in that case.

Thanks anyway.

I cannot imagine why you call this a hornet's nest--because people didn't run in to agree with you? You posed a conundrum, and people responded. They responded in a civil manner, although they did not necessarily agree with you. At this point, i doubt that you'll be able to work up much interest, given your reaction to what people have already posted.

I simply proposed a list of issues that could give us a hint about left and right opinions and asked for suggestions, at which time everybody told me I was off base. You never made any more suggestions of additional issues. You never pointed out any that should not be on there. You simply say I posed a conundrum. I don't see how we can honestly discuss the issues without first identifying the issues. I identified some, and what do I get, criticism for even suggesting them. This has to be one of the most bizarre discussions I've ever been in.

One of the frustrations on a forum like this is the difficulty of getting people to honestly say what they believe. I think this is another example of that. I tire of moving targets to be honest. I am simply trying to see if anyone is interested in addressing an issue, such as gun control, and if you don't like that one, pick immigration or something else, and surely we could be honest enough to admit which position on those issues the left takes vs. the right. Criticizing a position is easy. I would like to see someone take a position, admit to it, and offer some valid reasons why they do so. I'm not seeing much of that so far.

Lets take Gun Control for instance. The left is for more, the right is for gun rights and minimal control. I suppose you all will pick me apart on that. Some of this should be simple and easily outlined. This does not imply which side is the correct reasoning. If the left is convinced that more control of gun ownership is the correct policy, why jump on me for simply making the obvious observation between left and right for each issue?

I should qualify my comments here are more directed toward Setanta and Mr. Hinteler. Please correct me but I get the impression you both are fairly socialistic at least, plus you don't think the Americans see the light very well yet, and really are not very sympathetic to even discussing this issue. I am hoping there will be somebody interested in at least looking at the debate as valid.

Besides a few people - and normally, those leave after a very short period - I think, everybody here says what she/he honestly thinks.

At least, I didn't notice different.
But I'm only here a couple of days after the site started.

Honestly, okie, one of the familiar quotations here "usual suspects".
Most of us know the others better than ... well, perhaps not partners, but secondary wives/husbands :wink: