Take the Red Pill

[CitizenBBN]

Hopefully some people are starting to see the totalitarian nature of the extreme Left, and turning to some version of Libertarianism.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/09/13/liberals-sick-alt-left-are-taking-red-pill.html

[badrose]

Moments of clarity at the edge of the cliff.

[KeithKSR]

The Dems are on the precipice of an abyss, and don't see it. The more extreme they become the more people they lose.

[PedroDaGr8]

The Dems are on the precipice of an abyss, and don't see it. The more extreme they become the more people they lose.

The same can easily be said of the Republicans, as well. Both sides have significant faction(s) that are very polarizing and costing them voters. It is an unfortunate side effect of both parties focusing on ideological purity. Whether it is calling moderates RINOs or DINOs/Blue Dog Demoncrats, both parties have drifted significantly from center in the past decade or so. Whether Antifa or Alt-Right/ both sides have some absolutely messed up crazy people on their side. People who would rather support ideological and/or religious purity rather than dealing with truth and facts.

[CitizenBBN]

The same can easily be said of the Republicans, as well. Both sides have significant faction(s) that are very polarizing and costing them voters. It is an unfortunate side effect of both parties focusing on ideological purity. Whether it is calling moderates RINOs or DINOs/Blue Dog Demoncrats, both parties have drifted significantly from center in the past decade or so. Whether Antifa or Alt-Right/ both sides have some absolutely messed up crazy people on their side. People who would rather support ideological and/or religious purity rather than dealing with truth and facts.

I won't defend the GOP or the extremists on either side, but I do think in this time period the left is far more at risk than the right.

The GOP Is still dominated in party structure by middle of the road guys. Trump's election is in part a reaction to that but you dont' see the GOP leadership embracing the Trump agenda really at all. You have Breitbart etc but even within the Trump administration those guys are being run off.

In the DNC you saw the election of a new chair that was between extreme and WAY WAY extreme and you do see more and more of their leadership embracing the farther left agenda.

But beyond that it's really the organics where these things move. On the right you do have an uptick in the voice of extreme groups, but again they simply don't have the legs to reach out very far. There's really no threat of the Klan reaching any political steam or clout. They'll be villified by political leaders, the media, everyone. Even causes that are not inherently racist are constantly painted as such to such an extent many conservatives keep quiet.

But on the left groups like Antifa are getting far more of a pass, and the assumptions of their positions are not being questioned constantly, so they can get a message out and attract people.

You don't see GOP candidates rushing to embrace the wall or "Muslim ban" etc., but you see a number of prominent Democrats embracing the Bern ideals of true socialized medicine, and the demagoguery of calling anyone who disagrees a racist, sexist homophobe.

If we wanted to compare across time this is more like when the GOP was dominated in the 80s by the "New Right" and religious fundamentalists. There we saw the shift in platform and elected officials that is more like what we are seeing with Democrats now.

Reagan, due to his ability to communicate an image that was otherwise so appealing, and not coincidentally appeal to blue collar workers in the midwest, was able to keep that movement from isolating the GOP, and by the time he left office their influence had waned considerably.

But there's no one in the DNC who will be presenting that more appealing, less extreme image that makes otherwise hard moves out of the mainstream seem less so.

[KeithKSR]

The right has gained thousands of seats at the state and federal levels over the past decade. The Dems owned the state houses not too long ago, now a Dem majority in all but the bluest of blue states is a rarity.

[badrose]

Left and Right is relative. The center has steadily moved left over the last couple of decades. Time for a reset.