Political Partisanship
 

Okay I gotta ask because I can't fathom the reasoning behind it:

Whats with the fanatical partisanship in the US? Why do people so vehemently cling to one party while deriding the other? Is this part and parcel of a two party system? Why do both parties and media seem to encourage it?

Re: Political Partisanship
 

Why do pigs fly? They don't. The media doesn't encourage anything and people vote for a candidate/party that represents them just like they do in elections around the world.

Trying to say there is fanatical partisanship in the US is bashing the US. If anything, people may be divided in their beliefs.

-Rudey

Re: Re: Political Partisanship
 

I'm not trying to bash the US by saying there is a perception of fanatical partisanship evident in the run-up to elections. I'm just trying to understand why is seems that there is such a strong identification with one party or another.

For example look on this board, where people so strigently identify with what political party they support... or how posters seem to go out of their way to confront or insult posters that support the other party. Some good examples could be your posts... or the more inflamitory ones by IowaStatePhiPs.

Look I'm coming from a perspective that your political choices are as private as your religious choices... it is extemely rare for someone to indentify themselves as supporters of a political party. I'm just trying to understand impitus behind this aspect of American politics, and to a lesser extent culture.

Re: Re: Re: Political Partisanship
 

What are you talking about? People vote for who represents them. Going further, they want someone in power that represents them. Right before an election people will be more vocal and hope that the candidate they want wins. We pick a candidate and party that holds most of our views and try and influence the candidate/party to adopt the rest of our views.

I've been to many countries and there has been quite a large amount of people who identify with a party or candidate - often to the point of violence. I am happy that in my country we have the freedom to choose a party and candidate and not have one forced on us.

-Rudey

Re: Re: Re: Re: Political Partisanship
 

I call it the USA.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/nation...erry%20Heckler

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Political Partisanship
 

Not what I meant. Don't try and play games. Besides in America, we all know Democrats are violent criminals.

-Rudey

RA -- I don't think that there's much fanatical partisanship in the US. They just seem to show a lot of it on TV.

It doesn't make good TV to show a voter that says they agree with the candidate on X, but disagree on Y.

It's just TV, don't believe everything you see on it.

As a (slightly) more long time observer than most of you, I find the partisanship much deeper over the past few years. It appears to me that the country is much more divided and that individuals are much more intransigent in their feelings and beliefs than I can remember.

Some Poli Sci department or grad student should study this campaign.

When I ask why the media seems to encourage it, I was refering to this campaign campared to previous ones... I don't remember there being that many programs that had people from both parties going at each other so "enthusiastically"; I remember debates and discussions - not cheap shots and sound bites. Nor do I remember the parties actually using a political stance as an insult before - you know using "liberal" or "conservative" as some sort of insulting label?

Trouble is that politics has become a contest that must be won at all costs. The laws are simply obstacles that parties always seem to find ways around. The truth is something that is relative and unimportant, stances on issues aren't done because of values, but to win votes. It's become a very cynical process. Many of us Americans are turned off by this, but what choice do we have?

I have my own ideas about politics. Unfortunately, in the US, non-name-brand candidates stand little/no chance of doing anything productive (except maybe they can be a spoiler for a Republican or Democrat that is closely aligned with their ideas). The electorate has been forced into a false choice and there's nothing that the people in power will do to unseat themselves.

That being said, I think we are still far and away the best nation on Earth. Our political wars never really rise to any level of violence. If what had happened in 2000 with our election had occured in some country in South America, you'd be talking about a full scale revolution, not something that would be solved in the courts.

The news media, by and large, if reflective of the society. However, while I hadn't really thought of it before, the rise of highly politicized radio talk shows may be in roughly the same time frame that I perceive this growth in partisanship.

But there's a lot of other stuff going on in the country at the same time (changes in social dynamics as the overall population ages, differences in demographics, ballances of ethnic groups changing, etc.) that would make it very difficult to prove.

But, not being a social scientist, I'm not going to try to prove it -- just sit back and watch.

ETA that I was writing this as the post above was added. Some very good thoughts there.

Cosign.

About a year ago, I said on another message board that this was going to be a very divisive year, politically (I mentioned that because it is a diverse group, and I wanted to prepare everyone). I was told I was crazy - but half of the people are either not speaking, or avoiding the other board.

While I think that we, as a country, are more polarized this year, I also think that the media is thriving on it.

And here on Greekchat.

RACooper: when you grow up in the middle of a storm, and it's the only thing you've known, it's hard to compare any other way of life. I think that's why a lot of people don't see it as fanatical partisanship. For the record I agree with you, but then I live in Canada (now) where things are MUCH calmer by comparison.

because both parties are full of shit, so the only way to make themselves look good is by making the other guys look bad

Well, that too -- although I might have described it slightly differently.