Political Hippo Circle Jerk - America, farg YEAH!

[Eagles_Legendz]

Brian Fitzpatrick is doing a pretty good job so far (congressman from Bucks/part of montco).   No clue when the R party strayed so far from people like him. 

One of first PA pubs (maybe the first) against Muslim ban; anti-Trumpcare; anti-defunding EPA; pro regulations of carbon emissions; one of 12 republican congressman signing on to actually do things to support EPA and combat climate change. 

^^^ not to say you need to vote for him over dem if you live in the area but it at least shows balls as a first term congressman to break from the party like that.

[SD]

Brian Fitzpatrick is doing a pretty good job so far (congressman from Bucks/part of montco).   No clue when the R party strayed so far from people like him. 

One of first PA pubs (maybe the first) against Muslim ban; anti-Trumpcare; anti-defunding EPA; pro regulations of carbon emissions; one of 12 republican congressman signing on to actually do things to support EPA and combat climate change. 

^^^ not to say you need to vote for him over dem if you live in the area but it at least shows balls as a first term congressman to break from the party like that.

He's my Congressman and yes he does a damn fine job. I'm a registered Dem but he'll get my vote.

[smeags]

he's a tad different than his brother mike.

[Rome]

I can't imagine any scenario where I would vote for a Republican.  And not because they're a disgusting, racist, science-denying, misogynistic collection of bible-thumping hypocrites either. 

Nope. 


I just don't like elephants.  They smell funny and they scare me a little.   

[Tomahawk]

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/01/democrats-trump-cabinet-senate/513782/

Interesting article about the democrats changing the votes needed to overcome a filibuster for cabinet nominations to a simple majority (from 60 to 51).

This is what's wrong with our government:

http://www.realclearscience.com/journal_club/2015/04/24/political_partisanship_in_three_stunning_charts_109196.html

[ice grillin you]

changing the votes isnt the problem....the republicans just did the same thing with gorsuch

the problem is farging democratic voters dont go to the polls and republicans have been running a blitzkreig of anti voter legislation across the country since obama was elected

if the dems had the house senate and white house right now it would be a beautiful thing

[Tomahawk]

Right...that was just an interesting read.

The problem is how the polarization that started happening in the '90s progressed to how it is now.

[MDS]

Peter Baker‏Verified account @peterbakernyt  26m26 minutes ago
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Drumpf signing his latest executive order: "There's a lot of words. I won't bother reading everything."

[Tomahawk]

[ice grillin you]

this is incredible

http://www.vox.com/2017/4/25/15429982/gop-exemption-ahca-amendment

[Sgt PSN]

Right...that was just an interesting read.

The problem is how the polarization that started happening in the '90s progressed to how it is now.

I didn't read your link (yet), so maybe it mentions this, but the graph shows the divide significantly widening around the same time that 24hr news channels started popping up.  And as time went on and those networks began leaning harder and harder to the right or left, so do the 2 parties. Then shtein kind of levelled out for a few years  without much movement in either direction.  Between 03-05 there was some distancing which also happens to be the same time that social media was gaining steam and by 07 pretty much everyone was using it and by 2011 the gap is looking like chuggie's mom's dookie chute. 

Ain't no coincidence I tells ya.

[ice grillin you]

i dont disagree with your premise in general but....

2003-2005 is when people started realizing that we were lied into a war and the left was going crazy

2011 is a few years into the first black presidency and less than a year after obamacare was passed and the right had lost its shtein...it was also the height of the tea party

[Sgt PSN]

Yeah, I'm not saying that cable news and social media are the sole causes, but both play a very heavy role in shaping opinions the way issues such as, for example, the way that war or healthcare are presented through both mediums.  That most certainly accounts for a large (maybe the largest) portion of the divide.

[smeags]

divide the people so they are distracted.

[ice grillin you]

i dont think the alt right or the tea party or the average trump voter and myself are divided because we are distracted