We have to find some middle ground if we want to move forward

originally posted by: Willtell
I wish the Democrats would produce a moderate to cement the gains we have and not go off on radical new programs.

I'm not sold on Tulsi Gabbard yet, but she looks good.




Some of her polices look good too.


Luckily I can stack the deck in both primaries. I'll take two decent candidates any day of the week.

God knows we've had a drought in that department every major cycle for a few decades.

originally posted by: JinMI

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
a reply to: JinMI

I must eat them in solitude these days or risk calls of cultural appropriation.

That's not why people don't want to be around you when you eat them......

What do you mean?

If you explain a fart joke, there is no way it can be funny.

Everyone's told me I'm almost middle aged and it's hard enough to make them funny, so don't sabotage me please sir.

originally posted by: olaru12
a reply to: CriticalStinker

There's precious little "middle ground" in a cult. It's all or nothing...

We should all make our own cults... Promises to ourselves we keep at such a devout level, people find it cultish.

We shouldn't allow any one into our cult. And no one should allow us into theirs.

We should be up front to talk about our cult, and more so to hear about others'.

That is induvidualism, and I so dearly miss it being a negative badge for people to wear.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

I'm not sold on Tulsi Gabbard yet, but she looks good.

I like her too. Not too radical, she’s practical, sensible and pragmatic and isn’t going for the current democratic socialist wave, yet wants to established gains we’ve made.

The problem and this is vital, is that she isn’t a neocon warmonger so she’s got little chance in winning, IMO. I hope I’m wrong.

originally posted by: CriticalStinker

originally posted by: JinMI

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
a reply to: JinMI

I must eat them in solitude these days or risk calls of cultural appropriation.

That's not why people don't want to be around you when you eat them......

What do you mean?

If you explain a fart joke, there is no way it can be funny.

Everyone's told me I'm almost middle aged and it's hard enough to make them funny, so don't sabotage me please sir.

Are you claiming my flatulence has an odor that my not be pleasant to others?







Source!?

originally posted by: CriticalStinker


If we can all agree something is horribly broken, maybe we won't be as spiteful on issues just to oppose the other side for a "win".

I'd like to see it on ATS first.

At least - civil discussion of opposing views.

a reply to: Willtell

The problem and this is vital, is that she isn’t a neocon warmonger so she’s got little chance in winning, IMO. I hope I’m wrong.

Trump and Bernie were the favorites of both parties last cycle, both were (self proclaimed) against war, so one could deduce most active voters are against war.

Tulsi doesn't take corporate money, that is why it appears she doesn't have a chance.... Corporate media isn't giving her one. Trump was widely covered because he gets views, he got billions in free coverage.

I doubt she has a chance this cycle to make it through the primaries, but if she did, she's their only hope as it stands.

I personally see her as one of the most viable options, in the future. She needs to get better and more refined. If she goes in the right direction, I'll likely have an eye on her. And maybe on her campaign

originally posted by: Annee

originally posted by: CriticalStinker


If we can all agree something is horribly broken, maybe we won't be as spiteful on issues just to oppose the other side for a "win".

I'd like to see it on ATS first.

At least - civil discussion of opposing views.

I've seen it, I've had it. Only when I try to make it so though, I've found sometimes I'm guilty too.

But seriously, if I'm consistent and truly press someone to be honest and have a discussion, I've gotten through to some of the more harder to peel onions.

Small victories I say.

a reply to: JinMI

You should have hung out with me tonight. I was at a community event and we had tacos, fried chicken, and pizza. Quite lot of people were there so we were numerous and a triple threat.

Honestly, I don't think most people really buy into the majority of the ridiculous bull crap that they flood the internet with to cause the spread of hatred and division.

We definitely have some brainwashed folk out there, but I think we are in a better place then they try to make us believe.

Half of what I say is heavy sarcasm that only I think is obvious, which in itself is fascinating from a social networking psychological perspective.

a reply to: r0xor

you can't be serious and if you are get a life!!!! i sincerely hope that was sarcasm because tacos are life

originally posted by: conspiracy nut
a reply to: r0xor

you can't be serious and if you are get a life!!!! i sincerely hope that was sarcasm because tacos are life

I work part-time at a Taco Bell. I can tell you what the next special is going to be.

It's called Rattlesnake fries. It's nacho fries in a bel grande tray with nacho cheese, creamy jalapeno sauce, and jalapenos.

originally posted by: r0xor
Half of what I say is heavy sarcasm that only I think is obvious, which in itself is fascinating from a social networking psychological perspective.

Duly noted.

