US Politics Thread

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Zuckerberg is shutting bricks as it looks like FB will be the scapegoat used to protect the GOP over the insurrection.
 
Sadly, it's not Bannon or Trump or the Murdochs or Tucker or any other singular figure/corporation that are to blame for the massively polarized, us-versus-them, tribal sentiment among Republicans and Democrats - nor for the anti-science, conspiracy theory laden, nationalistic, racist attitudes among a segment of Republican voters.

It's a confluence of factors that are to blame. The chief among them, I think, is gerrymandering (other factors contribute to this too such as the lack of action among Democrats to improve the well-being of rural Americans in the face of loss of jobs due to overseas competition - and so on).

Gerrymandering - the drawing of voting districts to favor one party or another - leads to polarized politics - since voters in any gerrymandered district are predominately either Republican or Democrat - any candidate wanting to win election must perforce appeal to a polarized electorate. Middle ground candidates, expressing the desire to compromise, have virtually no chance of winning in such gerrymandered districts.

Too, there's a widespread resentment among many/most? rural Americans of the so-called elitist left. And a distrust of most news outlets. And a distrust of science. And a resentment towards immigrants.

Anecdotally - my father - Chemical Engineering MSc and PhD Mathematician - but born and raised in Missouri - loved the TV show, "All In The Family."

"All In The Family" featured an over-the-top right-wing nutjob - Archie Bunker - who continuously expressed the most outrageous of right wing positions. It was obvious irony.

But you know what?... The irony sailed completely over my father's head - he loved Archie and agreed 100% with the bullshit he professed.
===
And that to me is the root of the problem - a vast swath of Americans adore Archie Bunker. Trump is but a current manifestation of their beliefs. And when Trump is gone, due to the Internet and rapid free exchange of ideas - some new Archie Bunker/Donald Trump figure will emerge, and will be adored by the Right. And divisive politics will continue.
===
Until such time as gerrymandering is eliminated - and thus that political candidates must cater to a diverse set of opinions to win office - until then - there is no such thing as the "United" States: we're a nation divided.
 
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BlueMoonAcrossThePond said:
Sadly, it's not Bannon or Trump or the Murdochs or Tucker or any other singular figure/corporation that are to blame for the massively polarized, us-versus-them, tribal sentiment among Republicans and Democrats - nor for the anti-science, conspiracy theory laden, nationalistic, racist attitudes among a segment of Republican voters.

It's a confluence of factors that are to blame. The chief among them, I think, is gerrymandering (other factors contribute to this too such as the lack of action among Democrats to improve the well-being of rural Americans in the face of loss of jobs due to overseas competition - and so on).

Gerrymandering - the drawing of voting districts to favor one party or another - leads to polarized politics - since voters in any gerrymandered district are predominately either Republican or Democrat - any candidate wanting to win election must perforce appeal to a polarized electorate. Middle ground candidates, expressing the desire to compromise, have virtually no chance of winning in such gerrymandered districts.

Too, there's a widespread resentment among many/most? rural Americans of the so-called elitist left. And a distrust of most news outlets. And a distrust of science. And a resentment towards immigrants.

Anecdotally - my father - Chemical Engineering MSc and PhD Mathematician - but born and raised in Missouri - loved the TV show, "All In The Family."

"All In The Family" featured an over-the-top right-wing nutjob - Archie Bunker - who continuously expressed the most outrageous of right wing positions. It was obvious irony.

But you know what?... The irony sailed completely over my father's head - he loved Archie and agreed 100% with the bullshit he professed.
===
And that to me is the root of the problem - a vast swath of Americans adore Archie Bunker. Trump is but a current manifestation of their beliefs. And when Trump is gone, due to the Internet and rapid free exchange of ideas - some new Archie Bunker/Donald Trump figure will emerge, and will be adored by the Right. And divisive politics will continue.
===
Until such time as gerrymandering is eliminated - and thus that political candidates must cater to a diverse set of opinions to win office - until then - there is no such thing as the "United" States: we're a nation divided.
Click to expand...
" Sorry to tell you, Mr. Doe, it's terminal......."
Only blind optimism/religious fervour to hide behind.
A game of snakes and ladders minus the ladders, heads you lose, tails you lose.
And no-one lives happily ever after. 'Kin' ell.....
 
BlueMoonAcrossThePond said:
Sadly, it's not Bannon or Trump or the Murdochs or Tucker or any other singular figure/corporation that are to blame for the massively polarized, us-versus-them, tribal sentiment among Republicans and Democrats - nor for the anti-science, conspiracy theory laden, nationalistic, racist attitudes among a segment of Republican voters.

It's a confluence of factors that are to blame. The chief among them, I think, is gerrymandering (other factors contribute to this too such as the lack of action among Democrats to improve the well-being of rural Americans in the face of loss of jobs due to overseas competition - and so on).

Gerrymandering - the drawing of voting districts to favor one party or another - leads to polarized politics - since voters in any gerrymandered district are predominately either Republican or Democrat - any candidate wanting to win election must perforce appeal to a polarized electorate. Middle ground candidates, expressing the desire to compromise, have virtually no chance of winning in such gerrymandered districts.

Too, there's a widespread resentment among many/most? rural Americans of the so-called elitist left. And a distrust of most news outlets. And a distrust of science. And a resentment towards immigrants.

Anecdotally - my father - Chemical Engineering MSc and PhD Mathematician - but born and raised in Missouri - loved the TV show, "All In The Family."

"All In The Family" featured an over-the-top right-wing nutjob - Archie Bunker - who continuously expressed the most outrageous of right wing positions. It was obvious irony.

But you know what?... The irony sailed completely over my father's head - he loved Archie and agreed 100% with the bullshit he professed.
===
And that to me is the root of the problem - a vast swath of Americans adore Archie Bunker. Trump is but a current manifestation of their beliefs. And when Trump is gone, due to the Internet and rapid free exchange of ideas - some new Archie Bunker/Donald Trump figure will emerge, and will be adored by the Right. And divisive politics will continue.
===
Until such time as gerrymandering is eliminated - and thus that political candidates must cater to a diverse set of opinions to win office - until then - there is no such thing as the "United" States: we're a nation divided.
Click to expand...
Fantastic show that would be cancelled today and there in lies some of the issues.
You raise some excellent points and have applied some good analysis tot them IMO.

A good leader with good support who puts the interests of all Americans above the minority competing interests can bring the people on mass with them ,its been done before especially in troubled times but it won't be the likes of Trump or Trumpites that's for sure.

As you say you have to address the divide between rich and poor and unfortunately due to responses to covid and climate warming to date the gap is growing.

China may be a uniting force and no reason why you cannot have a buoyant coal , gas and fracking industry and address carbon emissions for example especially with technological change but until China and India and Japan ( almost always having weak and high turnover of leaders that float in the ever changing direction of the breeze ) and South Korea etc etc and other nations punch above their weight its pointless the US going boom or bust on the many trillions needed to be spent to green their economy when there defence budget largely driven by CO2 generation will have to be increased as a percentage of GDP in the coming decades.
 
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