But don't sweat it though... I think you got mild responses.

No harm, no foul.

There is no middle ground to be had at this point. This is all a formality, the lines are being drawn and sides chosen.

The die has been cast and we are simply waiting for it to stop rolling to see which way this thing breaks.

Be prepared to live off the grid. Have a bug out plan. I'm not an alarmist, but being prepared is smart.

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
Obviously we're as divisive as ever (or as long as I've been alive). That's a zero sum game, one extreme than the next, no moving forward as things get undone.

What if we all found a cause to rally together for and hide the hatchet temperarly? I mean temperarly too, as balance is needed, and while I'm not a fan of the "balance" we have currently, the least we can do is make it better.

I propose we all demand whoever we vote for to try and end needless wars, and not seek future ones.

If we can all agree something is horribly broken, maybe we won't be as spiteful on issues just to oppose the other side for a "win".

Somethings got to give.

I'm open to other ideas or critism though.

Why not prison reform? Shutting down private prisons. Decriminalize a few things. One who does not present a danger to others should not be locked up.

originally posted by: drewlander

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
Obviously we're as divisive as ever (or as long as I've been alive). That's a zero sum game, one extreme than the next, no moving forward as things get undone.

What if we all found a cause to rally together for and hide the hatchet temperarly? I mean temperarly too, as balance is needed, and while I'm not a fan of the "balance" we have currently, the least we can do is make it better.

I propose we all demand whoever we vote for to try and end needless wars, and not seek future ones.

If we can all agree something is horribly broken, maybe we won't be as spiteful on issues just to oppose the other side for a "win".

Somethings got to give.

I'm open to other ideas or critism though.

Why not prison reform? Shutting down private prisons. Decriminalize a few things. One who does not present a danger to others should not be locked up.

I'm not opposed to that topic, but is that where we find middle ground?

Also if we free up defense spending, there's more chips with both side to bargain with.

We'd also weed out the authoritative types, which hypothetically would achieve your result.

a reply to: Carcharadon

There is no middle ground to be had at this point. This is all a formality, the lines are being drawn and sides chosen.

That's what the minority of the country who barks the loudest would have you believe IMO.

I'm a moderate, but that doesn't mean I won't take a side with the same conviction as someone who's been on a side.... I just won't do it for fickle reasons.

Many see the destruction with a rebuild as a last resort... Not a solution.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

When I watch movies that are filmed in various cities of the world, I say to myself, "Holy crap! Everything in __________ is more modern and advanced than what we have in Chicago, New York, L.A., etc.!"

Donald Trump wanted to modernize America. President Trump says at each State-of-the-Union that he wants to work with Democrats to modernize America's infrastructure.

Democrats LOVE the idea of spending +$1 Trillion to do this. So what's the problem?

Precisely.

Folks need to understand that nothing they want politically is going to happen until we learn to coalesce as a people once again.

Sure, the socialists may sweep into power in 2020 or the following elections as a reaction to Trump. And they'll set about putting things into motion like universal healthcare (something I'm actually in favor of as long as it has some capitalistic checks and balances). But as long as we continue in this us vs. them mind-set there will be yet another Trumpian-level reaction to them just as Trump was a reaction to Obama and Obamacare and it will be either thwarted, repealed or gutted so it utterly useless.

What is transpiring now isn't even politics, it is an exercise in futility. As the O.P. said, it's a zero-sum game. We're spinning our wheels here. Wildly swinging the pendulum from one extreme to the other isn't going to move things forward at all.

As I've said in other threads, politics is the art of getting two distinctly different but both very necessary temperaments to function symbiotically. Neither temperament can survive without the other (at least not as a healthy democracy). You lean too far in one direction and you fall over -- and it doesn't matter which way you were leaning at the time. History could not be more clear on this point.

Why do you think there is so much propaganda about moderates and centrists from both ends? Because the predatory opportunists from both sides of the spectrum know that if the middle starts working together then they are out of the job of dividing, conquering and profiting.

I read one ridiculous article in a mainstream publication the other day that tried to make the claim that being moderate is the real populism and that it is extremely dangerous to democracy. The writer of that article was making the obvious mistake that they think we think like they do -- which is group-think. We want the opposite of group-think. We want people to disagree, but we also want people to come together in a civil manner and present cogent arguments as to why they disagree and ideas on how we can meld together a measured and reasonable compromise that actually is beneficial for everyone regardless of your temperament.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

The country has been divided since it’s conception and has only ever moved forward. Once we figure out the division is largely ridiculous, mostly media-derived, hopefully we can start to laugh at it.